The Power of Connectivity

I have been reflecting recently on my time here in the US after moving over from the UK 2.5yrs ago. Even with the benefit of a small personal network having visited California multiple times and living in New York during my youth, it was still a brand new adventure for me personally and from a professional stand-point I was a relative unknown to my peer group.

Having spent my entire career in the UK up until 2021 I had naturally built up a strong network of professional contacts (often on this platform), through the various organizations and professional groups I was associated with or worked for. I was well established in my career and on a strong upward trajectory. So moving over in early 2021 with a young family in the middle of a pandemic was daunting to say the least. But it was also really exciting with so many possibilities.

I love working in this industry. The relationships you build, the people you meet and the places you go are unrivalled. I was concerned that it would be difficult to jump back on the pathway at exactly the same place I had got off in the UK. No one knows me here I thought. Do I understand the differences and nuances of wealth management in the US vs UK? I don't have a professional network (yet).

Fortunately I had the gift of time for the first time in my career while I waited on work authorization. For a few months, I spent a little time consulting, I worked on a fictional book (ask me about that another time!) and I jumped into networking with earnest. My wife's cousin knew someone in the industry who introduced me to someone else who introduced me to someone else and so on. I thought about pivoting into a consultative role, but I soon realized that my passion remained in being an active practitioner. As my work authorization got closer I interviewed for different roles at different places, mainly sourced through networking and the opportunity that brought me to where I am today at Morton Wealth came along in early 2022.

I was not new to the industry by any stretch, but I had only worked in the UK, so had to begin by going back to school and taking the appropriate licensing examinations. There was also an array of new terminology and acronyms to familiarize myself with. I remember a meeting in one of my first weeks when I kept hearing "RMD" being referred to. It was obvious to me it was a standard acronym that was second nature to everyone so I had to ask my one my co-workers what it was discovering that it was not a resident of Maryland but rather the Required Minimum Distribution for a retirement account! Fast forward to today and all of these acronyms and terms I am pleased to say are second nature to me but it is funny to think back on the first time I learnt about these things.

Now that I had found a home at Morton, it was time to find a home for my family. We had sold our home in London and shipped over all of our worldly possessions Now, for those of you who have only experienced buying a home on one side of the pond, let me tell you what a vastly different experience it is. I have never experienced so much paperwork in my life, and that's even having worked with investment contracts! In the US, everyone uses a buying agent, not the case in the UK and the transaction here is handled by an escrow company, where it is handled by attorney's in the UK and mortgages are basically 30 years with re-financing options rather than locking in a rate for a particular term (e.g. 5 years) in the UK before what is called re-mortgaging. Also bear in mind, that buying a large asset with no credit history and only a few weeks of employment history is an additional challenge! I count myself so lucky to be part of a business that is so well established in the community with clients and professionals. The Morton connection introduced to me real estate agents, mortgage lenders, CPAs, insurance brokers, estate attorneys, business coaches, charitable organizations and so much more. And the individuals I have been introduced to have to a person been amazing to work with.

There is no way we could have established our personal lives so smoothly here without those invaluable connections that I also have now as professional connections and am more than happy to refer to my clients.

I have learned a lot along the way, and continue to. Financial planning is the glue in everything, especially where there are international connections. My spouse is American and when we were in the UK, it seemed to me that she was constantly doing things around her US taxes with returns that were pages and pages. How little did I know then until I had the pleasure of filing my first return in 2021! Fortunately for me now I know a lot of great CPAs.

If you live in the US and have international aspects in your life please do connect with me. It's how I grew my network and I'd love to hear your story through the power of connectivity.

Shout outs to individuals who really have made a difference in my life along the way Charles Cockerton Karen Leech CPWA? Josh Peterman Sterling Shea Cindee Zabner Brian Farwell Andrew Gantman Brian H. Standing Heather S. Talia Jacqueline the whole team Morton Wealth notably Joe Seetoo, CFA?, CFP?, CEPA? Chris Galeski Dan Charoenrath for the referrals you made at important times. There are many more, people I have connected with here on LinkedIn in the last couple of years for example, but to save writing a really really long list, thank you and you know who you are! The power of connectivity.