December 11, 2019

Meet Carl Agard of The Agard Financial Foundation in Alpharetta

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carl Agard.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started out growing up in the rough environments of the NYC projects, Albany Houses in Crown Heights Brooklyn. Despite all of the crime, I earned a scholarship to attend Syracuse University and while on campus, I started my entrepreneurial trail doing parties and helping to organize step shows.

Upon graduation, I was a pioneer in the New York City Real Estate industry by becoming one of the youngest Independent Real Estate Brokers in Brooklyn at the age of 27. Shortly after that, I opened up an office in Atlanta in 2001 and became one of the first realtors to set up a service to relocate families from New York City to Atlanta. I worked with several record labels relocating music artists and industry executives to Atlanta, and I partnered with several builders to develop homes in Charlotte, St Louis, Atlanta and New York City.

After the real estate market crash in 2007, I used these unfortunate events to rebrand myself and helped hundreds of homeowners save their homes from foreclosure through loan modifications and loan restructuring. I also formed a company to help small business owners acquire financing to expand their businesses when mainstream banks said no.

I published three best selling books on Real Estate, Business and Credit starting in 2005, and I have updated them every other year for the past ten years. I have written articles for several major publications and is a featured columnist for Floss Magazine. I formed my non profit organization, The Agard Financial Foundation in 2019 to educate young adults on financial literacy.

Has it been a smooth road?
Being a entrepreneur you will always come up against some challenges. The biggest life changing event for me was the Real Estate market crash of 2007.

At that time I had three real estate offices between New York City and Atlanta and over 30 real estate agents that were sponsored by me. I was developing homes in three cities, and I had five books that I published with a book tour. Everything was perfect and bam, it was like someone turned off the lights, banks were not lending money for real estate projects anymore.

We burned through cash over the next year trying to keep the offices open and the development projects going but after a while, I had no other option but to file bankruptcy and sell my real estate company.

After going through a regrouping period, I rebranded myself and formed a new company to do small business lending and commercial real estate because their was a huge void. I also helped homeowners save their houses from foreclosure. I have been very successful ever since.

The main thing that I learned is that every bad experience is a teaching moment if you open up yourself and accept it. I learned perseverance and to adapt to situations beyond your control rather quickly.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the The Agard Financial Foundation story. Tell us more about the business.
I am very proud of The Agard Financial Foundation because I am able to teach young adults about financial literacy. They do not teach how to start a business or how to read your credit report in school, but we can fill that void because the number one way to leading a full life for your self and your family is understanding wealth building.

I have sold thousands of my books on Real Estate, Business and Credit over the years and I have spoke at several engagements and done many podcasts. I have seen first hand the difference one can make once you teach someone about financial literacy and I am glad we will be able to do this nationally with this non profit.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The financial industry can change at anytime, sometimes every three months. Many factors are beyond your control such as government changes to laws and regulations and consumer confidence in the economy.

These factors can swing the pendulum for the good or bad, you just have to stay knowledgeable and be prepared to change with the tide.

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