The Red Ribbon

After the market crash in 1987, a friend came into my office and exclaimed “I can’t do this anymore. Would you please write down everything I’m supposed to do for my family’s financial future?”

It seems funny now, but at the time it seemed strange. For I was PROUDLY a Stockbroker and an “ECON” guy. My job, as it was defined, was to find good investments, not to worry with how much money a family should keep in the Money Market for emergencies. Money Markets were kind of new and strange come to think of it.

In an effort to help my friend, I grabbed the first thing I could, which was a big wide red ribbon and cut a foot of it off. I was, you see, helping the Chamber of Commerce with ribbon cuttings for new business openings. Grabbing a Sharpie, which were also kind of new, I began to write down everything I could think of for my friend to do for his family. It started with the emergency fund and moved quickly into IRA’s (still new then), Life Insurance, College Funds, and moved through a plan for life. When he left the office, I quickly grabbed another piece of ribbon and duplicated it. It is upon that piece of fabric that I based a new focus to becoming “a new kind of stockbroker,” with more emphasis on protection-oriented planning.

A few years later, I was fortunate enough to pass the test and become a Certified Financial Planner. Thus, gaining entry into the then new profession of Financial Planning. The ribbon has not survived the decades since, but internally, we still call the process “The Ribbon.”

We enjoy helping you with your family’s financial path. The idea coming out of the financial industry that you cannot get someone’s help unless you have a certain amount of money, is something we totally reject. Our feeling is that everyone deserves a chance to enter into the capitalist system. We have enjoyed building a firm with bright people who are determined to make a difference in your “family financial planning.”

-Montee Sneed