Two years ago (on February 28, 2019), my firm’s registration as a Registered Investment Advisor was approved by the state of Vermont. It has been an incredible journey, and every day I am grateful that I had the resources and courage to take this path, and for all the clients who have chosen to place their trust in me.
Since I don’t often share personal details, I wanted to take a few moments now to recap some of the highlights and challenges of the past two years, and my plans for the future.
Professional
Building a business has been an incredible challenge! Much more than I anticipated. But I love having the autonomy to build out a practice and serve my clients according to my own professional standards. Being able to help my clients realize their goals and make better financial decisions has been incredibly rewarding.
At the same time, I also have the challenge of running a tax preparation and consulting practice, Steuern & Taxes LLC. On both fronts, I’ve realized tremendous growth, most notably over the past six months. As a result, I’ve now hired a part-time virtual assistant, Amanda, whom you’ve probably interacted with by email, and two part-time tax preparers who are working in the background during tax season. Hopefully, they’ll allow me to maintain some degree of the ever-elusive “work-life balance” during tax season.
The other goal I’ve been working toward is to complete my Master’s degree in Taxation (with a concentration in Financial Planning) from Northeastern University. Over the past two years, I’ve been able to complete three classes toward the degree - Estate & Gift Taxation, International Taxation: Outbound Transactions, and Taxation of Investments which concludes today, as soon as I submit my final research paper on the complexity of ISO taxation for executives working in cross-border situations. Then, I only have three more to go to earn my degree! I’m hoping to finish up in the Spring of 2022.
Personal
Well, let’s just say that I haven’t had a lot of free time these past two years. An introvert by nature, my activities have been even further limited during the pandemic. My son, Henry, and I go skiing every couple of weekends at Mad River Glen*, and in warmer weather, I try to take a lot of walks and do some occasional hiking. During the summer, we spent a few days at Smuggler’s Notch Resort in July and rented a cabin for a week on Lake Hortonia in August, which was lovely. I’m certainly hopeful that by adding staff, I will have more time (after the busy tax season!) to travel and get out into nature.
*He will want me to point out that he is a better skier than I am, which he is!
--------
In conclusion, I just want to say THANK YOU to the universe and to all the people in my life who have helped me make my dreams come true.
