Getting to Know Jessica Cannella and the Story of How Oak Harvest Financial Group Began
Jessica Cannella: I’m Jessica Cannella, co-founder and president of Oak Harvest Financial Group. It recently dawned on me that I haven’t properly introduced myself other than my title and position at Oak Harvest. I’d like to back up a little bit and share with you the reason why and how I began Oak Harvest Financial Group with my business partner, Troy Sharpe.
[music]
Taking you back to 2010 in the seat of my car, I drove from Philadelphia to Houston with my car packed to the brim with 24 years of my life’s possession in the trunk in the backseat to start this firm. It feels like only yesterday and also like a hundred years ago. I’ll never forget the feeling of excitement and apprehension as I saw each state limit sign passing me by, confirming that I was actually doing this. It was the first of many bold life-changing decisions that I’d make. I was way out of my comfort zone and far away from home, and I kept my foot on that gas pedal as I pushed past my discomfort and into the land of uncertainty, an unknown territory where growth will happen, ready or not.
I was fueled by the feeling of deep determination and bold faith in knowing that I would continue the road ahead, because I believed in the vision of Oak Harvest Financial Group. That vision was simple. It was to build a firm where retirees could rely on a team to carry out their own vision of a fearless and fulfilling retirement. One where no stone is left unturned when it came to financial planning. The meaning behind our name is Oak, representing the strongest tree, and Harvest, representing what we sow, so shall we reap. Not only a code of ethics, but a nod to what one does in retirement.
Oak Harvest Financial Group is so much more than a name. We represent a promise to our clients that what they’ve harvested for their retirement can go the distance, not only getting them to retirement, but through retirement. When I say harvest, what I mean by our clients’ harvest is a sum of their hard work, their time away from their family, sacrifice, and good stewardship of their money. We’re a team of professionals who guide our clients through the second half of their lives, and this is not a responsibility that we take lightly. I can think back to the very early days of Oak Harvest Financial Group when we were in the midst of our uncertainty.
Troy and I would go to Boston Market. Why you might ask? Not because it was an amazing place to eat, but because they offered bottomless bowls of chicken noodle soup, and we had to use every bit of our resources strategically right down to what we were eating. You purchased the first bowl of soup at Boston Market, they refill your bowl as many times as you want for free. Turns out you can only eat so much chicken noodle soup. We spent many long nights at FedEx and Kinko’s drinking their subpar coffee, and even longer nights stressing about how we’d pay our own bills as we started our business.
The first five years of practice, I did everything related to Oak Harvest Financial Group. Under the business development umbrella, I worked as the HR person. I did the design of the office. I was on the phone making scheduling calls in the early days, none of that included providing financial advice to our clients. The strong pull that I felt to become a financial advisor was in 2015. My mom finalized her divorce with my father in 2013, and she got a little bit of money in the divorce. In 2015, she moved my youngest brother, Brennan, who was 15 at the time, to Houston. About a month later, she walked into our office. She had a cute little business suit on, I think that’s so adorable, and she came in and she wanted to talk about a plan for her money.
She was 58 years old at the time, and that’s a long time when we look at things like medical expense challenges before you’re 65 and can apply for Medicare. We look at, she’s not open to working outside of the home. She didn’t feel like she had a skill set that would be conducive to that. We needed to make this money last as long as she does. It really lit a fire inside of my soul to be involved in her plan, because I knew that my mom did not have the financial education or prowess to understand I wanted to be the bridge that put challenging financial concept and jargon into plain English that my mom could understand.
How can you feel empowered and confident about a plan if you don’t understand it? It was in that year that my mom brought her financial concerns to my firm that it really inspired me to take the leap and become a financial advisor. I ate a big slice of humble pie as a business owner. I put together a list of successful female financial advisors in the industry all across the country. I got on the phone, called down the list, and I had one request, “Can I sit in the room with you? Can I hear how the conversation is different than the high-level financial jargon engineer speak that I was accustomed to at my own practice?”
A couple of these women welcomed me with open arms, I promise to say silent, a little fly on the wall as I sat and absorbed the conversations that were happening with their clients. I learned a different approach. I gained a quiet confidence, “I could do this,” and then I studied my butt off to get my Series 65 license. It took me about a year of studying and preparation to take the exam. I’m happy to report that I passed the test on the first try, two days before Christmas in 2017. That very first year, in active practice as a financial advisor, I onboarded 40 single women. That was the audience that I wanted to be in front of, people just like my mom, who needed a little bit of inspiration, insight, and understanding, so that they could feel confident around their money.
During those conversations, I gained a lot of perspective. Many of the women I was servicing didn’t start out single, they were widowed, married, divorced. That opened my eyes to, “I shouldn’t be so exclusive to only single women, because married women need just as much encouragement, inspiration, and education, as it relates to their finances,” because many of the women that I work with, in my experience, has been, “The husband has handled the finances.” That’s a wonderful nod to the level of trust that they have for their husbands. However, one of my favorite phrases, is that a man is not a plan. A person is not a plan. A plan needs to have partners in it, and it’s very important that you get engaged with your finances.
There will be a massive wealth transfer into the hands of women. In 20 years’ time, 70% of our nation’s wealth will be in the hands of women. It is my mission to help women feel empowered so they know what to do with this newfound wealth. I say newfound, but I also want to give credit where credit is due. We have more female financial entrepreneurs than ever before in our country. It’s important, ladies, that if you’re an expert in your own career, that you take some time to partner with a professional who can help you be an expert with your money.
I want to thank you so much for hearing about my personal story and my journey into becoming a financial advisor and starting my practice. I hope that it encourages you to start a conversation with a financial adviser, whether it’s myself, a member from our team, or somebody that’s in your local area. I believe that everybody has a personal story, and that life is a series of moments and choices, and those outcomes are relative to the experience that you have. I would be so interested in hearing your own personal money story, and giving you guidance on how we might be able to help you achieve your retirement in a fearless and fulfilling way.
If any of this has resonated with you, I strongly encourage you to take the next step. Click the link in the description box and schedule your complimentary consultation with one of our financial planners. We would love to hear your story.
The mission of Oak Harvest Financial is simple, to provide world-class financial planning and investment management, combined with five-star clients support, to as many families as possible. The purpose of our organization is to positively impact the financial lives of our clients, providing security to our team, and enrich our community by donating time and resources.
Today I’m very proud to say that our organization has served over 700 families nationwide, and has contributed over $500,000 to the local community. Funding of Harvest Financial Group continues to be my greatest accomplishment.
Do you need a Retirement Success Plan that goes beyond allocating funds to truly fit your needs? We can help you create a retirement life plan customized for your retirement vision and legacy. Call us at (877) 404-0177 or click here to fill out this form for a free consultation.
