Today we’d like to introduce you to Jodi Miller-Hammes.
Jodi, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started as a financial advisor in 1994 after spending 2 plus years after graduating from college focusing on what I really wanted for a career. I made a list of what I wanted in a career and most importantly what I didn’t want. I was clear that I wanted to be self-employed to remove the cap on earnings and I wanted to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. I had gone back to school to finish my business education degree as I very much enjoyed training and development but recognized that high school or college ages were not the groups I wanted to serve. My career as financial advisor has allowed me to teach people every day to help them build a better life for themselves by understanding how they make decisions and implementing sound money management strategies.
Here I am 32 years later as the founder and CEO of a successful comprehensive planning practice serving over 1200 clients and employing a team of 18.
My father was a farmer who always said farming was not his job, it was who he was and lived the adage that if you love what you do you never work a day in your life. He set the standard for me, and I am proud to say that I also found my life calling and was able to feed my passion through my career.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to success is never smooth. Initially I knew that I wanted to build a successful practice, but I was a young single female starting with zero clients in a town that I was a stranger in. In a male dominated industry that is a tough place to start. I had to build confidence with prospects to create trust, which I did primarily through showing my knowledge. I focused on getting my ChFC certification early on which helped separate me from other advisors without designations and used my learnings to provide value to my prospects who ultimately became my valued clients. Since then, I have continued to be a perpetual student and impress upon my team the same expectation for them.
We’ve been impressed with Continuum Financial Group, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a comprehensive financial planning firm that leads with advice on the six key areas of financial planning.
Our Vision is to be the most trustworthy wealth management firm in the country by delivering an exceptional client experience, empowering our clients to achieve their full potential, and by developing the most talented team of professionals in the industry.
Our Mission is to inspire confidence, reduce stress and simplify lives.
Our core values are: Integrity, Leadership, Excellence, Service, Community.
There is not a member on our team that is not committed to these pillars and every day we see actions that support that and hear feedback from clients that what we do is critical to their personal success in building the life for themselves that they desire.
Our logo is a representation of the IKIGAI symbol which is core to what we stand for. The intersecting circles represent Passion, Mission, Profession and Vocation – IKIGAI is a motivating force, something or someone that gives a person a sense of purpose or reason for living.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Our city is Rochester, MN. It is a city that promotes education and continued learning as it is home to institutional learning and has professional employment opportunities. It is a city to promotes healthy living being the home to Mayo Clinic.
This city has been a great, safe place to raise a family.
This city also has challenges in that it has been ranked a top city to live which has attracted people and caused some growth in populations that hadn’t existed before. There are a high percentage of school aged children on free and reduced lunch. These home life challenges have a trickle effect in our community. Affordable housing is a challenge as well as having affordable options for kids to be active in our community.
We have a challenge in our community of keeping small businesses alive specifically in our downtown areas.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ameripriseadvisors.com/team/continuum-financial-group/financial-advice-team/jodi.k.miller-hammes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ContinuumFinancialGroup/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodimillerhammes/
