Marty Peters gave a vocational presentation at the March 21, 2019 meeting as part of the series sponsored by our Vocational Committee. Marty said he stumbled into the financial services sector. After college, he worked for the west coast division of RCA, which paid for him to attend graduate school at USC. However, Marty encountered issues with the accounting style of that office and when he learned about opportunities for pension administration companies, he left with two friends to found his own company, which marked the start of his career as an independent financial advisor.
For Marty, the best part of his profession is a chance to listen (he already had expert speaking skills) and from listening to determine what his clients’ priorities are. Technology and laws inevitably affect the financial services sector and Marty stressed the need to keep current with regulations and to pursue continuing education. Therein represents a challenge of being in financial services- the need to stay abreast of developments to give clients every advantage in managing their wealth. In terms of ethical issues and how the 4-way test can apply, Marty goes a step beyond The Golden Rule to follow The Platinum Rule: treat others even better than he would want to be treated. Marty said that being an independent advisor who is not tied to any one company allows him to give his clients the broadest range of options. Marty would advise young people looking to enter this profession to find a good mentor, join relevant professional associations, and, most importantly, always work with happy people.