January 7, 2024 • 29 mins
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.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Natalie McComb (00:06):
The Catalyst, a CEP podcast on bold leadership
in the Ocala Metro, hosted bythe Ocala Metro Chamber and
economic partnership, sponsoredby Douglas law firm and recorded
live at Wiley Productionspodcast studios located in
Ocala, Florida. Welcome to TheCatalyst. I'm your host Natalie
(00:31):
McComb, Vice President for theOcala Metro Chamber and Economic
Partnership Foundation. And I'mjoined today by Charisse Rivers,
CEO and Financial Planner withZinnia Wealth Management. Great
to have you on the show,Charisse.
@Charisse Rivers (00:43):
Well, thank you for having me.
Natalie McComb (00:45):
We talk a lot about entrepreneurship on The
Catalyst and about what ledindividuals down the path to
business ownership. You startedZinnia out of your home because
you didn't like what you wereseeing in the retirement
planning industry. What did youmean by that?
@Charisse Rivers (00:59):
Well, I have bad habits. No, I'm just
kidding. I always feel likethere's solutions to different
problems. And I found a lot ofproblems in the financial
services industry when I firststarted. I didn't know how to
solve it just yet. I just knewthere had to be a better way.
And it was the scariest thing Iever did. I decided I was gonna
(01:20):
go on my own and do it my way. Icame up against you know a bunch
of hazards, a lot of naysayerssaying that's not gonna work. I
wanted to be a fiduciary backthen. And that was a new name in
our industry. And so I said, Iwant to follow that protocol,
because it feels like it'sright. It seems like it's right.
You're looking out for the bestinterest of your client as a
(01:41):
retirement planner. And so Istarted to walk my walk, with
$1,000 in my pocket, and neverlooked back. And all those
naysayers today now, you know,they're very positive. They're
like, you know, we listened toyou now Charisse, other
advisors, which is really coolto hear, you know, there's so
much information. He's like,you're really doing it right. I
(02:02):
think sometimes in our industryour industry falls short. And we
do things that are kind of oldschool. When there's so many new
forward-thinking strategies forclients. How to lower fees and
how to be a planner and not justa, you know, salesperson, you
know what I mean? So that's kindof, was my first take.
Natalie McComb (02:20):
Wow, and where do you see most individuals fail
in trying to plan for retirementon their own?
@Charisse Rivers (02:26):
Yeah. So we watch Cramer, you know, on TV,
and we're like, oh, we can doit. And people give it a jab.
And then they, they realizethat, okay, so Cramer is not
always right, and they realizenow I'm playing catch up, and
now I bought the stock fiveyears ago, now it's lost 50%.
And now it's gonna take me fiveyears to get back to even. I
(02:47):
think people get discouraged alot of times or another, they're
just not moving forward. Andthey sometimes quit, or they
make bad and emotionaldecisions. So people fail to
reach out to other, I would say,advisors of the financial
industry because maybe they hada bad taste in their mouth. But,
to get educated and to reallylearn like what needs to be done
(03:10):
to be prepared for retirement,what do I need to cut out? Do I
need to cut out my Starbuckscoffee? You know, depending on
our age, you know, if we're inthe retirement redzone, five
years before retirement, youknow, what do we need to do to
be ready for five years? Becausewhen we walk out the double
doors of our employers in thejob we've had for 30 years or
so, you know, we're gonna lose apaycheck. So how do we get a new
(03:32):
paycheck? Because income makesthe world go round. And so
trying to figure that strategyout is very hard for people. And
because you're now your ownpension manager with this big
lump sum of money.
Natalie McComb (03:41):
And do you feel like people often come to you a
little too late? What is reallythe age that you feel like, you
know, we need to be having theseconversations?
@Charisse Rivers (03:51):
You know, it's interesting question, because I
always say it's never too late.
Yet. If I can work with somebody10 years before they retire, I
mean, we can do some incrediblepositive damage in my world, we
can really focus more on the taxplan and how to do these
conversions. So even ifsomebody's coming to me right
before they retire, I have aplan for them. You know, our
(04:14):
team is any wealth management,we are just very big into
solutions. How do we get youthere? Can you get there? What
do you got to do? And I thinkthat's what drives our entire
team to help people besuccessful so that they know
when they can turn in those keysto their employer etc. So yeah,
there's so much that goes intothat.
Natalie McComb (04:36):
Yeah. But it's good that you have a plan no
matter where you start, and ifyou have somebody that comes to
you that's ambitious and alreadythinking 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 (04:50):
Yeah. And if somebody's you know, just
starting out, I love DaveRamsey's Financial Peace
University. I did it. I was atELP with Dave Ramsey's group for
a while, it's fantastic. Andthey have some things for
children as well. I just boughtone for my kiddos. And, you
know, if you're trying to saveyour first dollar and contribute
your first 100 bucks, Vanguardis one of my most favorite
(05:12):
companies for that. For lowfees, buy their funds, they're
amazing. So for those beginnersout there.
Natalie McComb (05:19):
And what advice would you have for someone who
wants to be better aboutplanning ahead and saving, but
really doesn't know where tostart?
@Charisse Rivers (05:26):
I think we're looking at your budget. And so
take inventory, because a lot ofpeople don't take inventory.
They don't know where theirmoney's at where it's going.
And, on a monthly basis. A NewYear's resolution is to sit down
with your partner, or yourspouse, whoever or family
member, whoever it might be, itdoesn't matter what age you are,
and, you know, look at do wehave a mortgage? We have a car
(05:47):
payment, do we want these thingspaid off so that we can start
saving more? Do we have creditcards, and when we have credit
cards how many credit cards dowe have? Are they 20% interest
or 5% interest? And then youbring that information to a
financial planner. And theystart to say, okay, pay the
credit card that's 20% off firstand slowly, you know, work
through getting the debt paidoff. So you can save more and
(06:07):
more and more. But you got towork on the debt and where
you're spending your money. Ican't tell you how many times I
will help somebody budget andI'll see all these extra costs.
I'm like, where's that going?
Where's this going? Like, oh, Ido this? I'm like, can you
imagine if you stopped doingthat every week, put those
dollars back into yourretirement plan? They're like,
oh, wow. And I'm like, it's themiracle of compounding. And once
you do it, like if you go to theDave Ramsey site and do
(06:28):
Financial Peace University, theyhave that Gazelle approach. It's
really cool. I highly recommendit for beginners as well, and
when you're trying to save. But,it encourages you. It's a new
drive in your life. It'smotivating because you're like,
oh, wow, I can save this much.
How much more can I save? It'spretty cool. And then you start
to become very financiallyinfluenced by the math. You
(06:53):
start doing your own math, andyou don't need people like me
once you start to figure it outuntil you're ready to retire of
course.
Natalie McComb (06:58):
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 whatI'm saving. Or again, my ability
to pay off debt.
@Charisse Rivers (07:11):
Exactly. I mean, growing Zinnia Wealth
Management, I took every dollarin the beginning and I didn't go
buy a new car. I drove the samecar for 10 years, even when I
could afford to go buy a brandnew car I still didn't. I was
just so, it was so important tome to put the money back into
employees and the team andbenefits and growing the
business because I knew after somany years, then I would be
(07:33):
saving. And that's exactly whathappened. And sometimes you just
gotta get down to thenitty-gritty and push through
those tough times. And thenyou'll get there.
Natalie McComb (07:40):
Yeah, and in helping your clients you focus
on the protection of healthcare, financial security,
planning their estate, andpreserving freedom of choice.
What do you mean by that freedomof choice?
@Charisse Rivers (07:51):
That is so open-ended, there's so many
things. Let's paint a picture.
Let's say you'regetting...you're retired and you
have a few choices. You can godo all the things that you've
always wanted to do, but younever did. Because you were
working nine to five. You'retaking care of the kiddos, you
got them into college. What arethe things you want to do, that
freedom of choice? Have yousaved enough to travel the
(08:13):
world? Or, are you somebody thatsays I just want to garden? I
just want to hang loose in mylocal area. Everybody has their
own niches right? And just thefreedom of choice to decide what
you want to do. But it's veryhard to have the freedom of
choice if you don't have a planin place. And if you just say,
okay, I'm retired, I'm gonnastart pulling money off the top
of this, you know, mound ofmoney, you know, you might not
(08:35):
be spending what you could spendbecause out of fear that you
could run out of money, right?
So freedom of choice comes withproper planning and being
prudent with your finances.
Natalie McComb (08:47):
That makes sense. And obviously, for some
folks, they picture retirementas being that travel the world,
but for other folks, they justwant that beach home. They want
the home in the mountains, orthey just want to, you know, be
able to enjoy their their lifeand have the flexibility to
visit family. And yeah, do whatyou mentioned, what they don't
have time for.
@Charisse Rivers (09:05):
Yeah, and it's interesting because if I go back
Natalie McComb (09:05):
Yeah. And you've been very successful with any
almost 20 years ago, when I gotinto the industry, the choices
that retirees chose back thenwas I want to leave this massive
obviously growing your clientbase. I know you have multiple
legacy. And over the last 20years, the evolution of that
story has changed like no I'lljust spend my last dollar on my
last breath. The kiddos will getthe cars, they get the houses,
they will fend for themselves.
Right? I would say one out of 10offices now as well. And
recently you made the Inc. 5000people want to leave this big
(09:27):
dynasty and legacy to theirclients now, because they want
to enjoy it. They work theirbutts off they deserve it. They
know it and so times are alwayslist of fastest growing
privately held businesses. Thisevolving and changing and the
financial services industry thatalso has to do with you know,
the people who are getting readyto retire and what they want.
And I think they've always beenhas actually been the third year
in a row that Zinnia has madeafraid to say no, I do want to
spend all my money. And nowthey're like no, I really do
(09:49):
want to. Charisse, I like yourshow and listen to your show. I
like that. Flying first classwould be really hard for me in
an airplane. But, once a year,that list. So what has this
growth meant for you and yourwhy not? I'd have never done it.
So, indulge.
team? I'm sure, part of it hasbeen challenging, but it's also
(10:19):
been something you've been ableto celebrate.
@Charisse Rivers (10:27):
Definitely, it gives me chills when we talk
about that. Because when I lookat where I started in the trunk
of my car with the $1,000business to where I'm at today,
it's um, it's overwhelming. It'san honor, like I never imagined
being an inc 5000 Not just oneyear, but three years in a row,
(10:47):
it's a big deal. I had a fullpage spread our first year. And
you know, what the thing is, wecouldn't do it without our team.
I'm big, big, big into teamplaying, treating your employees
first and foremost, doing allthose wonderful things for them.
And in return everybody reapsthe benefit, right? And so I
(11:09):
brought our team, our team hasgrown internally, the ladies of
Zinnia have just, it's inspiredthem. And I go back to right
before we won our first Inc.
5000 award. We started thesemantras. And so one of those
years was our mantra was RISA.
What was that? Exactly? It wasrise above, you know, rise above
(11:32):
of all things. Let's be teamplayers, you know, when someone
needs help, you know, stay inyour lane, but reach out and
touch somebody. Help them whenthe need is there. And it was a
really big year for us. And itjust really helped us figure out
how to work together as we weregrowing, and learn how to
coordinate our differentopportunities and our different
personalities and that kind ofstuff. So that was the beginning
(11:54):
of it, and making sure your teamis happy. I truly believe that
treating your employees asnumber one is the key to a great
growing company, and givingback, and it's more about them
than you. And, by doing that itpours over to your clients and
your clients see it. And, youknow, in the Inc. 5000 I gotta
(12:16):
have my team, and I've got myclients. I've stayed consistent
with me, you know, ourbusinesses generated by
referrals by a very largepercentage. And we couldn't do
that if we weren't doing theright thing, right? I feel like
we're in the right place. I feellike this point that at Zinnia
Wealth Management, I just feellike we're we're consistently
looking ahead and stayingpositive and just staying
(12:38):
educated and trying to keepeverybody happy at the same
time.
Natalie McComb (12:41):
Yeah. And any any little nuggets of advice
that you would have for otherbusiness owners that are really
looking to improve the cultureof their organization?
@Charisse Rivers (12:51):
Yeah, oh, gosh, I don't know every company
is a little bit different. But Ilearned years ago make sure you
pay your employees really good.
Make them feel valuable, becausethey are and you cannot do what
you are doing. I can't be onradio and TV. I can't sit there
and continue to manageportfolios the right way. If I
don't have a bunch of peopledoing a lot of stuff for me,
(13:14):
right? I remember when I did itall myself. So make sure that
they feel valuable. We doquarterly team planning events.
We'll go somewhere, dosomething. It's always fun.
Every Friday at our team meetingwe do something cool. You know,
it's not just talking about thebusiness. So it's just kind of
keeping that culture verypositive. I'm big in the
culture, our team is big in theculture. When we hire somebody,
(13:37):
we want them to be this, anotherpositive person coming in and
saying, hey, we're gonna, we'regonna crush it. You know, let's
do this together with new ideas.
We love ideas. So allow youremployees to be a teammates with
you, even though you're theboss, allow them to feel
(13:57):
comfortable to come to you withideas and even implement them. I
think that is key. It makes themfeel 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 makesure 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 doin addition to financial
planning and serving yourclients. So I know you spent a
lot of time educating the publicabout financial planning. And
you do that in a variety ofdifferent ways. You have some
guidebooks on your website, thatfolks can download for free.
There's also articles thatyou've published in a variety of
(14:33):
publications. But you also haveyour own podcast and radio show
called Retirement Coffee Talk.
I'm sure all of this keeps youvery busy. Why is this type of
free education and outreachimportant to you and your
business?
@Charisse Rivers (14:48):
What did our grandparents teach us? At the
end of the day, when somebody'stoo good to be true? It is and
they also said, treat people theway you want to be treated. And
I don't know how many times I'vewalked into a place buying
something nice, and I feel likeI'm working with a salesperson.
And I really just want to talkand share what I'm looking for.
And I just don't want to besold. So what I learned in the
(15:09):
financial services industry,it's a dog and pony show. You go
to a dinner seminar, it's a dogand pony show, and they're
trying to make you cry. They'renot getting down to the nuts and
bolts. And I fought it foryears, I said, that is not me,
I'm never going to do that. Iwant to educate people, I want
them to know where they're at. Iwant them to see where they're
at. And I just want to give themthe free information they're
(15:31):
looking for. Because theyprobably don't need us right
now. Right? But they probablywill need us in the future. But
let's really share theinformation, give it to them for
free. And then they can apply itand then when it's right, it's a
right fit, and it just all workstogether, then they'll call us
right? Or, you can call somebodybut at least we're helping and
guiding our community locally.
Where I'm gonna see them at thePublix or I'm gonna see at the
(15:53):
school with my kids, you knowwhat 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. Iused to be a dance teacher. And
I loved teaching, right? And Ijust feel like I'm in the same
place right now. And ouradvisors and our team. I think
we're really truly all the sameway. We just love educating and
teaching and sharing as much aswe can. And it's a big part of
how Zinnia's run actually.
(16:19):
have a lot of fun on your show,I know. So you include a lot of
celebrity guest appearances. SoI was just perusing your website
and you've had Jason Aldean,Steve Spurrier, Emmitt Smith,
Bruce Arians, former VicePresident Mike Pence. And then
of course, my personal favoriteTim Tebow a as a fellow Gator.
I'm very jealous of the factthat you had him on your show.
(16:42):
So any guest in particular,that's really surprised you the
most? Or, made for a reallyinteresting interview?
@Charisse Rivers (16:48):
You know, it is crazy. I'm so blessed. Our
whole team is so blessed to havethese opportunities. Never in my
right mind did we ever thinkfinancial planning going
celebrity right? Like,never. AndI just, I think it's just how,
you know, our impressionresonates around the community
and the world. And all thoseinterviews were amazing. I've
(17:08):
learned so much from all ofthem, sideline conversations, to
have cell phones to a lot ofthese people. It's crazy. And I
can't tell you which one's myfavorite because they are all my
absolute favorite. But I have afun story about Eddie George.
Okay, so Isaiah Thomas was, Ilove that interview with him.
(17:29):
Stephen A Smith, we got him toget very comfortable. And like
sobby, like, no, it was alsobecause he's like a big hardcore
guy. He's gonna be veryopinionated. But in our
interview, I was like, no, let'stalk about the kiddos. He was, I
sidelined him. So that was agreat interview. But yeah, Eddie
George, he's a cool dude. I methim at a Tim Tebow Foundation
(17:51):
scramble. And I looked at himlike, that guy looks familiar.
And I'm like, hey, what's yourname? He's like, oh, I'm Eddie
George. I'm like, oh, cool. Iwas 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 playingwith in Pebble Beach in two
weeks. I was like, yeah, I don'tknow who I'm playing with. But I
guess I'm playing with you,right? But, he was a financial
(18:13):
planner, as he was intransition. We talked, we talked
smack about financial planningaround the country and all this
stuff. And so when I went toPebble Beach, we played golf,
and I was able to get aninterview with him. And he was
just a nice guy. And it wasnice, because I could relate
with the financial planningworld and how he was, you know,
big time football player thenhad to look for a job right in
(18:33):
financial planning and now he's,you know, off to the road and
the races, again, right? Doingcommercials with Tim Tebow, etc.
So it's really hard. That was afun one that is a lasting image.
And so yeah, I can't I wish Icould. So they're all so much
fun. I'm just, I'm honored andblessed. Just, I'm like, you
know, one thing I learned aboutthese interviews is that they
(18:54):
all pull up their pants the sameway we do you know what I mean?
So I don't get nervous aboutthem. And we just enjoy them.
And I learn about them. What aretheir charities, you know, when
are they going to retire? Thatkind of stuff. And, you know, we
scratch their back, they scratchours?
Natalie McComb (19:09):
And so what's next for you? And Zinnia wealth
management? What are yourambitions 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 thereand franchising Zinnia. But
well, the one thing I love aboutZinnia and our team, what we do
is that we own it, we run ittogether. You know, we're in
Ocala and Gainesville, and inthe Villages and we like it like
(19:35):
that. So, I don't know. But theone thing that we, our team, is
focused on is forward thinkingfor the clients. So we're going
to stay focused on the clientsand retirement strategies and
how to get people to retirefaster. What's out there.
Technology. We're big intechnology. We created a new
platform and technology softwareby telling a guru who does it
(19:57):
for us how I would like it to beviewed. So it's so simple. We
want to keep things simple forpeople. Because what I know, a
lot of people don't know, we alllive in our own little silos and
you know, you could be ateacher. So you're great at
that, right? You're wanna be afirefighter, you're good at
that. I could never do thosethings. An attorney, I'm not
gonna be an attorney. So I go tothose people for advice as
(20:18):
people will come to us forfinancial planning advice. So we
want to make sure we're alwaysahead of the curve, staying very
competitive, and bringing newthings to the table. And we
actually do that proactively asa team. And it's exciting
because it's just not me. And Igot 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 thecommunity as well, supporting a
lot of area nonprofits. You'recurrently the vice chair of the
Ocala Metro Chamber and EconomicPartnership. So eventually
ascending to the role of chairin 2025. So we're looking for
looking forward to working withyou even more closely. But
(21:00):
there's a lot of causes that Iknow probably have special
significance for you. What's onenonprofit 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 topeople who need help, like I
cannot help it. If I could feedevery hungry person on the
street, I would, right? Butthere's a couple charities out
there and I don't want to justpinpoint this one because it's
(21:29):
so big. But I really believe inwhat they're doing. And this is
actually the Tim TebowFoundation, I'm good friends
with them. I work closely with aVP over there. I'm just there
trying to save the world, notjust here locally, but I mean,
just so many things, Tim Tebowis putting together and his team
and culture of amazingChristians, if you're looking to
(21:51):
donate to a charity, you know,they have a plan and they're
world changing. So, Tim TebowFoundation is one of my
favorites. I mean, I love DannyWuerfell's Desire Street. He's
got another amazing one as well.
Of course, these are all gators.
But there's quite a few outthere, Dan Mullen and Megan
(22:13):
Mullen, they have one forreading, which is really great.
I mean, even Bruce Arians andhis wife, they have their own
foundation. And it's for kids.
So it always seems to besomething around children, which
is for me really great. That'slike I either want to help the
young people or the retirees.
The people in the middle, I'm sosorry. And then we also have our
(22:36):
own charity that's a 501c3,it's called the Grilled Cheese
Foundation. And it really juststarted from when I was a kid. I
grew up very poor, singleparent, lived in like a very
small efficiency with a brotherand sister to get food on the
table. We were fishing under thebridge. I mean, I remember those
days, I was in middle school.
And I remember those days. Andthat's when I really realized we
(22:57):
were poor. But the communitywhere I lived, it was in the
Florida Keys. I think when theyfigured out the single parent,
you know, good guy trying towork really hard. And to keep
these kids going, the communitywrapped their hands around
myself and my brother and asister. We didn't have to pay
for dance, food. I mean, really,they took care of us. So the
Grilled Cheese Foundation iswrapped around that. And the
(23:19):
very first grilled cheesesandwich that we all got. If you
go to the Grilled CheeseFoundation.com or Zinnia
Wealth.com You can read aboutit. But it's interesting because
that foundation is really tohelp foster middle schoolers and
high schoolers, their talentstruly, in those single parent
family households because thosesingle-parent family households,
(23:40):
sometimes they have just enoughto get by but not enough to
foster those talents. Whetherit's playing the saxophone or
going to dance or cheerleader,football, those extra ancillary
things people in that program.
We're also teaching aboutfinancial literacy, right?
Because we want kids to go tocollege and say don't get stuck
in a rut and buy these creditcards and say what's the
(24:01):
difference between you know,having a lemonade stand and etc.
Or you know, owning a businessor working for somebody just
really educate them. So theykind of have this balance.
Schools aren't teaching thisstuff right now. And then we
send them away with theancillary scholarship to college
and we're also starting two newscholarships at CF College in
Santa Fe College. So full-blownscholarships. We're gonna do two
(24:21):
new ones every year and thepeople who are in it continue
that scholarship till theygraduate. So we're doing a lot
of things with the foundationand we're gonna have some golf
scrambles and we want companiesand their kids that come help
out on the holes and you know,show other kids helping kids.
Like, if you're one of the youknow, very fortunate blessed
business and you have childrenand you want them out, you know,
(24:42):
helping other kids this is agreat opportunity to do that. So
again, Grilled CheeseFoundation. This comes dear from
the heart and it started allwith my father who's no longer
with us anymore, but taught us alot.
Natalie McComb (24:52):
And what a wonderful organization. We'll be
sure to include a link on theepisodes page for the Grilled
Cheese Foundation if anyone willlike to learn more. Thank you.
And now a word from our sponsor.
@Sponsor (25:05):
Douglas Law Fi
Douglas law firm. We are a fullservice law firm with many
practice areas to serve yourparticular needs. We are located
in downtown Ocala at 110 NorthMagnolia Avenue. Coming from a
seventh-generation family herein Ocala. I am honored for our
law firm to partner with the CEPto 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 startwith 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 pencilsbeing sharpened. So, I have
atrocious handwriting. And if Ihave a dull pencil it's even
worse. So I like a sharp pencil.
So it's always like sixsharpened pencils and I grab the
dull one. When, oh my god, thehandwriting is awful. So plenty
of sharpened pencils. So simple.
(26:03):
It's silly, right?
Natalie McComb (26:03):
But again, something that you may be
yelling across the office to oneof your colleagues. Can you
sharpen my pencil? While you'rein the middle of an interview
right?
@Charisse Rivers (26:10):
My staff says and here's your electric
sharpener, Charisse, just put itright 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'mfamous for trying to run before
I walk. It is those mistakesthat can happen along the way.
And I will tell youphilosophers, mentors, they
(26:44):
always say Charisse you got todo this first. You got to do
this first. I'm like, yeah, butI want to get out here. But to
get over there, you got to dothis. So really anybody walking
before you run that just meanstake it slow learn from it and
grow from it and keep growingand add on to it.
Natalie McComb (26:59):
Great advice.
And how would you describeyourself 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 themiddle. You know, I think too
many people ride this rollercoaster of emotion. And so I've
gotten very good at tacklingadversity and just stay very
(27:27):
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 diveshop, and I filled tanks. And we
had a dive boat. And you couldput 40 tanks on this dive boat.
So not only did I have to pickup these tanks and put them in
these containers I'd filled themwith air to take them out and
walk them out to the boat. And Ijust learned it was hard work.
(27:52):
But I absolutely loved it. Iloved that. I loved being around
water. And around bubbleheads wecall them. And so I am scuba
certified as well. There weresome perks to that. But that was
probably one of my, that was myfirst job. And it was a very
cool experience. I had a greatboss.
Natalie McComb (28:07):
Well, thank you again, Charisse. It was a
pleasure to have you on theshow. Again, we were with
Charisse Rivers, CEO andfinancial 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 andagain, giving some advice to
those listeners about what theycan 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 ZinniaWealth if you're prepping for
retirement.
Natalie McComb (28:42):
Thank you for joining us for another episode
of the catalyst hosted by theOcala Metro Chamber and Economic
Partnership, sponsored byDouglas Law Firm, and recorded
live at Wiley Productionspodcast studios. New episodes,
guests, and perspectives onleadership premiere twice a
month. Follow us on Apple,Amazon, Spotify or wherever you
(29:04):
enjoy your podcasts. Have asuggestion for a future guest?
Email us at the catalyst atOcala CEP dot com.
The Catalyst, a CEP podcast on bold leadership
in the Ocala Metro, hosted bythe Ocala Metro Chamber and
economic partnership, sponsoredby Douglas law firm and recorded
live at Wiley Productionspodcast studios located in
Ocala, Florida. Welcome to TheCatalyst. I'm your host Natalie
(00:31):
McComb, Vice President for theOcala Metro Chamber and Economic
Partnership Foundation. And I'mjoined today by Charisse Rivers,
CEO and Financial Planner withZinnia Wealth Management. Great
to have you on the show,Charisse.
@Charisse Rivers (00:43):
Well, thank you for having me.
Natalie McComb (00:45):
We talk a lot about entrepreneurship on The
Catalyst and about what ledindividuals down the path to
business ownership. You startedZinnia out of your home because
you didn't like what you wereseeing in the retirement
planning industry. What did youmean by that?
@Charisse Rivers (00:59):
Well, I have bad habits. No, I'm just
kidding. I always feel likethere's solutions to different
problems. And I found a lot ofproblems in the financial
services industry when I firststarted. I didn't know how to
solve it just yet. I just knewthere had to be a better way.
And it was the scariest thing Iever did. I decided I was gonna
(01:20):
go on my own and do it my way. Icame up against you know a bunch
of hazards, a lot of naysayerssaying that's not gonna work. I
wanted to be a fiduciary backthen. And that was a new name in
our industry. And so I said, Iwant to follow that protocol,
because it feels like it'sright. It seems like it's right.
You're looking out for the bestinterest of your client as a
(01:41):
retirement planner. And so Istarted to walk my walk, with
$1,000 in my pocket, and neverlooked back. And all those
naysayers today now, you know,they're very positive. They're
like, you know, we listened toyou now Charisse, other
advisors, which is really coolto hear, you know, there's so
much information. He's like,you're really doing it right. I
(02:02):
think sometimes in our industryour industry falls short. And we
do things that are kind of oldschool. When there's so many new
forward-thinking strategies forclients. How to lower fees and
how to be a planner and not justa, you know, salesperson, you
know what I mean? So that's kindof, was my first take.
Natalie McComb (02:20):
Wow, and where do you see most individuals fail
in trying to plan for retirementon their own?
@Charisse Rivers (02:26):
Yeah. So we watch Cramer, you know, on TV,
and we're like, oh, we can doit. And people give it a jab.
And then they, they realizethat, okay, so Cramer is not
always right, and they realizenow I'm playing catch up, and
now I bought the stock fiveyears ago, now it's lost 50%.
And now it's gonna take me fiveyears to get back to even. I
(02:47):
think people get discouraged alot of times or another, they're
just not moving forward. Andthey sometimes quit, or they
make bad and emotionaldecisions. So people fail to
reach out to other, I would say,advisors of the financial
industry because maybe they hada bad taste in their mouth. But,
to get educated and to reallylearn like what needs to be done
(03:10):
to be prepared for retirement,what do I need to cut out? Do I
need to cut out my Starbuckscoffee? You know, depending on
our age, you know, if we're inthe retirement redzone, five
years before retirement, youknow, what do we need to do to
be ready for five years? Becausewhen we walk out the double
doors of our employers in thejob we've had for 30 years or
so, you know, we're gonna lose apaycheck. So how do we get a new
(03:32):
paycheck? Because income makesthe world go round. And so
trying to figure that strategyout is very hard for people. And
because you're now your ownpension manager with this big
lump sum of money.
Natalie McComb (03:41):
And do you feel like people often come to you a
little too late? What is reallythe age that you feel like, you
know, we need to be having theseconversations?
@Charisse Rivers (03:51):
You know, it's interesting question, because I
always say it's never too late.
Yet. If I can work with somebody10 years before they retire, I
mean, we can do some incrediblepositive damage in my world, we
can really focus more on the taxplan and how to do these
conversions. So even ifsomebody's coming to me right
before they retire, I have aplan for them. You know, our
(04:14):
team is any wealth management,we are just very big into
solutions. How do we get youthere? Can you get there? What
do you got to do? And I thinkthat's what drives our entire
team to help people besuccessful so that they know
when they can turn in those keysto their employer etc. So yeah,
there's so much that goes intothat.
Natalie McComb (04:36):
Yeah. But it's good that you have a plan no
matter where you start, and ifyou have somebody that comes to
you that's ambitious and alreadythinking 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 (04:50):
Yeah. And if somebody's you know, just
starting out, I love DaveRamsey's Financial Peace
University. I did it. I was atELP with Dave Ramsey's group for
a while, it's fantastic. Andthey have some things for
children as well. I just boughtone for my kiddos. And, you
know, if you're trying to saveyour first dollar and contribute
your first 100 bucks, Vanguardis one of my most favorite
(05:12):
companies for that. For lowfees, buy their funds, they're
amazing. So for those beginnersout there.
Natalie McComb (05:19):
And what advice would you have for someone who
wants to be better aboutplanning ahead and saving, but
really doesn't know where tostart?
@Charisse Rivers (05:26):
I think we're looking at your budget. And so
take inventory, because a lot ofpeople don't take inventory.
They don't know where theirmoney's at where it's going.
And, on a monthly basis. A NewYear's resolution is to sit down
with your partner, or yourspouse, whoever or family
member, whoever it might be, itdoesn't matter what age you are,
and, you know, look at do wehave a mortgage? We have a car
(05:47):
payment, do we want these thingspaid off so that we can start
saving more? Do we have creditcards, and when we have credit
cards how many credit cards dowe have? Are they 20% interest
or 5% interest? And then youbring that information to a
financial planner. And theystart to say, okay, pay the
credit card that's 20% off firstand slowly, you know, work
through getting the debt paidoff. So you can save more and
(06:07):
more and more. But you got towork on the debt and where
you're spending your money. Ican't tell you how many times I
will help somebody budget andI'll see all these extra costs.
I'm like, where's that going?
Where's this going? Like, oh, Ido this? I'm like, can you
imagine if you stopped doingthat every week, put those
dollars back into yourretirement plan? They're like,
oh, wow. And I'm like, it's themiracle of compounding. And once
you do it, like if you go to theDave Ramsey site and do
(06:28):
Financial Peace University, theyhave that Gazelle approach. It's
really cool. I highly recommendit for beginners as well, and
when you're trying to save. But,it encourages you. It's a new
drive in your life. It'smotivating because you're like,
oh, wow, I can save this much.
How much more can I save? It'spretty cool. And then you start
to become very financiallyinfluenced by the math. You
(06:53):
start doing your own math, andyou don't need people like me
once you start to figure it outuntil you're ready to retire of
course.
Natalie McComb (06:58):
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 whatI'm saving. Or again, my ability
to pay off debt.
@Charisse Rivers (07:11):
Exactly. I mean, growing Zinnia Wealth
Management, I took every dollarin the beginning and I didn't go
buy a new car. I drove the samecar for 10 years, even when I
could afford to go buy a brandnew car I still didn't. I was
just so, it was so important tome to put the money back into
employees and the team andbenefits and growing the
business because I knew after somany years, then I would be
(07:33):
saving. And that's exactly whathappened. And sometimes you just
gotta get down to thenitty-gritty and push through
those tough times. And thenyou'll get there.
Natalie McComb (07:40):
Yeah, and in helping your clients you focus
on the protection of healthcare, financial security,
planning their estate, andpreserving freedom of choice.
What do you mean by that freedomof choice?
@Charisse Rivers (07:51):
That is so open-ended, there's so many
things. Let's paint a picture.
Let's say you'regetting...you're retired and you
have a few choices. You can godo all the things that you've
always wanted to do, but younever did. Because you were
working nine to five. You'retaking care of the kiddos, you
got them into college. What arethe things you want to do, that
freedom of choice? Have yousaved enough to travel the
(08:13):
world? Or, are you somebody thatsays I just want to garden? I
just want to hang loose in mylocal area. Everybody has their
own niches right? And just thefreedom of choice to decide what
you want to do. But it's veryhard to have the freedom of
choice if you don't have a planin place. And if you just say,
okay, I'm retired, I'm gonnastart pulling money off the top
of this, you know, mound ofmoney, you know, you might not
(08:35):
be spending what you could spendbecause out of fear that you
could run out of money, right?
So freedom of choice comes withproper planning and being
prudent with your finances.
Natalie McComb (08:47):
That makes sense. And obviously, for some
folks, they picture retirementas being that travel the world,
but for other folks, they justwant that beach home. They want
the home in the mountains, orthey just want to, you know, be
able to enjoy their their lifeand have the flexibility to
visit family. And yeah, do whatyou mentioned, what they don't
have time for.
@Charisse Rivers (09:05):
Yeah, and it's interesting because if I go back
Natalie McComb (09:05):
Yeah. And you've been very successful with any
almost 20 years ago, when I gotinto the industry, the choices
that retirees chose back thenwas I want to leave this massive
obviously growing your clientbase. I know you have multiple
legacy. And over the last 20years, the evolution of that
story has changed like no I'lljust spend my last dollar on my
last breath. The kiddos will getthe cars, they get the houses,
they will fend for themselves.
Right? I would say one out of 10offices now as well. And
recently you made the Inc. 5000people want to leave this big
(09:27):
dynasty and legacy to theirclients now, because they want
to enjoy it. They work theirbutts off they deserve it. They
know it and so times are alwayslist of fastest growing
privately held businesses. Thisevolving and changing and the
financial services industry thatalso has to do with you know,
the people who are getting readyto retire and what they want.
And I think they've always beenhas actually been the third year
in a row that Zinnia has madeafraid to say no, I do want to
spend all my money. And nowthey're like no, I really do
(09:49):
want to. Charisse, I like yourshow and listen to your show. I
like that. Flying first classwould be really hard for me in
an airplane. But, once a year,that list. So what has this
growth meant for you and yourwhy not? I'd have never done it.
So, indulge.
team? I'm sure, part of it hasbeen challenging, but it's also
(10:19):
been something you've been ableto celebrate.
@Charisse Rivers (10:27):
Definitely, it gives me chills when we talk
about that. Because when I lookat where I started in the trunk
of my car with the $1,000business to where I'm at today,
it's um, it's overwhelming. It'san honor, like I never imagined
being an inc 5000 Not just oneyear, but three years in a row,
(10:47):
it's a big deal. I had a fullpage spread our first year. And
you know, what the thing is, wecouldn't do it without our team.
I'm big, big, big into teamplaying, treating your employees
first and foremost, doing allthose wonderful things for them.
And in return everybody reapsthe benefit, right? And so I
(11:09):
brought our team, our team hasgrown internally, the ladies of
Zinnia have just, it's inspiredthem. And I go back to right
before we won our first Inc.
5000 award. We started thesemantras. And so one of those
years was our mantra was RISA.
What was that? Exactly? It wasrise above, you know, rise above
(11:32):
of all things. Let's be teamplayers, you know, when someone
needs help, you know, stay inyour lane, but reach out and
touch somebody. Help them whenthe need is there. And it was a
really big year for us. And itjust really helped us figure out
how to work together as we weregrowing, and learn how to
coordinate our differentopportunities and our different
personalities and that kind ofstuff. So that was the beginning
(11:54):
of it, and making sure your teamis happy. I truly believe that
treating your employees asnumber one is the key to a great
growing company, and givingback, and it's more about them
than you. And, by doing that itpours over to your clients and
your clients see it. And, youknow, in the Inc. 5000 I gotta
(12:16):
have my team, and I've got myclients. I've stayed consistent
with me, you know, ourbusinesses generated by
referrals by a very largepercentage. And we couldn't do
that if we weren't doing theright thing, right? I feel like
we're in the right place. I feellike this point that at Zinnia
Wealth Management, I just feellike we're we're consistently
looking ahead and stayingpositive and just staying
(12:38):
educated and trying to keepeverybody happy at the same
time.
Natalie McComb (12:41):
Yeah. And any any little nuggets of advice
that you would have for otherbusiness owners that are really
looking to improve the cultureof their organization?
@Charisse Rivers (12:51):
Yeah, oh, gosh, I don't know every company
is a little bit different. But Ilearned years ago make sure you
pay your employees really good.
Make them feel valuable, becausethey are and you cannot do what
you are doing. I can't be onradio and TV. I can't sit there
and continue to manageportfolios the right way. If I
don't have a bunch of peopledoing a lot of stuff for me,
(13:14):
right? I remember when I did itall myself. So make sure that
they feel valuable. We doquarterly team planning events.
We'll go somewhere, dosomething. It's always fun.
Every Friday at our team meetingwe do something cool. You know,
it's not just talking about thebusiness. So it's just kind of
keeping that culture verypositive. I'm big in the
culture, our team is big in theculture. When we hire somebody,
(13:37):
we want them to be this, anotherpositive person coming in and
saying, hey, we're gonna, we'regonna crush it. You know, let's
do this together with new ideas.
We love ideas. So allow youremployees to be a teammates with
you, even though you're theboss, allow them to feel
(13:57):
comfortable to come to you withideas and even implement them. I
think that is key. It makes themfeel 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 makesure 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 doin addition to financial
planning and serving yourclients. So I know you spent a
lot of time educating the publicabout financial planning. And
you do that in a variety ofdifferent ways. You have some
guidebooks on your website, thatfolks can download for free.
There's also articles thatyou've published in a variety of
(14:33):
publications. But you also haveyour own podcast and radio show
called Retirement Coffee Talk.
I'm sure all of this keeps youvery busy. Why is this type of
free education and outreachimportant to you and your
business?
@Charisse Rivers (14:48):
What did our grandparents teach us? At the
end of the day, when somebody'stoo good to be true? It is and
they also said, treat people theway you want to be treated. And
I don't know how many times I'vewalked into a place buying
something nice, and I feel likeI'm working with a salesperson.
And I really just want to talkand share what I'm looking for.
And I just don't want to besold. So what I learned in the
(15:09):
financial services industry,it's a dog and pony show. You go
to a dinner seminar, it's a dogand pony show, and they're
trying to make you cry. They'renot getting down to the nuts and
bolts. And I fought it foryears, I said, that is not me,
I'm never going to do that. Iwant to educate people, I want
them to know where they're at. Iwant them to see where they're
at. And I just want to give themthe free information they're
(15:31):
looking for. Because theyprobably don't need us right
now. Right? But they probablywill need us in the future. But
let's really share theinformation, give it to them for
free. And then they can apply itand then when it's right, it's a
right fit, and it just all workstogether, then they'll call us
right? Or, you can call somebodybut at least we're helping and
guiding our community locally.
Where I'm gonna see them at thePublix or I'm gonna see at the
(15:53):
school with my kids, you knowwhat 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. Iused to be a dance teacher. And
I loved teaching, right? And Ijust feel like I'm in the same
place right now. And ouradvisors and our team. I think
we're really truly all the sameway. We just love educating and
teaching and sharing as much aswe can. And it's a big part of
how Zinnia's run actually.
(16:19):
have a lot of fun on your show,I know. So you include a lot of
celebrity guest appearances. SoI was just perusing your website
and you've had Jason Aldean,Steve Spurrier, Emmitt Smith,
Bruce Arians, former VicePresident Mike Pence. And then
of course, my personal favoriteTim Tebow a as a fellow Gator.
I'm very jealous of the factthat you had him on your show.
(16:42):
So any guest in particular,that's really surprised you the
most? Or, made for a reallyinteresting interview?
@Charisse Rivers (16:48):
You know, it is crazy. I'm so blessed. Our
whole team is so blessed to havethese opportunities. Never in my
right mind did we ever thinkfinancial planning going
celebrity right? Like,never. AndI just, I think it's just how,
you know, our impressionresonates around the community
and the world. And all thoseinterviews were amazing. I've
(17:08):
learned so much from all ofthem, sideline conversations, to
have cell phones to a lot ofthese people. It's crazy. And I
can't tell you which one's myfavorite because they are all my
absolute favorite. But I have afun story about Eddie George.
Okay, so Isaiah Thomas was, Ilove that interview with him.
(17:29):
Stephen A Smith, we got him toget very comfortable. And like
sobby, like, no, it was alsobecause he's like a big hardcore
guy. He's gonna be veryopinionated. But in our
interview, I was like, no, let'stalk about the kiddos. He was, I
sidelined him. So that was agreat interview. But yeah, Eddie
George, he's a cool dude. I methim at a Tim Tebow Foundation
(17:51):
scramble. And I looked at himlike, that guy looks familiar.
And I'm like, hey, what's yourname? He's like, oh, I'm Eddie
George. I'm like, oh, cool. Iwas 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 playingwith in Pebble Beach in two
weeks. I was like, yeah, I don'tknow who I'm playing with. But I
guess I'm playing with you,right? But, he was a financial
(18:13):
planner, as he was intransition. We talked, we talked
smack about financial planningaround the country and all this
stuff. And so when I went toPebble Beach, we played golf,
and I was able to get aninterview with him. And he was
just a nice guy. And it wasnice, because I could relate
with the financial planningworld and how he was, you know,
big time football player thenhad to look for a job right in
(18:33):
financial planning and now he's,you know, off to the road and
the races, again, right? Doingcommercials with Tim Tebow, etc.
So it's really hard. That was afun one that is a lasting image.
And so yeah, I can't I wish Icould. So they're all so much
fun. I'm just, I'm honored andblessed. Just, I'm like, you
know, one thing I learned aboutthese interviews is that they
(18:54):
all pull up their pants the sameway we do you know what I mean?
So I don't get nervous aboutthem. And we just enjoy them.
And I learn about them. What aretheir charities, you know, when
are they going to retire? Thatkind of stuff. And, you know, we
scratch their back, they scratchours?
Natalie McComb (19:09):
And so what's next for you? And Zinnia wealth
management? What are yourambitions 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 thereand franchising Zinnia. But
well, the one thing I love aboutZinnia and our team, what we do
is that we own it, we run ittogether. You know, we're in
Ocala and Gainesville, and inthe Villages and we like it like
(19:35):
that. So, I don't know. But theone thing that we, our team, is
focused on is forward thinkingfor the clients. So we're going
to stay focused on the clientsand retirement strategies and
how to get people to retirefaster. What's out there.
Technology. We're big intechnology. We created a new
platform and technology softwareby telling a guru who does it
(19:57):
for us how I would like it to beviewed. So it's so simple. We
want to keep things simple forpeople. Because what I know, a
lot of people don't know, we alllive in our own little silos and
you know, you could be ateacher. So you're great at
that, right? You're wanna be afirefighter, you're good at
that. I could never do thosethings. An attorney, I'm not
gonna be an attorney. So I go tothose people for advice as
(20:18):
people will come to us forfinancial planning advice. So we
want to make sure we're alwaysahead of the curve, staying very
competitive, and bringing newthings to the table. And we
actually do that proactively asa team. And it's exciting
because it's just not me. And Igot 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 thecommunity as well, supporting a
lot of area nonprofits. You'recurrently the vice chair of the
Ocala Metro Chamber and EconomicPartnership. So eventually
ascending to the role of chairin 2025. So we're looking for
looking forward to working withyou even more closely. But
(21:00):
there's a lot of causes that Iknow probably have special
significance for you. What's onenonprofit 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 topeople who need help, like I
cannot help it. If I could feedevery hungry person on the
street, I would, right? Butthere's a couple charities out
there and I don't want to justpinpoint this one because it's
(21:29):
so big. But I really believe inwhat they're doing. And this is
actually the Tim TebowFoundation, I'm good friends
with them. I work closely with aVP over there. I'm just there
trying to save the world, notjust here locally, but I mean,
just so many things, Tim Tebowis putting together and his team
and culture of amazingChristians, if you're looking to
(21:51):
donate to a charity, you know,they have a plan and they're
world changing. So, Tim TebowFoundation is one of my
favorites. I mean, I love DannyWuerfell's Desire Street. He's
got another amazing one as well.
Of course, these are all gators.
But there's quite a few outthere, Dan Mullen and Megan
(22:13):
Mullen, they have one forreading, which is really great.
I mean, even Bruce Arians andhis wife, they have their own
foundation. And it's for kids.
So it always seems to besomething around children, which
is for me really great. That'slike I either want to help the
young people or the retirees.
The people in the middle, I'm sosorry. And then we also have our
(22:36):
own charity that's a 501c3,it's called the Grilled Cheese
Foundation. And it really juststarted from when I was a kid. I
grew up very poor, singleparent, lived in like a very
small efficiency with a brotherand sister to get food on the
table. We were fishing under thebridge. I mean, I remember those
days, I was in middle school.
And I remember those days. Andthat's when I really realized we
(22:57):
were poor. But the communitywhere I lived, it was in the
Florida Keys. I think when theyfigured out the single parent,
you know, good guy trying towork really hard. And to keep
these kids going, the communitywrapped their hands around
myself and my brother and asister. We didn't have to pay
for dance, food. I mean, really,they took care of us. So the
Grilled Cheese Foundation iswrapped around that. And the
(23:19):
very first grilled cheesesandwich that we all got. If you
go to the Grilled CheeseFoundation.com or Zinnia
Wealth.com You can read aboutit. But it's interesting because
that foundation is really tohelp foster middle schoolers and
high schoolers, their talentstruly, in those single parent
family households because thosesingle-parent family households,
(23:40):
sometimes they have just enoughto get by but not enough to
foster those talents. Whetherit's playing the saxophone or
going to dance or cheerleader,football, those extra ancillary
things people in that program.
We're also teaching aboutfinancial literacy, right?
Because we want kids to go tocollege and say don't get stuck
in a rut and buy these creditcards and say what's the
(24:01):
difference between you know,having a lemonade stand and etc.
Or you know, owning a businessor working for somebody just
really educate them. So theykind of have this balance.
Schools aren't teaching thisstuff right now. And then we
send them away with theancillary scholarship to college
and we're also starting two newscholarships at CF College in
Santa Fe College. So full-blownscholarships. We're gonna do two
(24:21):
new ones every year and thepeople who are in it continue
that scholarship till theygraduate. So we're doing a lot
of things with the foundationand we're gonna have some golf
scrambles and we want companiesand their kids that come help
out on the holes and you know,show other kids helping kids.
Like, if you're one of the youknow, very fortunate blessed
business and you have childrenand you want them out, you know,
(24:42):
helping other kids this is agreat opportunity to do that. So
again, Grilled CheeseFoundation. This comes dear from
the heart and it started allwith my father who's no longer
with us anymore, but taught us alot.
Natalie McComb (24:52):
And what a wonderful organization. We'll be
sure to include a link on theepisodes page for the Grilled
Cheese Foundation if anyone willlike to learn more. Thank you.
And now a word from our sponsor.
@Sponsor (25:05):
Douglas Law Fi
Douglas law firm. We are a fullservice law firm with many
practice areas to serve yourparticular needs. We are located
in downtown Ocala at 110 NorthMagnolia Avenue. Coming from a
seventh-generation family herein Ocala. I am honored for our
law firm to partner with the CEPto 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 startwith 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 pencilsbeing sharpened. So, I have
atrocious handwriting. And if Ihave a dull pencil it's even
worse. So I like a sharp pencil.
So it's always like sixsharpened pencils and I grab the
dull one. When, oh my god, thehandwriting is awful. So plenty
of sharpened pencils. So simple.
(26:03):
It's silly, right?
Natalie McComb (26:03):
But again, something that you may be
yelling across the office to oneof your colleagues. Can you
sharpen my pencil? While you'rein the middle of an interview
right?
@Charisse Rivers (26:10):
My staff says and here's your electric
sharpener, Charisse, just put itright 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'mfamous for trying to run before
I walk. It is those mistakesthat can happen along the way.
And I will tell youphilosophers, mentors, they
(26:44):
always say Charisse you got todo this first. You got to do
this first. I'm like, yeah, butI want to get out here. But to
get over there, you got to dothis. So really anybody walking
before you run that just meanstake it slow learn from it and
grow from it and keep growingand add on to it.
Natalie McComb (26:59):
Great advice.
And how would you describeyourself 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 themiddle. You know, I think too
many people ride this rollercoaster of emotion. And so I've
gotten very good at tacklingadversity and just stay very
(27:27):
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 diveshop, and I filled tanks. And we
had a dive boat. And you couldput 40 tanks on this dive boat.
So not only did I have to pickup these tanks and put them in
these containers I'd filled themwith air to take them out and
walk them out to the boat. And Ijust learned it was hard work.
(27:52):
But I absolutely loved it. Iloved that. I loved being around
water. And around bubbleheads wecall them. And so I am scuba
certified as well. There weresome perks to that. But that was
probably one of my, that was myfirst job. And it was a very
cool experience. I had a greatboss.
Natalie McComb (28:07):
Well, thank you again, Charisse. It was a
pleasure to have you on theshow. Again, we were with
Charisse Rivers, CEO andfinancial 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 andagain, giving some advice to
those listeners about what theycan 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 ZinniaWealth if you're prepping for
retirement.
Natalie McComb (28:42):
Thank you for joining us for another episode
of the catalyst hosted by theOcala Metro Chamber and Economic
Partnership, sponsored byDouglas Law Firm, and recorded
live at Wiley Productionspodcast studios. New episodes,
guests, and perspectives onleadership premiere twice a
month. Follow us on Apple,Amazon, Spotify or wherever you
(29:04):
enjoy your podcasts. Have asuggestion for a future guest?
Email us at the catalyst atOcala CEP dot com.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.