Today we’d like to introduce you to Roger Green.
Roger, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am celebrating turning 50 this year, and 30 years of helping people with their money!
I had started in the financial field in 1987 in Houston Texas, at the age of 19. By 1991, I had two infant sons, and was getting my small business established when we discovered my oldest son had severe hearing loss. We made the decision to move to Atlanta so that my son could participate in the Atlanta Auditory Verbal Center’s speech training program that we hoped would allow him to live a normal life by learning to speak clearly instead of being dependent on sign language to communicate. I had to uproot by business and start all over again from scratch in an entirely new state, although only about age 24 at the time, I had faith in myself and trust in God and in my abilities and it all just came together. My deaf son is now a 27-year-old accomplished adult who, with the help of his cochlear implant, obtained a Master’s in Finance, and who recently joined our firm, along with his younger brother Andrew. My business has grown client by client through the service and guidance we provide.
I realized early on that I needed to hire staff to do the things I wasn’t good at, so I could focus on what I do best and so that my clients would receive top-notch service. The financial field is very competitive, so I knew I would need to invest much of my income back into my business if I wanted to grow and be able to afford the staff and office I desired. My wife, Laura, has been our COO for the past 17 years, and she and the rest of our dedicated staff have been key to our growth and success. Along the way we’ve grown considerably and won numerous awards and recognition. I started as Rookie of the Year, and most recently, we were named the Gwinnett Chamber Pinnacle Small Business of the Year in October 2016, after many years of being named a finalist. The recognition is very rewarding, but actually the most rewarding aspect has been the many ways I’ve been able to positively impact the lives of my clients through the advice we provide.
Beyond what we do to help our clients, we’ve been able to really give back to our community in significant ways along the way via time, talent and financial support for many great causes. Life has been good for us at Green Financial!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Our success has actually come client by client through years of hard work – not really through one major success like being awarded a big contract or something. Years of persistence and focus on the right things and putting effort back into the businesses unlike those businesses that take all of the profits and put nothing back in.
Also, years and years of client success stories where our clients have been able to retire earlier, retire better, live the retirement of their dreams, be protected from loss through the protection of insurance, or who have been able to build a home or help a loved one or support a charity they love due to the advice and guidance we have provided. I have received numerous awards in my career, but none of them compare to the feeling you get when you know you’ve made a positive difference in a client’s life in a major way.
In terms of our largest challenge, in the investment world, the stock market goes up and down and that volatility can cost you clients if you don’t properly prepare and educate your clients. We have made it our priority to focus on educating our clients on the history of investing and proper portfolio diversification so they understand that jumping in and out of the stock market is very likely to lose them money over the long haul versus remaining invested. I also developed what I call our “Retirement Harvesting Plan” that we follow with our clients. This is a plan for withdrawals needed during down market situations. The years from 2007-2009 are known as “The Great Recession”, because they were 2nd in declines in the stock market to only The Great Depression of the 30s. Because our clients had been educated on “bear market downturns” and had the harvesting plans in place, we lost almost no clients, and had many who were able to recognize the buying opportunity that a down market does provide. I won’t say this time period was easy, and many clients struggled with job loss and other difficult financial situations during this time, but they were able to get through it and come out stronger after this period.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Green Financial focuses on helping people plan for their successful retirement. We focus on providing stellar customer service, on educating our community, and on giving back to the community. President/CEO, Roger Green manages around $400 million in assets and has over 1800 clients trusting in him – a high achievement in this field. Since 1997 he’s educated thousands through the classes he’s taught at local Gwinnett colleges, and since 1998 through his weekly radio program. Roger has held thousands of meetings with individuals to help them plan for brighter financial futures. GFR and Roger give back to the community through service and financial guidance, and Roger and his firm have won a long list of awards and recognitions for these accomplishments and contributions. Most of all, we have no financial minimums, and just want to help as many people as possible do the most with what they have, regardless of how much that might be.
Giving back to the community is a major focus. We have given over two hundred thousand dollars through the years through our annual Charity Golf Classic, with our next one coming up in September to benefit AVC, the firm that trained my deaf son to speak. My staff does all of the planning for every detail of these events, involving them all in the charitable giving process. I serve on the board of three different charities currently, and my wife supports me in all of these activities while also volunteering tons of her time leading our community HOA for well over a decade now. We also provide numerous sponsorships in the community, and support many different causes. I regularly go on mission trips to various parts of the world to share my faith and my talent, and to learn more about our world. Most of all, we work with our clients to help them grow their assets so that they too can give back to their communities.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was super motivated to achieve and had varied interests. I’m a highly competitive person, and I played years and years of football, soccer, and baseball. I was also in the school orchestra playing the cello, and even winning a competition with that instrument. I made good grades, graduated early, and was always on the go. On top of all of this, I worked from before I was a teenager…. rolling newspapers for my brother’s route, working installing insulation, in construction, and as a waiter. I was an avid reader and have always also been very much a people person. I am pretty much the same person I was then.
Awards cannot be considered a guarantee of future results. Securities and advisory services offered through Cetera Advisors LLC, member FINRA, SIPC. Green Financial and Cetera Advisors are otherwise unaffiliated.
Pricing:
- For $99-$125 you can attend a Retirement Planning class at Gwinnett Technical College – Sugarloaf and Alpharetta.
Contact Info:
- Address: Green Financial Resources, LLC
Roger S. Green, MSFS, CFP
3700 Crestwood Pkwy NW, Suite 140
Duluth, GA 30096 - Website: www.rogersgreen.com
- Phone: 770.931.1414
- Email: roger.green@rogersgreen.com
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogersgreen
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