Today we’d like to introduce you to Philip Weiss.
Hi Philip, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
MY WHY:
Growing up in NJ, my family’s finances were managed by my father, he wouldn’t let my mother help, and, what’s worse, he wasn’t good at it. Bills were often paid late; we occasionally had services shut off. We had no savings. We got calls from creditors looking to get paid. My father even went as far as forging my signature to get credit cards he could use.
Despite these challenges, I pursued higher education at Duke with plans of going on to med school. What stopped me? My father didn’t pay for it. I did what I could to stay in school. But after my junior year, I left for financial reasons. I moved to Tucson and worked hard to repay my debt.
When I was ready to return, med school was no longer in my plans. Due to my affinity for numbers, I decided to pursue a BS in accounting. Duke doesn’t offer an accounting major. I ultimately moved back home and went to Rutgers.
Two years later, I graduated with honors – and debt. I often paid for tuition and rent with credit cards. After graduation, I realized how much interest I’d paid. I made a plan to repay my debt. I did so ahead of schedule.
The financial situation at home was always difficult. Like many women of her generation, my mother had little control over the family finances. She ultimately went back to school so she could make her own choices and survive on her own.
Watching my mom struggle to get through this was very heart-wrenching. I give her so much credit for going back to school later in life and becoming an occupational therapist.
My mission is to help empower women with financial education and resources as I never want to see another woman go through what my mother did.
While my mother passed away more than 30 years ago, the work I do now is meant to continue her legacy. I have committed to focusing my time, energy, and practice on creating an environment where women can learn about investing, have fun, and become more confident in making smart financial decisions with less stress and worry.
At Apprise, I have the privilege of working with amazing, affluent women who are looking to gain clarity about their financial future. I ask questions to help clients better align their spending with what matters most in their life. I also plan to start a small scholarship that grows over time to honor my mother’s memory. It will help women who – like my mom – return to school later in life.
If you’re looking for someone to help you achieve financial clarity and align your spending with what matters most to you, please schedule (https://calendly.com/philweiss_awm) a free Strategy Session with me!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are two kinds of role models. The best ones set an example showing how you should do things. The bad ones do the exact opposite. When it comes to personal finances, I did not have good role models growing up. I learned much more about what not to do than what to do. If you can appreciate the difference, the bad role models may be more helpful than you could ever imagine. Sometimes seeing others around us do things the wrong way can motivate us to do better when our turn comes. Fortunately, it worked out that way for me.
I had to leave college for financial reasons. When I went back, I ended up paying for tuition and rent with credit card checks when I didn’t have enough. I graduated with student loans and credit card debt. Fortunately, college didn’t cost as much then as it does now, or the debt would have been far more crippling. But when I realized how much I’d paid in interest on my credit cards, I put in place a plan to repay it. Through some good fortune, I was able to do so well ahead of schedule. I repaid the last of my student loans before I got married.
I also lost my mother to breast cancer when she was only 53. I was on my own when she passed, but it wasn’t an easy thing to go through. She was much too young.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
At Apprise, we believe it is an honor to work with clients and help them plan for and manage their financial future. We believe in stewardship of wealth and fully embrace our duty to always put our client’s interests ahead of our own. Transparency and clear communication are central to our approach because we think it is our obligation to our clients to build trust and help them gain a sense of security.
With over 20 years of experience in investment management and financial planning, we bring insight to help you avoid emotionally driven decisions in important money matters. To help accomplish this, we are available to consult with you at key moments of decision-making and do the research necessary to provide you the requisite information. We also disclose any of our own potential conflicts of interest.
Having seen the struggles my mother went through before her untimely passing; I want to help keep other women from experiencing what my mother did. I work with women anticipating major life changes who want to gain a better understanding of what their future might look like.
I do this by taking my knowledge and experience to help them create their “Pathway to an Informed Retirement.” This increases their confidence that they can successfully transition from saving for retirement to utilizing their retirement assets in a way that can help them to maintain their desired lifestyle both now and in the future.
Our planning services may encompass one or more of the following areas: Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, Wealth Creation, Budget Analysis, and Mortgage/Debt Analysis. We will refer clients to an accountant, attorney, or other professional as necessary for non-advisory-related services.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
We have quite the full house. We have four kids – our oldest three are boys, and our youngest is our only girl (Sarah). They’re older now, and being empty nesters is closer than we’d like to admit. We also have two dogs. They are the fourth and fifth ShihTzus in our family since we got married almost 28 years ago.
In addition to spending time with family, I love to travel and exercise. I’m up early and on the elliptical to start my weekday mornings. On weekends, I prefer biking (or walking when the weather is colder). We have a big family trip scheduled for this summer that we are looking forward to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://apprisewealth.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AppriseWealth/ and https://www.facebook.com/phil.weiss.330
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-weiss/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AppriseWealth
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdxgFt2cD1r5WP0-Y6LqMDg
