Take Inventory - Your Financial Health in 2024: Charisse Rivers

Want to feel better about your financial future in the New Year, but you don't know where to start? Join us as Charisse Rivers, CEO of Zinnia Wealth Management shares some simple strategies, free resources, and the message that it's never too early or too late to plan for retirement. We also discuss how a singular focus on building her team helped Zinnia land on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies the last three consecutive years.   

Nonprofits featured in this Episode: The Grilled Cheese Foundation and the Tim Tebow Foundation

Charisse Rivers
CEO and Financial Planner, Zinnia Wealth Management

Charisse Rivers is a retirement strategist focused on helping people grow, protect, and reduce taxes on their wealth. She has been featured in ABC, FOX, NBC, CBS, InvestmentNews, WealthManagement.com, WSJ, USA Today, and Forbes magazine. She has also authored online articles for CNN Money, Forbes, Fortune, and Annuity 123. She is the founder and CEO of Zinnia Wealth Management and Zinnia Wealth Advisory, a Registered Investment Advisory firm. As a fiduciary in her industry, Charisse provides efficient and secure strategies for anyone nearing or in retirement. 

She is also the host of the radio show “Retirement Coffee Talk,” broadcasted every weekend on WSKY 97.3 FM and WXJB 99.9 FM. She was recently chosen as one of the top 40 under 40 advisors in the nation with InvestmentNews and NAIFA-Florida top 4 advisors under 40. As of May 2023, for the 5th year in a row, she was chosen as a Gator100 honoree – recognized as one of the world’s 100 fastest-growing Gator-owned or led businesses. Zinnia Wealth Management has also made the Inc. 5000 list for the last three consecutive years. 

Passionate about helping others and spreading financial literacy to teens, Charisse gives back through the 501c3 nonprofit she started called the Grilled Cheese Foundation. The foundation was formed to help middle school and high school students foster their talents and get them to college with scholarships and financial literacy.

The Catalyst is hosted by the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership, sponsored by Douglas Law Firm and recorded live at Wiley Productions podcast studios, located in Ocala, Florida. New episodes, guests, and perspectives of leadership premiere twice a month. Follow us on Apple, Amazon, Spotify, or wherever you enjoy podcasts.

Transcript

Natalie McComb: 0:06

The Catalyst, a CEP podcast on bold leadership in the Ocala Metro, hosted by the Ocala Metro Chamber and economic partnership, sponsored by Douglas law firm and recorded live at Wiley Productions podcast studios located in Ocala, Florida. Welcome to The Catalyst. I'm your host Natalie McComb, Vice President for the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership Foundation. And I'm joined today by Charisse Rivers, CEO and Financial Planner with Zinnia Wealth Management. Great to have you on the show, Charisse.

@Charisse Rivers: 0:43

Well, thank you for having me.

Natalie McComb: 0:45

We talk a lot about entrepreneurship on The Catalyst and about what led individuals down the path to business ownership. You started Zinnia out of your home because you didn't like what you were seeing in the retirement planning industry. What did you mean by that?

@Charisse Rivers: 0:59

Well, I have bad habits. No, I'm just kidding. I always feel like there's solutions to different problems. And I found a lot of problems in the financial services industry when I first started. I didn't know how to solve it just yet. I just knew there had to be a better way. And it was the scariest thing I ever did. I decided I was gonna go on my own and do it my way. I came up against you know a bunch of hazards, a lot of naysayers saying that's not gonna work. I wanted to be a fiduciary back then. And that was a new name in our industry. And so I said, I want to follow that protocol, because it feels like it's right. It seems like it's right. You're looking out for the best interest of your client as a retirement planner. And so I started to walk my walk, with$1,000 in my pocket, and never looked back. And all those naysayers today now, you know, they're very positive. They're like, you know, we listened to you now Charisse, other advisors, which is really cool to hear, you know, there's so much information. He's like, you're really doing it right. I think sometimes in our industry our industry falls short. And we do things that are kind of old school. When there's so many new forward-thinking strategies for clients. How to lower fees and how to be a planner and not just a, you know, salesperson, you know what I mean? So that's kind of, was my first take.

Natalie McComb: 2:20

Wow, and where do you see most individuals fail in trying to plan for retirement on their own?

@Charisse Rivers: 2:26

Yeah. So we watch Cramer, you know, on TV, and we're like, oh, we can do it. And people give it a jab. And then they, they realize that, okay, so Cramer is not always right, and they realize now I'm playing catch up, and now I bought the stock five years ago, now it's lost 50%. And now it's gonna take me five years to get back to even. I think people get discouraged a lot of times or another, they're just not moving forward. And they sometimes quit, or they make bad and emotional decisions. So people fail to reach out to other, I would say, advisors of the financial industry because maybe they had a bad taste in their mouth. But, to get educated and to really learn like what needs to be done to be prepared for retirement, what do I need to cut out? Do I need to cut out my Starbucks coffee? You know, depending on our age, you know, if we're in the retirement redzone, five years before retirement, you know, what do we need to do to be ready for five years? Because when we walk out the double doors of our employers in the job we've had for 30 years or so, you know, we're gonna lose a paycheck. So how do we get a new paycheck? Because income makes the world go round. And so trying to figure that strategy out is very hard for people. And because you're now your own pension manager with this big lump sum of money.

Natalie McComb: 3:41

And do you feel like people often come to you a little too late? What is really the age that you feel like, you know, we need to be having these conversations?

@Charisse Rivers: 3:51

You know, it's interesting question, because I always say it's never too late. Yet. If I can work with somebody 10 years before they retire, I mean, we can do some incredible positive damage in my world, we can really focus more on the tax plan and how to do these conversions. So even if somebody's coming to me right before they retire, I have a plan for them. You know, our team is any wealth management, we are just very big into solutions. How do we get you there? Can you get there? What do you got to do? And I think that's what drives our entire team to help people be successful so that they know when they can turn in those keys to their employer etc. So yeah, there's so much that goes into that.

Natalie McComb: 4:36

Yeah. But it's good that you have a plan no matter where you start, and if you have somebody that comes to you that's ambitious and already thinking about retirement when they're in their 30's... hey, you've got more time to work with them and more solutions, you know, that they can plan ahead.

@Charisse Rivers: 4:50

Yeah. And if somebody's you know, just starting out, I love Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. I did it. I was at ELP with Dave Ramsey's group for a while, it's fantastic. And they have some things for children as well. I just bought one for my kiddos. And, you know, if you're trying to save your first dollar and contribute your first 100 bucks, Vanguard is one of my most favorite companies for that. For low fees, buy their funds, they're amazing. So for those beginners out there.

Natalie McComb: 5:19

And what advice would you have for someone who wants to be better about planning ahead and saving, but really doesn't know where to start?

@Charisse Rivers: 5:26

I think we're looking at your budget. And so take inventory, because a lot of people don't take inventory. They don't know where their money's at where it's going. And, on a monthly basis. A New Year's resolution is to sit down with your partner, or your spouse, whoever or family member, whoever it might be, it doesn't matter what age you are, and, you know, look at do we have a mortgage? We have a car payment, do we want these things paid off so that we can start saving more? Do we have credit cards, and when we have credit cards how many credit cards do we have? Are they 20% interest or 5% interest? And then you bring that information to a financial planner. And they start to say, okay, pay the credit card that's 20% off first and slowly, you know, work through getting the debt paid off. So you can save more and more and more. But you got to work on the debt and where you're spending your money. I can't tell you how many times I will help somebody budget and I'll see all these extra costs. I'm like, where's that going? Where's this going? Like, oh, I do this? I'm like, can you imagine if you stopped doing that every week, put those dollars back into your retirement plan? They're like, oh, wow. And I'm like, it's the miracle of compounding. And once you do it, like if you go to the Dave Ramsey site and do Financial Peace University, they have that Gazelle approach. It's really cool. I highly recommend it for beginners as well, and when you're trying to save. But, it encourages you. It's a new drive in your life. It's motivating because you're like, oh, wow, I can save this much. How much more can I save? It's pretty cool. And then you start to become very financially influenced by the math. You start doing your own math, and you don't need people like me once you start to figure it out until you're ready to retire of course.

Natalie McComb: 6:58

Right? Well, I'm sure sometimes folks need to actually see that magic number. You know, if I save this month, every week or every month, multiply that times, you know, 12 months a year like that can make a big difference in what I'm saving. Or again, my ability to pay off debt.

@Charisse Rivers: 7:11

Exactly. I mean, growing Zinnia Wealth Management, I took every dollar in the beginning and I didn't go buy a new car. I drove the same car for 10 years, even when I could afford to go buy a brand new car I still didn't. I was just so, it was so important to me to put the money back into employees and the team and benefits and growing the business because I knew after so many years, then I would be saving. And that's exactly what happened. And sometimes you just gotta get down to the nitty-gritty and push through those tough times. And then you'll get there.

Natalie McComb: 7:40

Yeah, and in helping your clients you focus on the protection of health care, financial security, planning their estate, and preserving freedom of choice. What do you mean by that freedom of choice?

@Charisse Rivers: 7:51

That is so open-ended, there's so many things. Let's paint a picture. Let's say you're getting...you're retired and you have a few choices. You can go do all the things that you've always wanted to do, but you never did. Because you were working nine to five. You're taking care of the kiddos, you got them into college. What are the things you want to do, that freedom of choice? Have you saved enough to travel the world? Or, are you somebody that says I just want to garden? I just want to hang loose in my local area. Everybody has their own niches right? And just the freedom of choice to decide what you want to do. But it's very hard to have the freedom of choice if you don't have a plan in place. And if you just say, okay, I'm retired, I'm gonna start pulling money off the top of this, you know, mound of money, you know, you might not be spending what you could spend because out of fear that you could run out of money, right? So freedom of choice comes with proper planning and being prudent with your finances.

Natalie McComb: 8:47

That makes sense. And obviously, for some folks, they picture retirement as being that travel the world, but for other folks, they just want that beach home. They want the home in the mountains, or they just want to, you know, be able to enjoy their their life and have the flexibility to visit family. And yeah, do what you mentioned, what they don't have time for.

@Charisse Rivers: 9:05

Yeah, and it's interesting because if I go back

Natalie McComb: 9:05

Yeah. And you've been very successful with any almost 20 years ago, when I got into the industry, the choices that retirees chose back then was I want to leave this massive obviously growing your client base. I know you have multiple legacy. And over the last 20 years, the evolution of that story has changed like no I'll just spend my last dollar on my last breath. The kiddos will get the cars, they get the houses, they will fend for themselves. Right? I would say one out of 10 offices now as well. And recently you made the Inc. 5000 people want to leave this big dynasty and legacy to their clients now, because they want to enjoy it. They work their butts off they deserve it. They know it and so times are always list of fastest growing privately held businesses. This evolving and changing and the financial services industry that also has to do with you know, the people who are getting ready to retire and what they want. And I think they've always been has actually been the third year in a row that Zinnia has made afraid to say no, I do want to spend all my money. And now they're like no, I really do want to. Charisse, I like your show and listen to your show. I like that. Flying first class would be really hard for me in an airplane. But, once a year, that list. So what has this growth meant for you and your why not? I'd have never done it. So, indulge. team? I'm sure, part of it has been challenging, but it's also been something you've been able to celebrate.

@Charisse Rivers: 10:27

Definitely, it gives me chills when we talk about that. Because when I look at where I started in the trunk of my car with the $1,000 business to where I'm at today, it's um, it's overwhelming. It's an honor, like I never imagined being an inc 5000 Not just one year, but three years in a row, it's a big deal. I had a full page spread our first year. And you know, what the thing is, we couldn't do it without our team. I'm big, big, big into team playing, treating your employees first and foremost, doing all those wonderful things for them. And in return everybody reaps the benefit, right? And so I brought our team, our team has grown internally, the ladies of Zinnia have just, it's inspired them. And I go back to right before we won our first Inc. 5000 award. We started these mantras. And so one of those years was our mantra was RISA. What was that? Exactly? It was rise above, you know, rise above of all things. Let's be team players, you know, when someone needs help, you know, stay in your lane, but reach out and touch somebody. Help them when the need is there. And it was a really big year for us. And it just really helped us figure out how to work together as we were growing, and learn how to coordinate our different opportunities and our different personalities and that kind of stuff. So that was the beginning of it, and making sure your team is happy. I truly believe that treating your employees as number one is the key to a great growing company, and giving back, and it's more about them than you. And, by doing that it pours over to your clients and your clients see it. And, you know, in the Inc. 5000 I gotta have my team, and I've got my clients. I've stayed consistent with me, you know, our businesses generated by referrals by a very large percentage. And we couldn't do that if we weren't doing the right thing, right? I feel like we're in the right place. I feel like this point that at Zinnia Wealth Management, I just feel like we're we're consistently looking ahead and staying positive and just staying educated and trying to keep everybody happy at the same time.

Natalie McComb: 12:41

Yeah. And any any little nuggets of advice that you would have for other business owners that are really looking to improve the culture of their organization?

@Charisse Rivers: 12:51

Yeah, oh, gosh, I don't know every company is a little bit different. But I learned years ago make sure you pay your employees really good. Make them feel valuable, because they are and you cannot do what you are doing. I can't be on radio and TV. I can't sit there and continue to manage portfolios the right way. If I don't have a bunch of people doing a lot of stuff for me, right? I remember when I did it all myself. So make sure that they feel valuable. We do quarterly team planning events. We'll go somewhere, do something. It's always fun. Every Friday at our team meeting we do something cool. You know, it's not just talking about the business. So it's just kind of keeping that culture very positive. I'm big in the culture, our team is big in the culture. When we hire somebody, we want them to be this, another positive person coming in and saying, hey, we're gonna, we're gonna crush it. You know, let's do this together with new ideas. We love ideas. So allow your employees to be a teammates with you, even though you're the boss, allow them to feel comfortable to come to you with ideas and even implement them. I think that is key. It makes them feel like they're more part of...they're more of a partner, right? I never had that when I was working for another company. And I just said, I want to make sure people feel that way. Because I never got that.

Natalie McComb: 14:11

Yeah. And I know that, you know, you mentioned some of the outreach that you do in addition to financial planning and serving your clients. So I know you spent a lot of time educating the public about financial planning. And you do that in a variety of different ways. You have some guidebooks on your website, that folks can download for free. There's also articles that you've published in a variety of publications. But you also have your own podcast and radio show called Retirement Coffee Talk. I'm sure all of this keeps you very busy. Why is this type of free education and outreach important to you and your business?

@Charisse Rivers: 14:48

What did our grandparents teach us? At the end of the day, when somebody's too good to be true? It is and they also said, treat people the way you want to be treated. And I don't know how many times I've walked into a place buying something nice, and I feel like I'm working with a salesperson. And I really just want to talk and share what I'm looking for. And I just don't want to be sold. So what I learned in the financial services industry, it's a dog and pony show. You go to a dinner seminar, it's a dog and pony show, and they're trying to make you cry. They're not getting down to the nuts and bolts. And I fought it for years, I said, that is not me, I'm never going to do that. I want to educate people, I want them to know where they're at. I want them to see where they're at. And I just want to give them the free information they're looking for. Because they probably don't need us right now. Right? But they probably will need us in the future. But let's really share the information, give it to them for free. And then they can apply it and then when it's right, it's a right fit, and it just all works together, then they'll call us right? Or, you can call somebody but at least we're helping and guiding our community locally. Where I'm gonna see them at the Publix or I'm gonna see at the school with my kids, you know what I mean? And it's just, it's just that feel of community. And

Natalie McComb: 15:56

And while you give some great advice, you also the love I have to educate. I used to be a dance teacher. And I loved teaching, right? And I just feel like I'm in the same place right now. And our advisors and our team. I think we're really truly all the same way. We just love educating and teaching and sharing as much as we can. And it's a big part of how Zinnia's run actually. have a lot of fun on your show, I know. So you include a lot of celebrity guest appearances. So I was just perusing your website and you've had Jason Aldean, Steve Spurrier, Emmitt Smith, Bruce Arians, former Vice President Mike Pence. And then of course, my personal favorite Tim Tebow a as a fellow Gator. I'm very jealous of the fact that you had him on your show. So any guest in particular, that's really surprised you the most? Or, made for a really interesting interview?

@Charisse Rivers: 16:48

You know, it is crazy. I'm so blessed. Our whole team is so blessed to have these opportunities. Never in my right mind did we ever think financial planning going celebrity right? Like,never. And I just, I think it's just how, you know, our impression resonates around the community and the world. And all those interviews were amazing. I've learned so much from all of them, sideline conversations, to have cell phones to a lot of these people. It's crazy. And I can't tell you which one's my favorite because they are all my absolute favorite. But I have a fun story about Eddie George. Okay, so Isaiah Thomas was, I love that interview with him. Stephen A Smith, we got him to get very comfortable. And like sobby, like, no, it was also because he's like a big hardcore guy. He's gonna be very opinionated. But in our interview, I was like, no, let's talk about the kiddos. He was, I sidelined him. So that was a great interview. But yeah, Eddie George, he's a cool dude. I met him at a Tim Tebow Foundation scramble. And I looked at him like, that guy looks familiar. And I'm like, hey, what's your name? He's like, oh, I'm Eddie George. I'm like, oh, cool. I was like, I know you. And he's like, who are you? And I said, Charisse Rivers. He's like, hey, are you the Charisse I'm playing with in Pebble Beach in two weeks. I was like, yeah, I don't know who I'm playing with. But I guess I'm playing with you, right? But, he was a financial planner, as he was in transition. We talked, we talked smack about financial planning around the country and all this stuff. And so when I went to Pebble Beach, we played golf, and I was able to get an interview with him. And he was just a nice guy. And it was nice, because I could relate with the financial planning world and how he was, you know, big time football player then had to look for a job right in financial planning and now he's, you know, off to the road and the races, again, right? Doing commercials with Tim Tebow, etc. So it's really hard. That was a fun one that is a lasting image. And so yeah, I can't I wish I could. So they're all so much fun. I'm just, I'm honored and blessed. Just, I'm like, you know, one thing I learned about these interviews is that they all pull up their pants the same way we do you know what I mean? So I don't get nervous about them. And we just enjoy them. And I learn about them. What are their charities, you know, when are they going to retire? That kind of stuff. And, you know, we scratch their back, they scratch ours?

Natalie McComb: 19:09

And so what's next for you? And Zinnia wealth management? What are your ambitions as you look ahead into

@Charisse Rivers: 19:15

That's a big question. You know, there's been 2024? conversations of M&A out there and franchising Zinnia. But well, the one thing I love about Zinnia and our team, what we do is that we own it, we run it together. You know, we're in Ocala and Gainesville, and in the Villages and we like it like that. So, I don't know. But the one thing that we, our team, is focused on is forward thinking for the clients. So we're going to stay focused on the clients and retirement strategies and how to get people to retire faster. What's out there. Technology. We're big in technology. We created a new platform and technology software by telling a guru who does it for us how I would like it to be viewed. So it's so simple. We want to keep things simple for people. Because what I know, a lot of people don't know, we all live in our own little silos and you know, you could be a teacher. So you're great at that, right? You're wanna be a firefighter, you're good at that. I could never do those things. An attorney, I'm not gonna be an attorney. So I go to those people for advice as people will come to us for financial planning advice. So we want to make sure we're always ahead of the curve, staying very competitive, and bringing new things to the table. And we actually do that proactively as a team. And it's exciting because it's just not me. And I got a bunch of people around me helping me do this stuff.

Natalie McComb: 20:36

And, you know, I know you that you, you give a lot of your time in the community as well, supporting a lot of area nonprofits. You're currently the vice chair of the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership. So eventually ascending to the role of chair in 2025. So we're looking for looking forward to working with you even more closely. But there's a lot of causes that I know probably have special significance for you. What's one nonprofit that you want to highlight today?

@Charisse Rivers: 21:08

Well, I have two actually. I'm going to tell you I am big on giving money to people who need help, like I cannot help it. If I could feed every hungry person on the street, I would, right? But there's a couple charities out there and I don't want to just pinpoint this one because it's so big. But I really believe in what they're doing. And this is actually the Tim Tebow Foundation, I'm good friends with them. I work closely with a VP over there. I'm just there trying to save the world, not just here locally, but I mean, just so many things, Tim Tebow is putting together and his team and culture of amazing Christians, if you're looking to donate to a charity, you know, they have a plan and they're world changing. So, Tim Tebow Foundation is one of my favorites. I mean, I love Danny Wuerfell's Desire Street. He's got another amazing one as well. Of course, these are all gators. But there's quite a few out there, Dan Mullen and Megan Mullen, they have one for reading, which is really great. I mean, even Bruce Arians and his wife, they have their own foundation. And it's for kids. So it always seems to be something around children, which is for me really great. That's like I either want to help the young people or the retirees. The people in the middle, I'm so sorry. And then we also have our own charity that's a 501c3, it's called the Grilled Cheese Foundation. And it really just started from when I was a kid. I grew up very poor, single parent, lived in like a very small efficiency with a brother and sister to get food on the table. We were fishing under the bridge. I mean, I remember those days, I was in middle school. And I remember those days. And that's when I really realized we were poor. But the community where I lived, it was in the Florida Keys. I think when they figured out the single parent, you know, good guy trying to work really hard. And to keep these kids going, the community wrapped their hands around myself and my brother and a sister. We didn't have to pay for dance, food. I mean, really, they took care of us. So the Grilled Cheese Foundation is wrapped around that. And the very first grilled cheese sandwich that we all got. If you go to the Grilled Cheese Foundation.com or Zinnia Wealth.com You can read about it. But it's interesting because that foundation is really to help foster middle schoolers and high schoolers, their talents truly, in those single parent family households because those single-parent family households, sometimes they have just enough to get by but not enough to foster those talents. Whether it's playing the saxophone or going to dance or cheerleader, football, those extra ancillary things people in that program. We're also teaching about financial literacy, right? Because we want kids to go to college and say don't get stuck in a rut and buy these credit cards and say what's the difference between you know, having a lemonade stand and etc. Or you know, owning a business or working for somebody just really educate them. So they kind of have this balance. Schools aren't teaching this stuff right now. And then we send them away with the ancillary scholarship to college and we're also starting two new scholarships at CF College in Santa Fe College. So full-blown scholarships. We're gonna do two new ones every year and the people who are in it continue that scholarship till they graduate. So we're doing a lot of things with the foundation and we're gonna have some golf scrambles and we want companies and their kids that come help out on the holes and you know, show other kids helping kids. Like, if you're one of the you know, very fortunate blessed business and you have children and you want them out, you know, helping other kids this is a great opportunity to do that. So again, Grilled Cheese Foundation. This comes dear from the heart and it started all with my father who's no longer with us anymore, but taught us a lot.

Natalie McComb: 24:52

And what a wonderful organization. We'll be sure to include a link on the episodes page for the Grilled Cheese Foundation if anyone will like to learn more. Thank you. And now a word from our sponsor.

@Sponsor: Douglas Law Firm: 25:05

Hello, this is Jeremiah block with the Douglas law firm. We are a full service law firm with many practice areas to serve your particular needs. We are located in downtown Ocala at 110 North Magnolia Avenue. Coming from a seventh-generation family here in Ocala. I am honored for our law firm to partner with the CEP to bring you these podcasts. We hope you enjoy.

Natalie McComb: 25:29

So now we got some lightning round questions for you Charisse. So we'll start with what is your biggest pet peeve?

@Charisse Rivers: 25:36

Okay. I think these change from year to year.

Natalie McComb: 25:40

We like to we like to keep it interesting.

@Charisse Rivers: 25:42

2022 2023 pet peeve would be okay, so I would say for sure. 2023 is my pencils being sharpened. So, I have atrocious handwriting. And if I have a dull pencil it's even worse. So I like a sharp pencil. So it's always like six sharpened pencils and I grab the dull one. When, oh my god, the handwriting is awful. So plenty of sharpened pencils. So simple. It's silly, right?

Natalie McComb: 26:03

But again, something that you may be yelling across the office to one of your colleagues. Can you sharpen my pencil? While you're in the middle of an interview right?

@Charisse Rivers: 26:10

My staff says and here's your electric sharpener, Charisse, just put it right in.

Natalie McComb: 26:17

What advice would you give to yourself at age 15?

@Charisse Rivers: 26:22

things, great things. I would probably tell myself to walk before I run. I'm famous for trying to run before I walk. It is those mistakes that can happen along the way. And I will tell you philosophers, mentors, they always say Charisse you got to do this first. You got to do this first. I'm like, yeah, but I want to get out here. But to get over there, you got to do this. So really anybody walking before you run that just means take it slow learn from it and grow from it and keep growing and add on to it.

Natalie McComb: 26:59

Great advice. And how would you describe yourself in one word?

@Charisse Rivers: 27:04

I would probably say resilient. There's so many words out there but, resilient. Being able to bob and weave and when things you know, don't go right, this, you know, grow from it. Stay right in the middle. You know, I think too many people ride this roller coaster of emotion. And so I've gotten very good at tackling adversity and just stay very resilient.

Natalie McComb: 27:28

And what was your first job? And what did you learn from that experience?

@Charisse Rivers: 27:30

Oh, I loved that job. My first job was in the keys Islamorada scuba dive shop, and I filled tanks. And we had a dive boat. And you could put 40 tanks on this dive boat. So not only did I have to pick up these tanks and put them in these containers I'd filled them with air to take them out and walk them out to the boat. And I just learned it was hard work. But I absolutely loved it. I loved that. I loved being around water. And around bubbleheads we call them. And so I am scuba certified as well. There were some perks to that. But that was probably one of my, that was my first job. And it was a very cool experience. I had a great boss.

Natalie McComb: 28:07

Well, thank you again, Charisse. It was a pleasure to have you on the show. Again, we were with Charisse Rivers, CEO and financial planner with Zinnia Wealth Management.

@Charisse Rivers: 28:16

Thank you for having me. You're amazing host by the way.

Natalie McComb: 28:18

Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. That you took the time to be on the show and again, giving some advice to those listeners about what they can do in 2024 to get their financial house in order.

@Charisse Rivers: 28:30

Yes, Financial Peace University for the young ones. And come see us at Zinnia Wealth if you're prepping for retirement.

Natalie McComb: 28:42

Thank you for joining us for another episode of the catalyst hosted by the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership, sponsored by Douglas Law Firm, and recorded live at Wiley Productions podcast studios. New episodes, guests, and perspectives on leadership premiere twice a month. Follow us on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or wherever you enjoy your podcasts. Have a suggestion for a future guest? Email us at the catalyst at Ocala CEP dot com.