February – Milestone
Jerry Stinson of Retirement Pros of Minnesota is our Milestone Client. After a long professional career in Texas, Jerry and his wife made the move to Minnesota where Jerry and his team are helping Minnesotans to maximize their Social Security benefits. Jerry is a virtual client at OffiCenters at International Plaza and we are excited to feature him and his business this month. Find out more at www.safessstrategies.com and read on to find out more about Jerry.
Every business has a story, tell us yours: After many years in Texas Mrs. Stinson and I decided on the (suggested by some as “lunatic”) idea of moving to Minnesota; first to be closer to our daughter and her family, but also, after many visits over several years, because we really love the Twin Cities and its people. I have joked that when I planned on moving here it was to slow down on work and to be semi-retired. Lately, when I’m asked how this semi-retirement is going, I explain that it’s turning out pretty well. I’ve been working only “half days,” from 8AM to 8PM. The most encouraging and inspiring part of my “Minnesota story” is the high quality professional affiliate group I’ve put together to work with and to benefit my firm’s clients; an estate planning attorney, a CPA, retiree medical expense experts, and retirement income planning professionals work in concert to provide an integrated and coordinated program for financial success for our clients. These professionals in our group are some of the most competent and personable people I’ve ever had the privilege to work with in my long career. Wow, I love the North Star State; including the winters!
You were chosen as this month’s Innovator Client, why? It might be because I go on and on about how much I appreciate being a VirtualOffiCenters client; about what a great office arrangement Lori and her staff offer for such a reasonable monthly cost. Please trust me; this is not a paid endorsement. I can honestly say that because of the people Lori has assembled in her organization and the high level of office properties they operate and the outstanding services they provide this is the best business office deal I’ve ever enjoyed in my professional career. Keep up the good work!
No one likes to brag about their business, but if you HAD TO… One of our most important “value propositions” we offer our clients nearing formal retirement from their work is a written analysis and report that shows them precisely how they can maximize their Social Security income benefits. It’s remarkable but true that for a married household using the computations and strategies we provide the typical increased income over their retirement lifetime is $200,000 or more. That’s a great deal of additional income to support a worry-free and secure lifestyle in retirement. And, it’s important to understand that the Social Security Administration does not offer this kind of comprehensive and integrated retirement income planning to the public.
We learn from our mistakes, especially in business. Give us some words of wisdom. Again and again I’ve learned in my retirement income planning practice that it’s the fundamentals that must always be observed first and last. It’s easy to begin believing that there must be some “secret” some “magic formula” that will inexorably lead to success – and for me this is a mistake. In fact it’s doing the basic things and doing them consistently that always brings the highest success and the greatest enjoyment. For me the central activity that always brings success is calling on people and seeing people. Nothing fancy about this; it’s just plain old prospecting and marketing work, but it must be done every day. It’s been a mistake, every time, to believe otherwise.
Share the best advice your ever got. Mind your mother! Then after that, as you advance into adulthood, mind your wife. Then later on, listen to your daughter and her ideas and polite suggestions. Here’s the point: women, I have come to learn clearly, have insights and wisdom I just don’t possess and never will. And after all, the women I have been correctly advised to listen to – my mother, my wife, and my daughter – love me and have my best interest at heart. “Yes dear, I promise to shut up and listen!”
Describe your perfect day off. On a day-trip, headed to somewhere in southern Minnesota or western Wisconsin, with my “Old Beauty,” my Beloved of 44 years; the sky is cobalt blue and cloudless, it’s early autumn, the hardwoods have turned on their blazing colors, the apples are ready for picking and the bee hives have already given up their golden prize. No schedule, but we’ll probably be home before dark; the back seat will be filled with sweet fruit, and sweet honey, and we’ve het a lot if kind, sincere, and lovely folk on our outing on this perfect day in our adopted state.
What might someone be surprised to know about you? Besides a B.A. degree in Economics from the University of Texas, and graduate studies in Accounting and Business Law, I earned a Master of Divinity degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
If you could work anywhere under the sun, where would you choose? This will sound crazy to my fellow Minnesotans enduring the coldest winter in the past 30 years, but I like to work in the Twin Cities. love what I do here, I love the people. Let me be quick to add that because I’m out of the office a good deal of the time, my VirtualOffiCenters “support staff” is the ideal arrangement for me. I can concentrate on doing what I need to do (seeing people, cultivating business) and my “colleagues” in the office are taking care of things I don’t have time for (and frankly, I don’t do very well myself in the first place).
How can people CONNECT with you? Cell phone is best (806) 433-7947. Yes, I know this is a Texas area code, but I’ve had the number too long to change it now for a Minnesota area code. Email me at kplanchairman@me.com and visit us on the web at www.safessstrategies.com (for “safe Social Security strategies”)
