Ryan Brooke
Principal and Financial Advisor
"Growing up in my family, it was clear that my brother was the saver, and I…was not. "
My mom will gladly tell you stories about my attempts to get advances on my allowance so I could purchase the hottest new toy or gear – probably from the sports and outdoors section. I knew how money worked, and numbers were my “thing.”
In fact, I was so good with numbers that I started my college career in the engineering field, but quickly found out that wasn’t the field for me. Knowing I still wanted to pursue a career that let me work with numbers, I switched gears and moved to a major in finance.
I had big dreams of working for a large corporation and expected to find myself working on Wall Street upon graduation. Luckily, I had a mentor who pointed out I was far from a “New Yorker” and helped me pursue an internship locally. Not only did that internship completely open my eyes to parts of the financial planning industry that don’t get talked about much in school (relationship building, the satisfaction of helping people reach their goals, the integration of various parts of life that come together in a financial plan), but I also found the place I knew I wanted to call my work home.
These days, I think my brother and I would tie for the saver award in our family. My wife and I have built our own financial plan that balances securing our future with still living a full life until we get to retirement. Allowance is still a part of life, though we like to call it “fun money” because it sounds much more adult. We travel, we save, we live life. I look at life as an investment - whether that be in education, in people, in experiences, or in the future – and I’m having fun helping the people I work with at Allos do the same for their life.
One goal I’m saving for: Home renovations. Our landscaping, patio and fire pit project was recently completed!
Outside of work, my passions include: Working on home projects and my dogs, Bear & Kimber.
One thing I’m doing to help my community: Investing in the future of school-aged children through my work with the Optimist Club.
Best concert I’ve ever attended: Of the two concerts I’ve ever been to, Garth Brooks would be the best.