Alongside the 2020 NAPA 401(k) Cyber Summit, we sat down (virtually) with a number of leading advisors for some insights on how they got started, what keeps them going, and what they see for the future of retirement and their practice(s).
A conversation with Kristen Deevy, Managing Director, Rocky Mountains, Pensionmark.
Background: Kristen has been in the financial service industry for over 25 years, specializing in qualified retirement plans for over 20 years. She holds her C(k)P Certified 401(k) Professional designation at The Retirement Advisor University at UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Education. For the last five consecutive years, Kristen received the National Association of Plan Advisors All Star award for Top Women Advisors, and for the past eight years she has been involved with NAPA’s DC Fly-In Forum, where she listened to, and made recommendations to Congressional leaders about the future of the retirement savings industry and how proposed laws and regulations could affect American workers’ retirement security. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Outside of work, Kristen spends time with family enjoying the outdoors at the beach or on the ski slopes.
NN: What led you to become an advisor?
KD: I started off as a retirement plan wholesaler and decided I wanted to take the next step in my career, and become an advisor which would allow me to be more engaged with clients and less “sales transactional” as a wholesaler. I also wanted to travel less and becoming an advisor allowed me to be home more with my family.
NN: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned this year?
KD: Don’t look too far ahead. I am a huge planner and this year has required me to adapt, pivot and modify plans more than ever. I have learned a lot more patience and how to “go with the flow” as a result of the pandemic.
NN: How are you/your firm “giving back?”
KD: I joined the board of Freedom Service Dogs of America in January. My first board meeting was to be in person in March (Ha! Not!), so I have yet to meet any board members in person yet, but it has been such an incredibly rewarding experience. I dove in with both feet and am a member of their finance committee, but also started fostering a 10-month old Labrador named Baxter, who will be trained to work with a client with a specific need. At FSD, we unleash the potential of dogs by transforming them into custom-trained, life changing assistance dogs for people in need. The clients we serve live with disabilities like autism, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries and more.
NN: What are you most looking forward to in 2021?
KD: I miss my clients and seeing them face to face. I hope and look forward to when we can return to a more “normal” life and do committee meetings and enrollment meetings face to face again. I am, at my core, a people person and cannot wait to engage with people without a computer screen again soon.
NN: What’s the best day/experience you’ve had as a retirement plan advisor—and why?
KD: Getting to see one of my longest-term clients retire at her retirement party. She was the Director of HR at a construction company and to be invited to her retirement party was a very meaningful experience for me. It demonstrated to me that not only do I connect with my clients on a personal level, but they also value the work I do to help prepare their employees for retirement.
