Ep045: Mastering The Art of Financial Planning with Jackie Campbell

Jackie Campbell
I'm doing ve past the summer storms, he will be doing good yeah.

David Spray
a native of Houston, texas, the Gulf Coast, summer sto part of florida, are you?

Jackie Campbell
I'm right, just north abo right there in the center, the west coast.

David Spray
Okay, and that part of the state.

Jackie Campbell
I but I'm originally from t florida panhandle, where t beaches are up near Fort nice, and what brought yo part of florida. Wow, my and he was in law enforci with the state of florida here for his very first s of Tampa and we've been h 10 years now.

David Spray
And I guess in your career it was z started there as anywhere up here at University of in Tampa and you know it working.

Jackie Campbell
The next thing y firm one of the youngest state of florida having m have kids and they start history.

David Spray
Oh, that is awes before you. You, you struck.

Jackie Campbell
Well, I started with the. Even knew what a CPA was high school. I kind of fou job when I was in college sort of kind of all, came bit of experience in diff and public accounting be had my college sugary, so a few different things p and decided that public a more my line and kind of head of schedule of havin a lot of ideas and you kn it your way, I guess is t any specific event that the move or well, having t had this great idea, you think we're smarter than two toddlers and I thought more time with my kids.

David Spray
I and you know that lasti and you know three employ to get an office locatiin and just kept going from would imagine, because I m started our career probab, back when we started our weren't as kind of family are now, or they that that will train you very well.

Jackie Campbell
Larger firms, the regional, expect you know a lot f.

David Spray
Okay, so you started your. Why don't we just kind of the firm? What would you, your clients say, make your than just the average CPA?

Jackie Campbell
think just experience has right. I think that is on is different. One thing t clients is just the trust and you know you would t really easy to earn or to, but you know that's not, and we've been in busines over 30 years so that's working with not only one. We go into the second and whether it's a small busi or whether it's just an, I already been retired and so I would say that pretty, we are a planning, firm th thing that we do a little. We don't just look at hist, our historians looking at happen.

I think we have an unique ability is to be a going on now what the pa and what that pattern is, be moved forward and plan strategic, being tactical along the way as those ma come along the planned on. So I think that you know the 360 degree lens is re became duly licensed as f. We were allowed so back the first time a CPA acti than one license because a responsibility and the know been regarded as a. So just looking at that f with attorneys, collabori, make sure that we get tha and what the advisors are, the strategy, what that' does take place.

David Spray
Yeah, I I've always thought that presented themselves that for CPA firms because you know the trusted advisere communicating with your cl annually just because of compliance and it just se for whatever reason it j of CPA firms have maybe d but really weren't able t practices very well. So y life from your client's p to have kind of this one. Obviously the legal is st with somebody else for th three legs of that stool, the planning and financia, the legal you're covering. That sounds great and th guys end up typically bei, would you say, because yo at like a state planning in the attorneys for that many plans are created. B would do you all have you that, or is that pretty much and the attorney to to imp.

Jackie Campbell
I would say it depends on. Some people are really n always looking and learni what options or oppurtunit for them, so they will su ideas. Sometimes it's jus conversations. You know a plan, it's just very we isn't sure. But yeah, we role. Quite often I had s through the years where s an attorney, they would h, they would have a trust a be titled in the trust, a advisor or the insurance having a certain plan or ramifications of their t legally can't talk about, I can't talk, I can't dis to talk to your accountso prepare and then as the C kind of cleaning everything. Wait, you have a trust W all your financial account. It's just about pulling t and making sure that is t in direction that you're that road mount together. The other day, the one th it's in the water is the. The same story. It's hard. Professional advisors you advice and see a lot of p challenges and the oppurt when it comes to yourself, to the scenario.

David Spray
Yeah th the shoes situation right, you all are. You also set, in addition to the planin, the implementation, as far you know, insurance prode funding vehicles in that.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, we're considered a firm. So you know, pretty with money we're able to with someone and find a s, someone who actually spea either tax law or that str, to look at it as products. It that way we look at I trying to get to and to a best, most economical way that makes a lot of sense.

David Spray
You have all those capabil umbrella because I have s a heavy planning focus b on the independence that actually implement the pro. You have to rely on you, commission, you know dr person let's say to do t, then that can be kind of know, you don't necessarily client over to somebody h a more aggressive style th. I think that's great that to really do it all. And to that that, what do you? The 360?

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, the 360 planning.

David Spray
Okay, yeah, no, like a great, a great dis you do so talk to. So w now shift gears. I'm rea you do. In the media world you have a radio show y which came first, the rad the book the radio show been doing that for about.

Jackie Campbell
I think it's a little over radio in the Tampa Bay area, as someone who was really mom would always say oh, her from behind my skirt looking for a place to h. Funny how the thing that most when you're younger develop and that's your s to be and you know I th there. You're always tryi a little bit but I love that I work with and they and really I think help for radio because I come a lot of things to say S so many individuals and f family and the hard one w. It just makes it so natu. Able to actually pull multiple professions together and pull that full Three sixty together for someone is just it. To me that's so rewarding because not everybody can see multi dimensional aspects.

Radio was first. We called our radio show beyond the money. That's because it's really beyond the money. It's about what are you trying to get the freedom to do with your life or your business? What are you trying to grow into? Multiply and freedom of relationships, freedom of purpose those are things that we hear from Dan Sullivan, the founder and strategic coach and it. And when you just really focus on you, what are you trying to get the freedom to do, not just the freedom from doing. I think it's a totally different mindset.

David Spray
Sure is your radio show like the weekly show.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, we have. We do air the same show on Saturday and on Sunday as well, and then we have podcast that came as a result a few years later, and that's the beyond the money podcast.

David Spray
Okay, so as far as the radio show. So what station is it on and what time is it come? On? Saturday and Sunday.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, it's W X, j B, it's a local station and ninety nine point nine here in the Tampa Bay area. But you can I mean these days you can access everything all over.

David Spray
And then do you have calls callers that call in with questions. Is that kind of the format?

Jackie Campbell
We do not take live calls because highly count compliance, regulated industry. Oh sure, we don't do that. But sometimes they will call the radio station and they will leave a question for me to talk about. And I do a live conversation on Wednesday mornings with the morning DJ just to talk about what's going on in our area and if there's any changes in law changes and sort of just kind of finger on the polls.

David Spray
Wow, that's so, that's great. So that that ended up leading to the podcast. And so how do you view the podcast differently than the radio show? What are the kind of pros and cons of the podcast versus the radio show? Or is the podcast just a rebroadcast of the radio show?

Jackie Campbell
It's kind of a combination. We have a little over 250 episodes on our podcast and it's a little bit of combination. Sometimes I have what we call on tour interviews. I've had the pleasure to interview Reba McIntyre, yeah, in Nevada, and we talked about mama and the rope and pen and she's he's great she's just who you see on TV.

Who you see on stage is exactly who she is in person Martina McBride. You know quite a few others get the pleasure to go to Nashville here in a few weeks and interview a few as well. So we do take some celebrity interviews and those are just more on a personal level, and then it could be some professionals that we work with, we collaborate with here in our area and we have them on as guests as well. We have a licensed mental health counselor, because you know emotions and is certainly all about your financial picture for individuals and business owners, and we have a quite a few other professionals that will have on from time to time.

David Spray
Okay, that really sounds great, and then it sounds like the last piece of the media stool was the book. Is that right?

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, this is something that I've been thinking about for a while. You know what it's. There's a concept called the 90 minute book and I said it took me nine years to actually hit 100%. But you know, sometimes things just happen when they're meant to be and this is just something. It's some of that really hard one wisdom that I was talking about.

You know, you don't really know how challenging it is to go through cleaning up Financial records from someone until you experience it up close and personal.

And I've seen many families do things right and I've seen the outcome of that and I've seen them Just have a total mess. Nobody knows where the keys are, literally and for figuratively, you know, for their financial life, and it's just such a stressful time both you know, emotionally, physically and mentally, and then Figure out and put the puzzle together. I came up with a book I have a what we call a hero package and my wind file came first. That came about eight years ago and that's a document storage system For how to gather all of your important documents and your passwords and you know who are your professional advisors and really what are the succession plan steps that would need to take place. So sort of giving, like an owner's manual. You know how to run my life without me if I'm not able to or not here. So just a real gift for your loved ones and your next to can and your family members.

David Spray
So I'm curious about that. Talk to me a little bit more. So you talk about the hero file, and then you talked about something else when my wind file W H E N. You, having my southern accents, sounds not sure which way to say it but it's my wind file when the time comes right.

Jackie Campbell
It's just a really go to book. We never know what's going to happen, doesn't matter how old you are, how young you are sometimes life just happens, and it's just a really great way to collect all those things, and that was the very start of it. The book that I just released was be prepared, creating peace of mind for you and your loved ones, and it sort of ties it all together ideation behind it, my why, my personal why, and also just some highlights of you know what to have in your black book or your lock box, whatever you call it, just just to make it a little bit easier for those that you love and care about the most.

David Spray
Sure, and I guess the one of the great things about your practice and your comprehensive, you know, 360 degree view of your clients lives is if the only planning they do is just tell their loved ones to call Jackie, that probably get some, you know, a lot further ahead than they would be if they didn't have a Jackie, right.

Jackie Campbell
That's exactly the point and so many of my clients have said that. I just told them call this person right here and she will know everything, she will know. And you know I just got another one of those calls this week from one of my clients. You know both. Both the parents happen to be sick and not doing well and the kids came in from out of state and of course they knew, called Jackie Campbell and she'll be able to help you navigate through some of these things and work along with the attorney, and you just never know when that time is going to come. And that's I take that as an honor to be able to do that.

Another long term client just passed away a few weeks ago, very, quite young, and you know the family is. You know we're actually going to be meeting in a few days here and going through some of the things that we've been doing. You know I really value the relationships that I'm able to build with my clients and I think they're often at a much deeper level because of the trust and because of going the extra step to be on the money not just how much money do you have, how to invest it, where to put it, do you have life insurance, do you have your state documents or are you in compliance with the IRS? It's just really about thinking at a much more personal level with them and kind of always looking and planning ahead, because not everyone has that skill and ability.

David Spray
Well, it's a good thing that that you're a big fan of strategic coach and Dan Sullivan's approach to life, because it doesn't sound like you're going to be able to retire anytime soon. It sounds like there's too many families depending on on you to just be able to just decide you're done and just disappear tomorrow. Is that a fair assumption?

Jackie Campbell
That's a fair assumption. Yes, as long as you love what you're doing, you know there's really no reason to stop. It's truly about that's one thing I learned from Dan Sullivan is, you know, having whatever you're doing, your life is short and really enjoy what you're doing and have a purpose for what you're doing. And you know, compliance wasn't my thing. I mean I could do it.

I started at a very young age and, you know, before computers even did the tax returns for you. So you really learn With the pencil and the eraser, you know, as the numbers carried page to page. But just being able to go that, that higher level, I just really am blessed that I am able to take my unique abilities and just help somebody else kind of tie those things up with a bow. I'm a big fan of enjoying life and confetti moments and you know people have this idea or ideal that they want this hallmark type life. And OK, what do we need to do to work towards that? It's probably never going to be ideal, but enjoy the confetti moments that come along the way and celebrate them, because we don't know how many of those we're going to have.

David Spray
What's the example of a confetti moment? I really like that expression like graduations, marriages, child or, you know, child being born.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, well, those are the big ones, right, and those are the obvious ones that people think about. They have dinner, they do flowers or balloons or whatever birthday cake. But it's also the smaller ones that come along the way. Maybe you're reaching a goal or a milestone or you're like, if you're a business owner, it's your largest quarter yet, or you've reached your dreams. Check, it could be a lot of different things. Maybe you finally got the right team in place that you're able to take some true free time. It could be a lot of different things that go along.

We look for confetti all the time around here. We just had to find the ones that were easier to clean up because we were having a mess. But you know, the last day of tax season, our staff is real, our team is just loves the throw in the confetti. This year we celebrated our 30th year in business and just having that celebration you know, my family was there, team was there, their family and some of our long term clients and just being able to share the appreciation and the gratitude that we have with them confetti just a lot of fun.

David Spray
That's awesome. You mentioned your personal. Why, if it's not too personal, what is your personal why?

Jackie Campbell
That is when my dad was sick. You know you spend our I had spent, you know, two thirds of my career helping others that weren't related, and they were. You know I built a relationship with them and helping them the parents, the moms, the dads, the grandparents get ready for the next generations and I had not really paid attention to my own family, the ones I love and care about the most, and I guess I had it's just you always like wish you had done things. I should have done this. I should have done that when my dad was ill, in the last 30 days of his life in the hospital. You just realizing some things that should have been done and how difficult that was.

You know my mom was the CFO of the family and she knew where everything was Any insurance, any medical record that the doctors asked for. My mom was able to go and pull it out of a file cabinet. She was really organized. My dad would not have had a clue where the passwords were, how to turn on the computer. He worked on the military base totally different career and mindset and most families have one CFO that pays the bills and does all the filing. And if you look at where we're at now. I guess 20 years ago we didn't have all the electronic files, so you were able to wait 30 days, wait 60 days and you're gonna get a letter from whatever account or safe deposit and you're gonna get an invoice or something in the mail. That doesn't happen anymore and we have so many things in the cloud on computers, on tablets, and if you don't have certain keys or pens or passwords, you can't even obtain obtain any of those records or documentation.

So that was just a real big eye-opener that, wow, my dad probably isn't the only person that would have been in a jam and I would have had to really help comb through every piece of paper because I didn't know what my mom's filing system was. And you have this concept and this idea that your parents are gonna live forever and while he did pass away at a young age, the time goes by so quickly. So that was my personal experience. And I do remember when we were in the hospital and the nurse came in and said this room is in dire straits today. So whatever they need, they get.

And I just thought, dire straits. You're right, that is so true. You get to that dire straight point. And one more thing would just be unbearable to have to go find accounts and where's the money and is there life insurance? And many people, especially the older generations, they keep money and finances really close to the vest. So it's just a way of having let's talk, let's have that conversation, and I'm just so blessed that the feedback that I've gotten from my family, my clients and those around me saying wow, I'm glad somebody's really brought this to my attention that you might need to leave a little bit of a cookie crumb trail for someone else behind you.

David Spray
Okay, so thank you for sharing that and, if I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that before your dad's illness you'd been helping clients at a certain level. But then it really you experienced at first hand how difficult it can be to try to while you're dealing with end of life health issues but also dealing with layering onto that getting passwords and other stuff in order and you're saying that experience personally gave you kind of a newfound insight and passion to make sure that your clients were not in that situation. Does that about summarize it?

Jackie Campbell
That completely summarizes it, yeah.

David Spray
Well, that's, and how long ago was that?

Jackie Campbell
That was about 10 years ago. That happened and I knew I wanted to write a book but it took me a while to get to it. And I did get 80% of the book done. But it was the personal why that I couldn't get past making that and I thought about that for a while, off and on, and I thought, oh, I've got to get that done. It was on my list of goals every year finished my book and it's just a short read. It's not a very thick book. I'm not a big. I normally will skip chapters if it's a big book anyway, get the most important parts out of it.

But the main thing is to inspire people with this book and the final way I was able to get that executed was I realized that it wasn't about me, it wasn't about my dad, it wasn't about what I did or didn't do.

It was truly about helping others be the hero of their family, Because we really I would say the majority of the population wants to honor your parents, what they want to happen, and this is a way for them to keep their dignity you to keep your dignity in some tough decisions that you might have to make. But it's just a way to let your parents or your loved ones be the hero of their story and have that big handoff, that baton. That's just gonna be such a gift and blessing, and I don't know that somebody who receives it might realize how difficult it might have been otherwise. But you're working with clients since then and some that have children that live out of state or completely away and they just they don't even know where, how to open the garage, what the garage code is, or they're just not basically here. They don't know these things, and I have just seen so many examples of how this would have been just such a true blessing and a gift to who's next.

David Spray
And it's interesting, as you talk about the hero part, that's another reminds me of something that Dan Sullivan always says who do you want to be a hero to? Was that inspired by that question by Dan, or was it unrelated?

Jackie Campbell
It's definitely. I mean, I've been a strategic coach for about 10 years so it's definitely had a significant influence in my thinking because, as he says, we're in the thinking business, so it's definitely part of it and it's just. I personally wish my dad was able to be the hero and have all those things done. My mom certainly still is the hero and she just has given me invaluable feedback on putting this together and some of the things that she's done for years. It's in several of my clients. I've been able to collaborate with them some long-term clients, our client advisory board and get some really great feedback from them and how they've kind of kept track of things and put it all together to really just kind of make it something.

That's one go-to place and we do have a digital version of it now as well the my Winfile. The book goes along with it, and we also have a for those that just like cheats. Cheats and checklists. We have a guarding your legacy checklist. So that's what we call the Hero Pack. It's just a system, a go-to system to really kind of pull things together for your loved ones.

David Spray
That's awesome, by the way, if it makes you feel any better. I also teamed up with Stuart and his team from 90-Minute Books for my book, and it also took me many years to do a 90-Minute Book. The good news is, when I do my second one, it'll be not much more than 90 minutes, because now that I really understand that it's all about progress, not perfection it's, and, like you said, you're authoring the book as a resource to people, and every day that perfectionism slows down, good enough, there's people that could be benefiting from a good enough version. So, anyway, I just wanna let you know you're in good company. It also took me many years to get my 90-Minute Book done.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, he did say I'm not alone.

David Spray
Yeah no, I think so. I think I know the answer to this question, but I'd like to ask you anyway. So what do you get the most satisfaction from in your role, in your firm, in the way you've structured your role, what gives you the most satisfaction?

Jackie Campbell
That's a really great question.

I think I'm really energized by being able to see things come together, not just having the conversation, not just talking, to hear myself talk, but to have someone that really values my input and my recommendations and will walk alongside me to actually get those executed.

I think that is really the trust that I try to build and really value most.

And I'm working now with a client that they've been clients for a long time and just really high ranking in the military, so super organized, very strategic, very tactical, and they're thinking and their operations and I've worked with them for a long period of time, so I've worked with them, now their children and now the next, the third generation, with the grandchildren.

And to be able to help someone set up their very first Roth IRA at 19 years old, it just melts my heart and it's like, oh, this is just such a great generational trend to build and you see all the bad things that happen, but just to see that positive thinking and growth that happens with those next generations. I just really enjoy that and worked with quite a few war veterans and from the Normandy days that still were there on the beaches of Normandy and to hear some of those heartbreaking stories and all the different things and life events that have gone on for over a hundred years and some of those really confetti moments and really difficult times and now working with the grandchildren of those families, I mean that's what I value the most.

David Spray
Sure, yeah, it's what is the saying too. The biggest blessing is to be a blessing for others. Right For sure, and that comes through. Do you have an ideal client? Do they? Are they typically located geographically near you? Just because of the closeness Do you like to have with your clients, do they typically tend to be geographically close?

Jackie Campbell
I would say most are in the, I would say, southeast region, but I do have clients all over the United States. I have some that live half a year over in Europe as well. So with technology there's no border anymore. With Zoom you're able to get on and I have a whiteboard, and with our Zoom meetings and we're able to actually share that. I really enjoy using whiteboards when I'm working with clients because I can kind of organize their thoughts a little bit and make sure that I'm understanding what they're looking to do. But it doesn't really matter. We work with clients all over the state of Florida. You know many really like to have that in-person meeting and sit across the table from you, especially as they get a little bit older. Yeah, but we do both for sure.

David Spray
Okay, yeah, that's good to know, because I have clients all over the country and from time to time they're looking for a CPA introduction. So that's good to know that there's no geographic constraints. But so, since there's no geographic constraints, though, what else are you looking for in a client? I assume you don't need any more high maintenance clients who don't do what you tell them, who are uncooperative and don't trust you. I guess you have enough of those clients already. Is that a safe assumption?

Jackie Campbell
Yes, that is correct. One of those is too many.

David Spray
One of those is too many right.

Jackie Campbell
That's right. Yeah, that's an entirely different business model. It's funny, you know, like you, when you first start your business, it's what they call threshold clients. Right, it's like anyone who comes across the threshold. Yes, I can help them, and you do, and you're so grateful for that trust and confidence that they have in you to start with them.

But I really am passionate about those that are in the retirement red zone, that are looking for those real important upcoming milestones. One of my unique processes is taking someone through a timeline and you know it's a very visual timeline when are you at, Where's your spouse at, what are the next milestones coming up and what do we need to plan for in advance From a tax efficiency standpoint, from an income planning standpoint, from insurance, health and long-term care, legacy planning I mean all of those things kind of come together and then, of course, your investments what is the most appropriate amount of risk that you're trying to take or need to take? So it's just about pulling all those things together. So I would definitely say the retirement red zone and beyond, enjoying retirement.

I'm really passionate about law enforcement and first responders. You know, growing up in a first responder family, my husband was in law enforcement. We were high school sweetheart setting. He's been in law enforcement as soon as he was able to carry a gun, so he wasn't able to buy bullets yet, but he was able to carry a gun and work in the jail. So he worked with the state of Florida. He was a state trooper and a deputy sheriff and you know, having that entire career, you see things from a different perspective.

So I'm really passionate about helping the first responder community my brother's in law enforcement, his entire career, my sister-in-law, my husband's dad, I've got a cousin. We're just, you know, a kind of you have one side of the family is on one side of the law. One side could be on the other side of the law, but you know, that's another real area of passion for us and an ideal client. And because they're paid so little for the sacrifice, you know, and there are decisions on their timeline, which is a totally different timeline than the normal average worker or business owner. So we also my husband has, we have a podcast that we do beyond the badge.

David Spray
Oh yeah.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah.

David Spray
So that's, great.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah. So I can't believe that I got him to be so vulnerable to actually do that. But yeah, I've had him on TV and a podcast so but he's actually really good at it. So, and only somebody who's lived that life can really, you know, talk and really you know correlate to someone who is has lived in that life and as a first responder. And then the other ideal client for us as a firm is someone who is an entrepreneur, business owner, entrepreneur. That is in that red zone. You know a lot of entrepreneurs never really want to retire, but it doesn't mean they don't sell off part of their business or have a succession plan so they can move on to something else that they're really passionate about or a different purpose at a higher level. But it just when they start making those changes, when they get to those milestone ages around 55, that's really where you know there's going to be some real key confetti moments and milestones or mile markers however you want to look at it that that are going to require some different thinking.

David Spray
I tell you your husband just sounds like like my kind of guy. But the thing that I'm most impressed with I'm always impressed with guys who marry their high school sweetheart, because that tells me there's a guy who says, you know what, if I, you know, screw this up and she ends up dating other guys in college, I may never get her back. You know I better go ahead and you know, you know, get this deal closed before she has a chance to realize that you know there's other guys out there. So I'm always impressed with guys who marry their high school sweetheart. I say that's very you know, that's very wise, beyond your years, when you recognize in high school your life partner is.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, he was way wiser than I was. You know I'll give him credit for that one.

David Spray
Well, good. So, speaking of younger years, what do you wish you knew when you were 25?

Jackie Campbell
Oh gosh, I love that question. I think I like it better when I ask it, though.

David Spray
I'm sure I do too.

Jackie Campbell
You're wiser than you think you are and don't care about what everybody else thinks, and stop making up those stories about what you think that they're thinking. I think we overanalyze, we worry about others too much than to actually live our own dreams, and there are truly people that are never going to be happy for you, for your success and your achievements. But you know you can love them anyway, or you just don't tell them everything, but just don't lower your expectations for what you think you're capable of and what you want to achieve in life.

David Spray
Yeah, I think that's great. I heard I was listening to a podcast and I remember the person said you know, they said we worry too much about what other people think. And they say, really it's a form of arrogance, because other people don't think about you. Everybody's so focused on themselves that, believe it or not, they really don't notice that you, that your shirt was wrinkled or you had some small stain on your shirt sleeve, like people are so self-absorbed they really don't care about what you're doing. So embrace that concept and realize that nobody really cares. Nobody's staying awake at night worrying about you. Know whether you're writing a book or not writing a book, or whether there was a typo in your book or so, yeah, I really, I think that's great. Trust your gut and don't worry about others.

Jackie Campbell
It's an insecurity for sure. I would say that there's definitely a lot of hard one wisdom. I think the one that stands out to me, you know, as I've gotten older, is your health is truly the number one, most important part of your retirement plan, and I don't think it's ever worded that way when you're younger just truly investing in your health, your skin, you know your core part of your body, you know it's not just the muscles, it's all of it, it's truly all of it. And I think if we're taught that that is the very first step in your retirement plan before saving money, that you know we could see things and enjoy retirement a little bit longer.

David Spray
That's really great. What's the saying? That a healthy man has a thousand dreams and the unhealthy one has a one dream.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, to be healthy. Yeah.

David Spray
So well, that is really great If people want to reach out to you. What's the best way for somebody to reach out? I know you're on LinkedIn. Do you accept LinkedIn? You know connections.

Jackie Campbell
Yes, linkedin would be a great way to reach out to me. It's under Jackie or Jacqueline, j-a-c-q-e-l-y-n, and online you can reach out to me as well, mycamblincocom, or I can give a phone number if you'd like to give out Sure.

David Spray
Yeah, go ahead 7365. So last question is there anything I didn't ask you that you wish I had?

Jackie Campbell
I would say you pretty much covered it all. And one other thought of kind of where I'm going next and this really came out quite a bit the past few years during COVID was as a business owner or a CEO of a company. You know, typically, the larger the business, you're going to have some sort of succession plan already written and in place. But for most business owners they don't have a succession plan or a when file for themselves not just personally, but for the company and one thing that I am working on is a 100 day succession plan.

David Spray
Oh, wow, okay.

Jackie Campbell
And that's where you know somebody like me. I have other partners but, you know, really spelling out some of those key things that they don't know. They know a lot they're still going to have to. You know, hunt and peck for a few things that you know still are just my personal logins, my personal, where do I keep the keys, so to speak, and you know who is the. You know, like you said earlier, go see Jackie Campbell. She's going to be the one who has all the information, all the important details of what to do next. You know who is that next important person, what is the order of what should happen if something happened and I became unable to fill my role and or passed away? So I really think you know, business owners have a big responsibility to their family at a much higher level, and that's just a great way to kind of pull all those things together.

David Spray
That's great and that, and correct me if I'm wrong, but that's that vaguely sounds familiar that I heard Dan Sullivan talk about that same concept. Does this sound like another Dan Sullivan inspired one, or am I reading too much into it?

Jackie Campbell
You might be reading too much into it. I don't know. I don't remember him saying anything about that, but I know he's always about building out 90 day plans.

David Spray
Sure.

Jackie Campbell
We do a couple of things by a hundred days here at Campbell and company, so I don't know if that's something we picked out along the way or we just didn't like to do the quarterly plan.

David Spray
I'd say it's because you're an overachiever. If a 90 day plan is good, then a hundred day plan must be even better, right, jackie?

Jackie Campbell
It must be, and it gives you a little bit extra time to measure the results and benchmark.

David Spray
So well, that is awesome. Well, I really appreciate you taking time out of your day and I really love your story and I know many of our listeners will find it interesting too. And again, thank you. Thank you for your time and I hope the weather in Southern Florida clears up the rest of the day for you.

Jackie Campbell
Well, thank you, I think the thunderstorms are gone and probably bright skies coming. The great thing about the weather here in Florida, and I guess in Texas as well, is it'll change pretty often.

David Spray
That is for sure. Well, hey, well, thanks again, jackie, and have a great day.

Jackie Campbell
Thank you, david, appreciate it.

David Spray
Hi, this is David Spray, and welcome to another episode of the ICDisc Show. My guest today is Jackie Campbell from the Greater Tampa Bay Area. Jackie is a really interesting CPA who has a practice that also includes comprehensive financial planning and she has a 360 degree view of her client's financial situation. She has a really unique perspective and she's a podcast host with over 250 episodes on this subject. She has a radio show, she's frequently a guest on radio and TV and she's also authored a book. So there's just a lot of great nuggets on the importance of planning and making sure that, when your time is up, that your heirs will have a seamless transition financially and emotionally. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. Good morning, jackie. How are you today, hi?

Jackie Campbell
good morning. I'm doing very well. If I can get past the summer storms here in Florida, I think we'll be doing good.

David Spray
Yeah, I'm nearly a native of Houston, Texas, so I understand the Gulf Coast summer storms thing. What part of Florida are you calling in from?

Jackie Campbell
I'm right, just north above the Tampa Bay area, right there in the center part of the state on the west coast.

David Spray
Oh, okay, and are you a native of that part of the state?

Jackie Campbell
I am a native of Florida, but I'm originally from the Panhandle, the Florida Panhandle, where the world's most beautiful beaches are up near Fort Walton Beach.

David Spray
Nice, nice. And what brought you to the current part of Florida.

Jackie Campbell
Wow, my husband. We were married and he was in law enforcement, so he worked with the state of Florida. So he was transferred here for his very first station right outside of Tampa, and we've been here ever since, 37 years now.

David Spray
And I guess you were early enough in your career. It was easy to get started there, as anywhere.

Jackie Campbell
Oh yeah, I finished up here at University of South Florida right in Tampa and you know you start working the next thing. You know I had my own firm, one of the youngest females in the state of Florida having my own firm and you have kids and they start school and the rest is history.

David Spray
Oh, that is awesome. So how long before you struck out on your own?

Jackie Campbell
Well, I started with the CPA firm before I even knew what a CPA was, and that was right out of high school. I kind of found that as a summer job when.

I was in college, yeah, and it just sort of kind of all came together. So I had quite a bit of experience in different bookkeeping and public accounting before I even had my college degree. So it was a few years, tried a few different things public and private and decided that public accounting was going to be more my line and kind of was a little bit ahead of schedule of having my own firm. You know have a lot of ideas and you know want to kind of do it your way.

David Spray
I guess, as they say, was there any specific event that prompted you to make the move?

Jackie Campbell
Well, having two small children, I had this great idea. You know, sometimes we think we're smarter than we might be. I had two toddlers and I thought well, I'll get to spend more time with my kids if I have my own business. And you know, that lasted for about six months and you know, three employees. We finally had to get an office location and just kept growing and just kept going from there.

David Spray
Well, and I also would imagine, because my sense is that we started our career probably similar times. In fact, when we started our career, the firms weren't as kind of family friendly as they are now, were they?

Jackie Campbell
That's right. I mean they will train you very well, especially the larger firms, the regional firms. But they do expect you know a lot from you.

David Spray
Sure. Okay, so you started your firm, and so why don't we just kind of talk a bit about the firm? What would you say, or what would your clients say, make your firm different than just the average CPA firm?

Jackie Campbell
Well, I think just experience has a lot to do with it, right, I think that is one one thing that makes us different. One thing that I hear a lot from clients is just the trust that they have for us. And you know you would think that trust is really easy to earn or to build in relationships, but you know that's not necessarily the case, and we've been in business now for a little over 30 years, so that's a long time of working with not only one generation, but often we go into the second and third generation, whether it's a small business owner, an entrepreneur, or whether it's just an individual who's already been retired and enjoying retirement. So I would say that pretty much makes us unique. We are a planning firm. That, I think, is another thing that we do a little bit differently and we don't just look at history Most CPAs are historians looking at, you know, everything that happened.

I think we have, and as part of my unique ability, is to be able to look at what's going on now, what the pattern was in the past and what that pattern is most likely going to be, as we move forward and plan forward and, you know, being strategic, being tactical, trying to help clients along the way as those major milestones and events come along, the planned ones and the unplanned. So I think that you know and that looking at the 360 degree lens is really important. We became duly licensed as financial advisors when we were allowed, so back in the late 90s was the first time a CPA actually could have more than one license because of the high fiduciary responsibility and CPA is always, as you know, been regarded as a really trusted advisor. So just looking at that full package and working with attorneys, collaborating with them, just to make sure that we get that full service and what the advisors are intending to happen, or the strategy, what that's going to be, actually does take place.

David Spray
Yeah, I think that's great. I've always thought that really, since those opportunities presented themselves, that it was a great opportunity for CPA firms because you know they're already, you know the trusted advisor, you're already communicating with your clients, at least annually, just because of you know the tax return compliance, and it just seems so, so natural. But for whatever reason, it just seems like a lot of CPA firms have, you know, maybe dipped their toe in it but really weren't able to integrate those two practices very well. So, yeah, I can imagine why, from your client's perspective, it's great to have kind of this one stop shop. I mean, obviously the legal is still. You know you're partnering with somebody else for that, but at least two of the three legs of that stool you know, the CPA, the planning and financial advisory and the legal you're covering and under one roof, that sounds great.

And then like how do you guys end up typically being like the quarterback, would you say, because you know, like when you look at like estate planning, obviously you're bringing in the attorneys for that, but it seems like so many plans are created but not implemented. Do you all have, you know, some role in that, or is that pretty much left to the client and the attorney to to implement those plans?

Jackie Campbell
Well, I would say it depends on the individual. Some people are really entrepreneurial. They're always looking and learning and paying attention to what options or opportunities may be out there for them. So they will sometimes come with ideas. Sometimes it's just a matter of having conversations. You know, we all kind of have a plan. It's just very well laid out or it isn't Sure. But yeah, we do take that quarterback role.

Quite often I had so many conversations through the years where someone would meet an attorney, they would have illegal documents, they would have a trust and then nothing would be titled in the trust. And then you have the financial advisor or the insurance advisor and they're having a certain plan or their certain tax ramifications of their transactions that they, you know, legally can't talk about and say, oh, I can't talk, I can't discuss taxation, You'll have to talk to your accountant about that, or tax preparer. And then as the CPA, we would end up, you know, kind of cleaning everything up, saying, wait, you have a trust, why isn't? Why aren't things? All your financial accounts titled that way?

So it's just about you know, pulling that plan together and making sure that is this the true plan and direction that you're going, and pulling that road map together. You know, I heard something the other day the one thing that doesn't know it's in the water is the fish. And it's the same story. It's hard for us to see even professional advisors. You can give really great advice and see a lot of pitfalls and potential challenges and the opportunities for someone else, but when it comes to yourself, you're just too close to the scenario.

David Spray
Yeah, the classic cobbler in the shoes situation. Right, and then can you all. Are you also set up to actually, you know, in addition to the planning, actually you'll do the implementation as far as you know acquiring, you know, insurance products, you know for funding vehicles, and that as well.

Jackie Campbell
We do. Yeah, we're considered a full wealth management firm, so you know pretty much anything dealing with money. We're able to do it, or collaborate with someone and find a solution for it, or someone who actually specializes in that that either tax law or that strategy but we try to look at it as products at all. We don't address it that way. We look at it as what are we trying to get to and to achieve, and what is the best, most economical way to get there?

David Spray
No, that that makes a lot of sense and it's great that you have all those capabilities under one umbrella, because I have seen firms that have a heavy planning focus but you know, are so focused on the independence that you know that they won't actually implement the products you know. So then you have to rely on, you know, a kind of a traditional commission, you know driven, you know insurance person, let's say, to do the implementation. And then that can be kind of tricky because you know you don't necessarily want to turn your client over to somebody who might have a, you know, a different, a more aggressive style than you do. So yeah, I think that's great that you just have the ability to really do it all and I think it speaks to that that. What do you call your approach? The 360?

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, the 360 degree complete planning.

David Spray
Okay, yeah, no, I can. It seems like a great, a great description for what you do, so talk to. So what I'd like to do now is shift gears. I'm really curious about all you do in the media world.

Jackie Campbell
You have a podcast, you have a radio show, you've authored a book which came first the radio show, the podcast, the book the radio show actually came first, been doing that for about nine or 10 years now I think it's a little over nine been doing radio in the Tampa Bay area. You know I grew up as someone who was really shy. You know my mom would always say, oh, just have to pull her from behind my skirt because I was always looking for a place to hide. And it's funny how the thing that you're afraid of most when you're younger is how you grow and develop and that's your spot, that you're supposed to be. And you know I think you're never really there. You're always trying to raise the bar a little bit.

But I love radio. I had someone that I worked with and they coached me along and really I think helped me find a voice for radio because I come, turns out, I had a lot of things to say. So you know, working with so many individuals and families and my own family and the hard one wisdom that we have it just makes it so natural and easy. And I think being able to actually pull multiple professions together and pull that full 360 together for someone is just to me that's so rewarding because not everybody can see multi-dimensional Aspects. So radio was first. We called our radio show beyond the money.

Okay that's because it's really beyond the money. It's about what are you trying to get the freedom to do with your life or your business? What are you trying to grow into? Multiply and freedom of relationships, freedom of purpose those are things that we hear from Dan Sullivan, the founder and strategic coach. And and when you just really focus on you, what are you trying to get the freedom to do, not just the freedom from doing? I think it's a totally different mindset.

David Spray
Sure, and is your radio show like the weekly show?

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, we have. We do air the same show on Saturday and on Sunday as well, and then we have Podcasts that came as a result a few years later, and that's the beyond the money podcast.

David Spray
Okay, so as far as the radio show. So what station is it on and what time is it come? On? Saturday and Sunday.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, it's W X, j B, it's a local station and ninety nine point nine here in the Tampa Bay area. But you can't. I mean these days you can access everything all over the year.

David Spray
And then do you have calls Callers that call in with questions. Is that kind of the format?

Jackie Campbell
We do not take live calls because you know highly count compliance regulated industry. Oh sure, yeah, we don't do that, but sometimes they will call the radio station and they will leave a question for me to talk about. And I Do a live conversation on Wednesday mornings with the morning DJ just to talk about what's going on in our area and there's any changes and law changes and sort of just kind of finger on the pulse.

David Spray
Wow, well, that's so, that's great. So that that ended up leading to the podcast, and so how do you view the podcast differently than the radio show? What are the kind of pros and cons of the podcast versus the the radio show? Or is the podcast just a rebroadcast of the radio show?

Jackie Campbell
It's kind of a combination. We have a little over 250 episodes on our podcast and it's a little bit of combination. Sometimes I have what we call on tour interviews. I've had the pleasure to interview Reba McIntyre, yeah, in Nevada and we talked about mama and the rope and pin and she's he's great. She's just who you see on TV. Who you see on stage is exactly who she is in person. Martina McBride you know quite a few others get the pleasure to go to Nashville here in a few weeks and Interview a few as well. So we do take some celebrity interviews and those are just more on a personal level. And then it could be some professionals that we work with, we collaborate with here in our area and we have them on as guests as well. We have a licensed mental health counselor, because you know Emotions and is certainly all about your financial picture for individuals and business owners, and you know we have a quite a few other professionals that we'll have on from time to time.

David Spray
Okay, that really sounds great. And then it sounds like the last piece of the media Stool was the bunk. Is that right?

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, this is something that I've been Thinking about for a while. You know it's. There's a concept called the 90 minute book and I said it took me nine years to actually it's 100%. But you know, sometimes things just happen when they're meant to be and this is just something. It's some of that really hard one wisdom that I was talking about.

You know, you don't really know how challenging it is to go through cleaning up Financial records from someone until you experience it up close and personal. And I've seen many families Do things right and I've seen the outcome of that and I've seen them Just have a total mess. Nobody knows where the keys are, literally and for figuratively, you know, for their financial life, and it's just such a stressful time, both you know, emotionally, physically and mentally. And then to try to figure out, put the puzzle together, I came up with a book.

I have a what we call a hero package and my wind file came first. That came about eight years ago and that's a document storage system for how to gather all of your important documents and your passwords and you know who are your professional advisors and really what are the succession plan Steps that would need to take place. So sort of giving, like an owner's manual. You know how to run my life Without me if I'm not able to or not here. So just a real gift for your loved ones and your nexa can and your family members.

David Spray
So I'm curious about that. Talk to me a little bit more. So you talk about the hero file and then you talked about something else when the my, when file.

Jackie Campbell
WHEN You're having my southern accent sounds not sure which way to say it, but it's my wind file. It's when the time comes right. It's just a really go-to book. You know, we never know what's gonna happen, doesn't matter how old you are or how young you are. Sometimes life just happens, and it's just a really great way to collect all those things, and that was the very start of it. The book that I just released was be prepared, creating peace of mind for you and your loved ones, and it sort of ties it all together ideation behind it, my why, my personal why, and also just some Highlights of you know what to have in your black book or your lockbox, whatever you call it, just just to make it a little bit easier for those that you love and care about the most.

David Spray
Sure, and I guess the one of the great things about your practice and your comprehensive, you know, 360 degree view of your clients lives Is if the only planning they do is just tell their loved ones to call Jackie, that probably get some, you know, a lot further ahead than they would be if they didn't have a Jackie, right.

Jackie Campbell
That's exactly the point and so many of my clients have said that. I just told them call this person right here and she will know everything, she will know. And you know, I just got another one of those calls this week from One of my clients. You know both. Both the parents Happen to be sick and not doing well and the kids came in from out of state and of course they knew Call Jackie Campbell and she'll be able to help you navigate through some of these things and work along with the attorney. And you just never know when that time is going to come. And that's I take that as an honor to be able to do that.

Another long-term client just passed away a few weeks ago, very, quite young, and you know the family is. You know we're actually going to be meeting in a few days here and going through some things. But you know I really value the relationships that I'm able to build with my clients and I think they're often at a much deeper level Because of the trust and because of going the extra step to. You know, beyond the money, not just how much money do you have, how to invest it, where to put it, do you have life insurance? Do you have your estate documents on order? Are you in compliance with the IRS? It's just really about thinking at a much more personal level with them and kind of always looking and planning ahead, because not everyone has that skill and ability.

David Spray
Well, it's a good thing that that you're a big fan of strategic coach and Dan Sullivan's Approach to life, because it doesn't sound like you're going to be able to retire anytime soon. It sounds like there's too many families depending on on you to just be able to just Decide you're done and just just appear tomorrow. Is that a fair assumption?

Jackie Campbell
That's a fair assumption. Yes, as long as you love what you're doing, you know there's really no reason to stop. It's truly about I. That's one thing I learned from Dan Sullivan is, you know, having whatever you're doing, your life is short and really enjoy what you're doing and have a purpose for what you're doing. And you know, compliance wasn't my thing. I mean I could do it.

I started at a very young age and, you know, before Computers even did the tax returns for you. So you really learn the way with the pencil and the eraser, you know, as the numbers carried page to page. But Just being able to go that, that higher level, I just really Am blessed that I am able to take my unique abilities and just help somebody else kind of To tie those things up with a bow. I'm a big fan of enjoying life and confetti moments and you know people have this idea or ideal that they want this hallmark type life. And Okay, what do we need to do to work towards that? It's probably never going to be ideal, but enjoy the confetti moments that come along the way and celebrate them, because we don't know how many of those we're gonna have.

David Spray
There, and what's the example of a confetti moment. I really like that expression. Like graduations, marriages, child or, you know, child being born.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, well, those are the big ones, right, and those are the obvious ones that people Think about. They have dinner, they do flowers or balloons or whatever birthday cake. But it's also the smaller ones that come along the way. Maybe you're reaching a goal or a milestone or you're like, if you're a business owner, it's your largest quarter yet, or you've reached and achieved your dream. Check, it could be a lot of different things. Maybe you finally got the right team in place that you're able to take some true free time. It could be a lot of different things that go along.

We look for confetti all the time around here. We just had to find the ones that were easier to clean up because, no, we were having a mess. But you know, the last day of tax season, our staff is real, our team is just Loves the throw in the confetti. This year we celebrated our 30th year in business and just having that celebration you know, my family was there, team was there, their family and some of our long-term clients and just being able to share the appreciation and the gratitude that we have with them lots of confetti. It's just a lot of fun.

David Spray
Now, that's awesome, you'd mentioned your personal. Why, if it's not too personal, what is your personal why?

Jackie Campbell
That is when my dad was sick. You know you spend our. I had spent, you know, two-thirds of my career helping others that weren't related and they were. You know I built a relationship with them and helping them the parents, the moms, the dads, the grandparents get ready for the next generations and I had not really paid attention to my own family. You know the ones I love and care about the most and I guess I had it's just you always like wish you had done things. Oh, I should have done this, I should have done that.

But when my dad was ill, in the last 30 days of his life in the hospital, you know just realizing some things that should have been done and how difficult that was. You know my mom was the CFO of the family and she knew where everything was Any insurance, any medical record that the doctors asked for. My mom was able to go and pull it out of a file cabinet. She was really organized. My dad would not have had a clue where the passwords were, how to turn on the computer. He worked on the military base totally different career and mindset and most families have one CFO that pays the bills and does all the filing. And if you look at where we're at now, I guess 20 years ago we didn't have all the electronic files, so you were able to wait 30 days, wait 60 days and you're gonna get a letter from whatever account or safe deposit and you're gonna get an invoice or something in the mail. That doesn't happen anymore and we have so many things in the cloud on computers, on tablets, and if you don't have certain keys or pens or passwords, you can't even obtain obtain any of those records or documentation. So that was just a real big eye-opener that, wow. My dad probably isn't the only person that would have been in a jam and I would have had to really help comb through every piece of paper because I didn't know what my mom's filing system was.

And you have this concept and this idea that your parents are gonna live forever and while he did pass away at a young age, the time goes by so quickly. So that was my personal experience. And I do remember when we were in the hospital and the nurse came in and said this room is in dire straits today. So whatever they need, they get. And I just thought dire straits. You're right, that is so true. You get to that dire straight point. And one more thing would just be unbearable to have to go find accounts and where's the money and is there life insurance? And many people, especially the older generations, they keep money and finances really close to the vest. So it's just a way of having let's talk, let's have that conversation and I'm just so blessed that the feedback that I've gotten from my family, my clients and those around me saying wow, I'm glad somebody's really brought this to my attention that you might need to leave a little bit of a cookie crumb trail for someone else behind you.

David Spray
Okay, so thank you for sharing that and, if I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that before your dad's illness you'd been helping clients at a certain level. But then it really you experienced at first hand how difficult it can be to try to while you're dealing with end of life health issues but also dealing with layering onto that getting passwords and other stuff in order and you're saying that experience personally gave you kind of a newfound insight and passion to make sure that your clients were not in that situation. Does that about summarize it?

Jackie Campbell
That completely summarizes it, yeah.

David Spray
Well, that's, and how long ago was that?

Jackie Campbell
That was about 10 years ago. That happened and I knew I wanted to write a book but it took me a while to get to it. And I did get 80% of the book done. But it was the personal why that I couldn't get past making that and I thought about that for a while, off and on, and I thought, oh, I've got to get that done. It was on my list of goals every year finished my book and it's just a short read. It's not a very thick book. I'm not a big. I normally will skip chapters if it's a big book anyway, get the most important parts out of it.

But the main thing is to inspire people with this book and the final way I was able to get that executed was I realized that it wasn't about me, it wasn't about my dad, it wasn't about what I did or didn't do.

It was truly about helping others be the hero of their family, Because we really I would say the majority of the population wants to honor your parents, what they want to happen, and this is a way for them to keep their dignity you to keep your dignity in some tough decisions that you might have to make. But it's just a way to let your parents or your loved ones be the hero of their story and have that big handoff, that baton. That's just gonna be such a gift and blessing, and I don't know that somebody who receives it might realize how difficult it might have been otherwise. But you're working with clients since then and some that have children that live out of state or completely away and they just they don't even know where, how to open the garage, what the garage code is, or they're just not basically here. They don't know these things, and I have just seen so many examples of how this would have been just such a true blessing and a gift to who's next.

David Spray
And it's interesting, as you talk about the hero part, that's another reminds me of something that Dan Sullivan always says who do you want to be a hero to? Was that inspired by that question by Dan, or was it unrelated?

Jackie Campbell
It's definitely. I mean, I've been a strategic coach for about 10 years, so it's definitely had a significant influence in my thinking because, as he says, we're in the thinking business, so it's definitely part of it and it's just. I personally wish my dad was able to be the hero and have all those things done. My mom certainly still is the hero and she just has given me invaluable feedback on putting this together and some of the things that she's done for years. It's in several of my clients. I've been able to collaborate with them some long-term clients, our client advisory board and get some really great feedback from them and how they've kind of kept track of things and put it all together to really just kind of make it something.

That's one go-to place and we do have a digital version of it now as well the my Win File. The book goes along with it and we also have a for those that just like cheats. Cheats and checklists. We have a guarding your legacy checklist. So that's what we call the Hero Pack. It's just a system, a go-to system to really kind of pull things together for your loved ones.

David Spray
That's awesome, by the way, if it makes you feel any better. I also teamed up with Stuart and his team from 90-Minute Books for my book, and it also took me many years to do a 90-Minute Book. The good news is, when I do my second one, it'll be not much more than 90 minutes, because now that I really understand that it's all about progress, not perfection it's, and, like you said, you're authoring the book as a resource to people, and every day that perfectionism slows down, good enough, there's people that could be benefiting from a good enough version. So, anyway, I just wanna let you know you're in good company. It also took me many years to get my 90-Minute Book done.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, he did say I'm not alone.

David Spray
Yeah no, I think so. I think I know the answer to this question, but I'd like to ask you anyway. So what do you get the most satisfaction from in your role, in your firm, in the way you've structured your role, what gives you the most satisfaction?

Jackie Campbell
That's a really great question.

I think I'm really energized by being able to see things come together, not just having the conversation, not just talking, to hear myself talk, but to have someone that really values my input and my recommendations and will walk alongside me to actually get those executed.

I think that is really the trust that I try to build and really value most.

And I'm working now with a client that they've been clients for a long time and just really high ranking in the military, so super organized, very strategic, very tactical, and they're thinking and their operations and have worked with them for a long period of time.

So have worked with them, now their children and now the next, the third generation, with the grandchildren, and to be able to help someone set up their very first Roth IRA at 19 years old, it just melts my heart and it's like, oh, this is just such a great generational trend to build and you see all the bad things that happen, but just to see that positive thinking and growth that happens with those next generations. I just really enjoy that and worked with quite a few war veterans and from the Normandy days that still were there on the beaches of Normandy and to hear some of those heartbreaking stories and all the different things and life events that have gone on for over a hundred years and some of those really confetti moments and really difficult times and now working with the grandchildren of those families, I mean that's what I value the most.

David Spray
Sure, yeah, it's what is the saying too. The biggest blessing is to be a blessing for others. Right For sure, and that comes through. Do you have an ideal client? Do they? Are they typically located geographically near you? Just because of the closeness you like to have with your clients, do they typically tend to be geographically close?

Jackie Campbell
I would say most are in the, I would say, southeast region, but I do have clients all over the United States. I have some that live half a year over in Europe as well. So with technology there's no border anymore. With Zoom you're able to get on and I have a whiteboard, and with our Zoom meetings and we're able to actually share that. I really enjoy using whiteboards when I'm working with clients because I can kind of organize their thoughts a little bit and make sure that I'm understanding what they're looking to do. But it doesn't really matter. We work with clients all over the state of Florida. You know many really like to have that in-person meeting and sit across the table from you, especially as they get a little bit older. Yeah, but we do both for sure.

David Spray
Okay, yeah, that's good to know, because I have clients all over the country and from time to time they're looking for a CPA introduction. So that's good to know that there's no geographic constraints. But so, since there's no geographic constraints, though, what else are you looking for in a client? I assume you don't need any more high maintenance clients who don't do what you tell them, who are uncooperative and don't trust you. I guess you have enough of those clients already. Is that a safe assumption?

Jackie Campbell
Yes, that is correct. One of those is too many.

David Spray
One of those is too many right.

Jackie Campbell
That's right. Yeah, that's an entirely different business model. It's funny, you know, like you, when you first start your business, it's what they call threshold clients. Right, it's like anyone who comes across the threshold. Yes, I can help them, and you do, and you're so grateful for that trust and confidence that they have in you to start with them.

But I really am passionate about those that are in the retirement red zone, that are looking for those real important upcoming milestones. One of my unique processes is taking someone through a timeline and you know it's a very visual timeline when are you at, where's your spouse at, what are the next milestones coming up and what do we need to plan for in advance from a tax efficiency standpoint, from an income planning standpoint, from insurance, health and long-term care, legacy planning I mean all of those things kind of come together. And then, of course, your investments what is the most appropriate amount of risk that you're trying to take or need to take? So it's just about pulling all those things together. So I would definitely say the retirement red zone and beyond, enjoying retirement.

I'm really passionate about law enforcement and first responders. You know, growing up in a first responder family, my husband was in law enforcement. We were high school sweetheart setting. He's been in law enforcement as soon as he was able to carry a gun, so he wasn't able to buy bullets yet, but he was able to carry a gun and work in the jail. So he worked with the state of Florida. He was a state trooper and deputy sheriff and you know, having that entire career, you see things from a different perspective.

So I'm really passionate about helping the first responder community my brother's in law enforcement, his entire career. My sister-in-law, it's my husband's dad. I've got a cousin. We're just, you know, a kind of you have one side of the family is on one side of the law and one side could be on the other side of the law. But you know, that's another real area of passion for us and an ideal client. And because they're paid so little for the sacrifice, you know, and there are decisions on their timeline, which is a totally different timeline than the normal average worker or business owner. So we also my husband has, we have a podcast that we do beyond the badge.

David Spray
Oh yeah.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah.

David Spray
So that's great yeah.

Jackie Campbell
So I can't believe that I got him to be so vulnerable to actually do that. But yeah, I've had him on TV and podcasts so but he's actually really good at it. So, and only somebody who's lived that life can really, you know, talk and really you know, correlate to someone who is has lived in that life and as a first responder. And then the other ideal client for us as a firm is someone who is an entrepreneur, business owner, entrepreneur. That is in that red zone. You know a lot of entrepreneurs never really want to retire, but it doesn't mean they don't sell off part of their business or have a succession plan so they can move on to something else that they're really passionate about or a different purpose at a higher level. But it just when they start making those changes, when they get to those milestone ages around 55, that's really where you know there's going to be some real key confetti moments and milestones or mile markers however you want to look at it that that are going to require some different thinking.

David Spray
I tell you your husband just sounds like like my kind of guy. But the thing that I'm most impressed with I'm always impressed with guys who marry their high school sweetheart, because that tells me there's a guy who says, you know what, if I, you know, screw this up and she ends up dating other guys in college, I may never get her back. You know I better go ahead and you know, you know, get this deal closed before she has a chance to realize that you know there's other guys out there. So I'm always impressed with guys who marry their high school sweetheart. I say that's very you know, that's very wise, beyond your years, when you recognize in high school your life partner is.

Jackie Campbell
Yeah, he was way wiser than I was. You know I'll give him credit for that one.

David Spray
Well, good. So, speaking of younger years, what do you wish you knew when you were 25?

Jackie Campbell
I love that question. I think I like it better when I ask it, though.

David Spray
Sure, I do.

Jackie Campbell
You're wiser than you think you are and don't care about what everybody else thinks, and stop making up those stories about what you think that they're thinking. I think we overanalyze, we worry about others too much than to actually live our own dreams, and there are truly people that are never going to be happy for you, for your success and your achievements. But you know you can love them anyway, or you just don't tell them everything, but just don't lower your expectations for what you think you're capable of and what you want to achieve in life.

David Spray
Yeah, I think that's great. I heard I was listening to a podcast and I remember the person said you know, they said we worry too much about what other people think. And they say, really it's a form of arrogance, because other people don't think about you. Everybody's so focused on themselves that, believe it or not, they really don't notice that you, that your shirt was wrinkled or you had some small stain on your shirt sleeve, like people are so self-absorbed they really don't care about what you're doing. So embrace that concept and realize that nobody really cares. Nobody's staying awake at night worrying about you. Know whether you're writing a book or not writing a book, or whether there was a typo in your book or so, yeah, I really, I think that's great. Trust your gut and don't worry about others.

Jackie Campbell
It's an insecurity for sure. I would say that there's definitely a lot of hard one wisdom. I think the one that stands out to me, you know, as I've gotten older, is your health is truly the number one, most important part of your retirement plan, and I don't think it's ever worded that way when you're younger just truly investing in your health, your skin, you know your core part of your body, you know it's not just the muscles, it's all of it, it's truly all of it. And I think if we're taught that that is the very first step in your retirement plan before saving money, that you know we could see things and enjoy retirement a little bit longer.

David Spray
Oh, that's really great. What's the saying? That a healthy man has a thousand dreams and the unhealthy one has a one dream. Yeah, to be healthy. Yeah, so well, that is really great. If people want to reach out to you, what's the best way for somebody to reach out? I know you're on LinkedIn. Do you accept LinkedIn? You know connections?

Jackie Campbell
Yes, linkedin would be a great way to reach out to me. It's under Jackie or Jacqueline, j-a-c-q-e-l-y-n, and online you can reach out to me as well, mycamblincocom, or I can give a phone number if you'd like to give out.

David Spray
Sure yeah, go ahead 7365. So last question is there anything I didn't ask you that you wish I had?

Jackie Campbell
I would say you pretty much covered it all. And one other thought of kind of where I'm going next and this really came out quite a bit the past few years during COVID was as a business owner or a CEO of a company. You know, typically the larger the business, you're going to have some sort of succession plan already written and in place. But for most business owners they don't have a succession plan or a when file for themselves not just personally, but for the company and one thing that I am working on is a 100 day succession plan.

David Spray
Oh, wow, okay.

Jackie Campbell
That's where you know somebody like me. I have other partners, but you know, really spelling out some of those key things that they don't know. They know a lot they're still going to have to. You know, hunt and peck for a few things that you know still are just my personal logins, my personal, where do I keep the keys, so to speak? And you know who is the you know, like you said earlier, go see Jackie Campbell. She's going to be the one who has all the information, all the important details of what to do next. You know who is that next important person, what is the order of what should happen if something happened and I became unable to fill my role and or passed away? So I really think, you know, business owners have a big responsibility to their family at a much higher level, and that's just a great way to kind of pull all those things together.

David Spray
That's great and that, and correct me if I'm wrong, but that vaguely sounds familiar that I heard Dan Sullivan talk about that same concept. Does this sound like another Dan Sullivan inspired one, or am I reading too much into it?

Jackie Campbell
You might be reading too much into it. I don't know. I don't remember him saying anything about that, but I know he's always about building out 90 day plans.

David Spray
Sure.

Jackie Campbell
We do a couple of things by a hundred days here at Campbell and Company, so I don't know if that's something we picked out along the way or we just didn't like to do the quarterly plan.

David Spray
I'd say it's because you're an overachiever. If a 90 day plan is good, then a hundred day plan must be even better, right, jackie?

Jackie Campbell
Must be, and it gives you a little bit extra time to measure the results and benchmark.

David Spray
So well, that is awesome. Well, I really appreciate you taking time out of your day and I really love your story and I know many of our listeners will find it interesting too. And again, thank you. Thank you for your time and I hope the weather in southern Florida clears up the rest of the day for you.

Jackie Campbell
Well, thank you, I think the thunderstorms are gone and probably bright skies coming. That's the great thing about the weather here in Florida and I guess in Texas as well. As you know, it'll change pretty often.

David Spray
That is for sure. Well, hey, well, thanks again, jackie, and have a great day.

Jackie Campbell
Thank you, david, appreciate it.