Lessons from his grandfather

As Sheldon has shared the value of his life experiences with his children, he lovingly looks back at time spent with his grandfather, soaking in everything those experiences offered him. “I look at my grandfather who was heavily involved in Rotary – he took me on a lot of his events even though I was a young guy. In addition to all the fun stuff (like being put on an open-doored helicopter at a marine base, flown however many miles out into the Pacific to an aircraft carrier and spending the night as it came back into port), he was constantly introducing me to his business partners, always talking about business. He’s always my person I bring to mind if I’m not sure what to do next. ‘What would Gramps do — he’d put out his hand and he’d start a conversation!’ He was a natural at networking within the business community and would take time to have a conversation with anyone.”

Not surprisingly, Sheldon himself has been a member of the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club for years. He’s involved in an effort to kick off vocational services in the club, helping businesses network with each other and promote each other’s businesses, as well as mentoring younger business people who may want to join Rotary. They sponsor a 5k and a 10k Run/Walk every year called All In for Autism. “It was virtual last year, but still phenomenally successfully”, says Sheldon.

He goes on, “Rotary is a powerful organization for people who want to donate to causes – I think at the time of my grandfather’s involvement with San Diego Rotary in the 1970s I was around 10-12 years old. I remember guys in stylish plaid golf pants with glasses of scotch and big belt buckles who seemed to do a lot of business together. I thought, ‘Man these guys really drink a lot and have fancy pants!’” he laughs. “It’s a bit of a different vibe now – a little bit lighter on the scotch, but we still do a lot of business together and a lot of charitable work. And the mentoring, which I think has been a little bit lost in our culture: Rotary gives a venue for that, which is something that should be happening nationally”.

Two natural niches

The two niches where Sheldon places his focus extend directly from his own experiences. When asked what motivates him, Sheldon says, “It’s always my passion for the family, so I’ve gravitated toward these two niches of 1) retirement planning, and 2) planning for families who have a person with special needs. When retiring you’re worried about leaving what you’ve been so invested in – what will happen to my friends circle, what will I do when I’m not getting a paycheck, where is money coming from? These are super emotional questions”.

“I have five adult children myself, and my youngest daughter, who is 18, has Down syndrome. There are so many planning questions involved when one has a special needs child. There is also overlap with many of the emotional questions faced by those planning for retirement – when clients invite me in to be a part of these conversations, that’s what gets me going every day. If you disregard the emotional aspects of the relationship, you don’t get to have deeper relationships with clients”.

Outside of Rotary, Sheldon surrounds himself with a network of people that complement the goals he is trying to accomplish. He indicates that a lack of self-confidence was one of his greatest challenges early on in this industry, because what one needs to know can seem so comprehensive. “Initially, there is a confidence battle – you have to come to an understanding you can’t do it all yourself. Surround yourself with people in different disciplines who are go-tos in addition to our team at Snider Financial Group. On the retirement side, with all the iterations of planning such as Medicare, Medicare Supplements, Social Security, Taxes, Insurance, – I have a team of professionals I am able to introduce to my clients. And, on the special needs side, issues like future housing, independent living, variations of health insurance available that are not normally on the retail side that come up, but I have a special needs network of about twenty professionals. We meet monthly, talk about what’s going on in our disciplines. Speech pathologists, life skills coaches, you name it. It was initially built around parents with special needs kids and was group therapy for all of us. It can be stressful at times, but we learn from and rely upon each other”.

Sheldon also believes in lifetime learning which has bolstered his confidence through continuing education. He has earned multiple professional designations from the American College of Financial Services: RICP® ChSNC® CHFC®

Sheldon maintains a focus on expanding his business in the special needs community as well as in the community of those stressed about retirement and what that’s going to look like. He says, “I had a conversation the other day with someone looking to fundraise for a community center that focuses on programming for special needs kids in our area. In most states, for kids that have special needs, there’s a point after age 21 where servicing and programs geared toward them kind of just disappears. This individual was looking to carry on with activities and opportunities for young adults; I’m looking forward to collaborating on that”.

Sheldon is effusive about “the enormous impact involvement with the special needs community can have on individuals and organizations. Getting a glimpse into their life . . .” Sheldon pauses for a moment before continuing, “All of our kids are such better citizens because of growing up with a special needs sibling. It’s the opposite story of the Grinch – they all have hearts that are 5X too big”

An advocate for finding common ground

When engaging with potential clients, Sheldon indicates he puts the relationship aspect first. “Surprise, surprise,” he laughs. “But it’s really true. At the end of the day the numbers are going to be close. The difference maker is: do you like, trust, and want to build a relationship with your advisor that can last 30+ years? I’m looking for long term relationships – not transactional ones.

When asked what impact he wants to have on people’s lives, Sheldon doesn’t hesitate in answering, “I’d like to bring people joy and hope. I think faith and hope and love are the cardinal virtues. If we can help people focus on those areas there will be more peace in people’s lives. Every person we meet there is 80-90% of things we agree on. Why focus on the 10% we don’t? We should hear each other out and focus on all the things we have in common. Let’s talk about music, or dogs – find those areas of common ground to build upon”.

We’re sure his grandfather, hand extended and ready for a conversation, would have proudly agreed.