Hi, I'm Abby.

I have been investing since I was 18 years old. At a very young age, I was fascinated with the stock market and investing, and I read every book I could and researched companies to invest in. Shortly after I graduated from the University of Florida in 1999, I became a financial specialist for a national bank. I passed my Series 6 and Series 63 exams, allowing me to sell mutual funds to bank clients, and I worked in banking, lending, and customer service. I left that job and began working with a small, family-owned stock brokerage in Lakeland, FL, passing my Series 7 exam, enabling me also to sell stocks and bonds. I loved my job but found it very hard working in a position where my income depended on sales of securities and generating commissions, as a very young female, in an industry primarily dominated by middle-aged men.

 

I decided to stay home, raise our children, and work in the company my husband and I acquired shortly before we married. I was blessed to have a job that allowed me the flexibility to be available to my children. The experience of being a business owner gave me a passion for capitalism and a fascination with all things business. I remained a daily reader of the WSJ, and an investing nerd. I devoured every business and investing podcast I could find, always learning. That fueled my passion, and Dave Ramsey’s podcasts about faith-based personal finance and budgeting planted seeds in my heart that led me to where I am today.

 

Our company was acquired in 2018, and the corporate office largely took over my position. I found myself feeling very unsettled, not having a career. For the next year, I prayed and sought wise counsel as to my next steps. I wanted to serve others, but I didn’t know how God wanted me to do that. During a counseling session with Father Tim, discussing God’s plans for me, he suggested I become a financial advisor again. Though that felt like a dream career, I had thought of nursing school or education as the next step for me, not jumping back into personal finance. However, his suggestion, coupled with the results of months of several intense personal studies and career counseling, made sense. I called Gregg, who is married to my cousin Anna, and asked him what he thought. I explained my situation and asked his opinion about a busy mom jumping back into the financial industry. I explained that I would like to be able to serve others as a financial advisor and financial coach, but also would need to let my practice grow organically. To my surprise, Gregg offered me a job! After taking some time to pray about it, I decided to go for it. It was the best decision!

 

I am blessed with a wonderful and supportive husband, Alan, and four incredible, bright, loving daughters. Emily, Katherine, and Elizabeth are 21, and Anna Claire is 17. They are all the lights of my life, and my family and faith are my driving force. My daughter, Elizabeth, has some health complications and disabilities, which have led me to become a disability activist, both locally and at the state level. I am blessed to be able to serve people with disabilities in this way, and one day also hope to have a nonprofit offering financial planning for people with disabilities and their families.