A Whirlwind of Growth

February 6, 2015

As I reflect on how much Financial Symmetry has grown in the past year, I find it hard to believe that we are almost a full week into February. 2014 was a whirlwind for me.

If you’ve attended our annual client appreciation event in the past, you may know how I try my hardest to remember each and every one of you by name. I am very grateful that this year’s event (our 5^th!) will be my toughest challenge yet.

Record Growth

In 2014 we created a record number of new planning projections and welcomed our 300^th investment client. In addition, our wealth management service is now serving more clients than ever.

Communication Matters

FSI has also been busy improving our Operations. A few years ago, we were operating off of handwritten notes and spreadsheets. When I joined FSI as an intern, our quarterly reporting process was almost entirely done on paper.

Now, we have a set of sophisticated software programs and in-house workflows that keep our internal processes effective and efficient.

My team has collaborated to pinpoint bottlenecks and implement solutions so that we are able to spend more time with our clients and less time on tracking down tasks. I should note that without Bill’s genius programming skills and unwavering patience, none of this would be possible!

In The Year To Come…

Looking forward throughout 2015, you’ll find that our office is buzzing with activity. Tax season is just around the corner (Will’s favorite time of the year!) and we’re ready for it. We currently have three interns with us this semester, marking the 14^th year of our internship program.

Be on the lookout for announcements in the coming months on our employees’ advancements, from Advisors to new hires.

We are extremely thankful for each of our clients and appreciate your referrals—the best compliment we could ever receive.

A Look Back

All in all, 2014 was a very good year for us:

January— Grayson Blazek joined us as our newest full-time hire as a Data Specialist. Grayson is our 10^th full-time employee, which officially doubles our Team since 2008.
February—Chad Smith, CFP® celebrated his 13^th anniversary with FSI!
March— Our 3^rd annual Decade of Results were released.
April—Chad Smith, CFP® and his wife Andriena welcomed their second child, Emmalene Pheobe on 04/03.
June— FSI held our 4^th annual client appreciation night with the Durham Bulls. It was our biggest event yet!
July— FSI joined social media. We know…we were behind the times!
August—Grace Kvantas was featured in InvestmentNews Magazine. FSI also celebrated our 13^th anniversary!
September—Allison Berger, CFP® and her husband Jason welcomed their second child, Sebastian David on 09/06.
October— FSI participated in our 7^th O’Berry Center Foundation Golf Tournament.
November— Mike Eklund, MBA, CRPC and his wife Kerri welcomed their fourth child (and first son!) Tyler Michael on 11/13.
December—FSI welcomed our 300^th Investment Management client.
*January 2015—Alison Berger, CFP® celebrated her 10 year anniversary with FSI! A look back on her journey with FSI is coming to the blog soon!

Heather Gudac

Heather is our Chief Operating Officer and partner with the firm. Heather is responsible for overseeing operations across our firm to enhance the quality of our client relationships. She began her career with Financial Symmetry in 2006 as an intern and became a shareholder in 2013.