Most of us can point to specific people or events that influenced our decisions and made a significant impact on how we live our lives. For me, it was the inspiration and example of both my mom and dad that led me to where I am today. My mom sparked my love of finance. She was very business-focused in her life and loved watching the markets. In fact, I remember her tracking closing stock prices before there were apps to do so, on legal pads! We would eventually have towers of them on our kitchen table! She would force my brothers and me to invest our lawn-mowing money in three buckets of money named “charity,” “spending,” and “saving.” On weekends, we would open The Wall Street Journal and lookup stock symbols to begin investing in. Mom shared her love with me and I became fascinated with the finance world.
My dad also instilled something unique into my life. He was a healer—a small-town orthopedic surgeon and a pillar in our community. His work and care went beyond the office, and I clearly remember breakfasts together at our local diner being interrupted by locals who wanted to say hello and thank him for how he impacted their lives. “Thanks for the new arm, Doc,” or “Thanks for the new knee” were common greetings. He was idolized for his help, passion, and ability to teach people about their broken bones, not just fix the problem and send them on their way. He educated them in terms they could understand and gave them skills and knowledge they could apply to their everyday lives. He often used the diner’s napkins to draw pictures of bones and explain how they worked. He was like Elvis in a very small town, and he was my dad.
I have always wanted to provide that same type of value to peoples’ lives. I wanted to establish a legacy that focused on investing in others, to be someone others could rely on when they needed help. By blending both my mother and father’s influence, I now have the ultimate privilege of making a difference in clients’ financial lives. I wake up every day knowing that I am making a difference and helping people.
Laying The Groundwork
That is the background. Here is how it all played out.
Knowing my end goal, I earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing from Indiana University. I suffered through the rigorous requirements of the Kelley School of Business while being a four-year starter and All-Big Ten Defensive End playing for a great coach, Bill Mallory. Unable to pass the NFL physical due to a very bad left shoulder injury and looking like a late-round draft pick anyway, I used my scholarship money to get another degree with a year abroad in Australia at the University of Wollongong studying international business.
From Pits To Palace
With school under my belt, I then ventured out into the big, wide world to get my feet wet in the financial industry. After spending time learning as a trading clerk, I formed Farrall Associates, the same company name my dad used. Trading for myself as an independent market maker, I spent more than a decade trading equity and index derivatives on the Chicago Board of Options Exchange. In the pits, every day was like playing football and I craved the schedule, the discipline, energy, stress, the wins, and even the losses. I traded through the dot com boom and bust, the devaluation of the peso, and made markets for billionaires like Mark Cuban and Paul Allen to offload their risk in their new stock awards.
Having created my own successful company, I joined with two partners to venture out into startups and founded Rubicon Investments to train traders to trade equity and index options on stock. We chose the name Rubicon because Julius Caesar said that once he crossed the mighty Rubicon to take over the world, he would never look back. Rubicon grew into a multimillion-dollar company with as many as 26 traders and clerks trading options in over 2,000 stocks throughout the world. I was essentially living my mom’s dream.
Branching Out
But something was missing in my life. It was the personal touch that my dad’s career had. Trading was all about me, and I wanted more. I was a new father to twin girls, and as a family, we were in a good place financially. However, the fury of trading pits turned into offices with whispering air conditioning vents, and I was still thinking of my legacy. I was missing my quest to follow my father. Leaving the trading floor behind, I made my way into private wealth management and spent a handful of years helping individual and corporate clients manage their assets and plan for the future. Even though this work was fulfilling, I still felt like I could do more for specific groups. With the desire to build long-term relationships, really make a difference as a fiduciary, and put clients’ interests first, I launched Farrall Wealth—and the rest is history!
Just The Start
Now, with 35 years of experience, I am CEO and owner of Farrall Wealth, an independent, virtual, multi-family office that specializes in helping families and other business owners create customized financial plans that allow them to grow, protect, preserve, and distribute their wealth.
Don’t just take my word for it—experience the difference a relationship-based, an extra-mile financial advisor can make in your life. Take the first step toward your dream future by calling our office at 219-246-2516, emailing greg@farrallwealth.com, or scheduling a complimentary consultation online. Be sure to visit our website to learn more about us.
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