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Well, today is November 7th and that meet we all survived another voting extravaganza.  Several members were dragging a bit admitting that they stayed up to watch the polls, we are all glad to have the elections behind us, regardless of which side of the fence you are on.  Which is one rule of the group, we don’t talk politics within HNG. The group’s 10+ years of existence is in part because of our efforts to keep drama out of the group. There’s nothing more damaging to any group than have people talk about one another behind their backs, pick at one another or anything of the sort. Our group steers clear of this. If someone likes drama in their lives (and there are people that do), we want them far away from us. Our group is built on respect for one another. We may not agree on some things but we will respect one another’s right to believe. So off the soapbox and on to the minutes of the meeting.

We started with some group business. By unanimous vote, the current HNG Board members were re-elected for another term. The board members are:

  • Ron Martin- President
  • Jim Collins-Vice President
  • Everend Thorne – Treasurer
  • Celeste Messer- Secretary
  • Terry Lee – Membership Coordinator
  • Joe Wargo – Advisor

Education Moment:  Our Education Moment was presented by Celeste Messer and it was short and sweet. A reminder that the Holiday Season is a perfect time to reconnect with past and current clients (and family and friends for that matter). Sending Christmas cards is an inexpensive way to reach out and say hello. Also discussed was going on to Facebook and connect with at least a segment of your customer base and see what’s going on in their lives, and then comment on it. In other ways become more informed and aware of your clients as people, not just customers. It’s all about building and maintaining relationships.

Member Spotlight: Our Member Spotlight today was Terry Lee with Raymond James Investing.  Terry shared some more great photos of his family. Since he last presented he and his wife welcomed Hannah into the family, making the ‘adorable kid count’ to three. Terry reminded us how very important his family is to him and how several years ago when he had a health scare he took a step back and made some changes.  Now he lives with more intentional focus and balance and is much happier for it.  It was because of that scare that Terry left Enterprise and became a financial advisor. He enjoys making a difference in people’s lives and often has clients express how grateful they are that he has helped them build a roadmap for their finances, an area that left unattended can be a cause for much stress and sadly, all too often, a reason for divorce.

When asked how he decided to go into the financial planning world, Terry explained that his dad was a small business owner and his mom worked for Enron. So growing up and experiencing firsthand how a company’s demise can impact employee’s livelihood and savings, he heard a lot of discussion about how to use and save money. Putting money aside every month even when there wasn’t a lot, helped Terry buy an investment property when many his age were still working up to buying their first home.  Having financial security is very important to Terry and his wife and, being young themselves, they can relate to how enticing it is to spend all you make and live on the edge as many in our society today. Yet, by sacrificing a bit now, they are positioning themselves for security and financial freedom down the road.

Terry walks the walk, practices what he preaches, however you want to say it. He believes in helping people understand what can sometimes seem like an overwhelming world of investment. Even more importantly he helps them figure out and, more importantly, talk about how to handle the day to day expenses. He is more than happy to talk to anyone and help them get started down the road to financial freedom.

Also, Terry was asked by a member of the group if he had a favorite book on financing he’d recommend. His choice (very quickly I might add) was the book “A Wealthy Barber” by David Chilton. Terry explained that it is an easy to read story about common sense financing. If I understood him right, it tells of two brothers one invested money from ages of 22-32 years old, the other from 32-82 years old and how the first one was much better off due to concept of compounding interest.  In any case it sounds like a great read.

So if you are like many of us and have no idea where to begin with looking at your finances, or you just want help on even understanding what you can do when money is so tight, reach out to Terry. He loves sitting down over a cup of coffee and getting to know people, listening to their stories and coming to understand what’s important to them. He makes what can be a complicated and scary topic, something actually understandable.  Terry can be reached at 713-298-2942 or Terry.Lee@RaymondJames.com

Upcoming meetings and Member Spotlights:

November

14th: Joe Wargo   Joe Wargo CPA                                                 Education Moment:  Irene Melendez

21st: No Meeting – Thanksgiving                                                  Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

28th: Vanessa Zelitt   Rodan & Fields                                          Education Moment: Trish Wilder

December

5th      No meeting  Evening Christmas Party

12th   Stephanie Murphree Republic Veterinary Hospital       Education Moment:  Irene Melendez

19th    Everend Thorne  ET’s Home Repair                                Education Moment:  Rob Oskins

26th  No meeting Christmas holiday

January 

2nd  No formal meeting, group-one-on-ones with free breakfast   Education Moment: None

NOT A MEMBER AND INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE HOMETOWN NETWORKING GROUP?

Come check us out. We welcome you to join us on Wednesday morning and meet some great local business owners.  What have you got to lose? Your first breakfast is on us! Dues are $60/quarter or $200/year. If you’re not ready to commit or can’t manage to come every Wednesday but you would still like to connect? We have an option for you. You are welcome to come any time you’d like and pay $10.

The group meets every Wednesday morning at Kyle IHOP  5401 Kyle Centre Dr, Kyle, TX 78640 (I35 Southbound Access Rd, just South of Kyle Expressway and I35 intersection).  Informal networking begins at 8:15, Meeting begins at 8:30 and ends promptly at 9:30.

You can find out more about our group at: https://hometownnetworking.org

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