DAVE BAKER, FRC℠

Chartered Federal Employee Benefits Consultant
Federal Retirement Consultant  |  Fiduciary Investment Advisor

I started working as a financial advisor in 1993. I grew up in Kalamazoo, MI which is a nice, well-rounded college town.

I was the younger of two sons and my parents were both teachers, so we weren't rich. Given their careers, they had their summers off, so we would sail up and down the Great Lakes on their 35-foot sailboat. I still love sailing to this day.

Before beginning my career in financial planning, I interviewed for a the job at IDS Financial Services. Part of that process involved taking a personality test, the one where employers try to figure out what kind of person you are and what makes you tick. Well, when the test results came back, they said I had a 55% "driver" personality and 45% "analytical" personality. This wasn't really what they were looking for. They wanted people that were defined with a higher concentration in one category or the other so they knew how to work with the candidate.

A "driver" personality was the one that they really sought because "drivers" like to just "get shit done.". I definitely have that quality in my day-to-day approach, no question about it. The 45% "analytical" means that I don't just take orders., I like to think things through – before – I commit to "just getting it done.". But, because the "driver" was my dominant trait, they decided to go with me, telling me, You probably won't make it, but we'll see what happens." That did not offer a huge boost of confidence.

I ended up working there at IDS (later to be known as American Express Financial Advisors and then Ameriprise) for 6 years, for 4 of those years, I was an advisor on the "Silver Team" (top 15% of the company). Problem was, places like that tend to push certain products over others and,(probably because of my analytical side,)I thought that my clients should be offered what helped THEM the most, not the company, so I left and became an independent financial advisor. I see myself as a problem solver. That's the approach I bring to the table with my clients so I can help them reach their financial goals and live their best lives.