Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Freeman.
Hi Kelly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi, thank you for the opportunity to have this conversation. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading each article your magazine has featured on “Hidden Gems: Local Businesses and Creatives You Should Know” and feel honored to be a part of it!
I am the Vice President and Senior Wealth Manager at BKA Wealth, just North of Austin, in Cedar Park, Texas. My other, most important role in life, is that as a mom. I should say I’m referred to as Mom/Dad because I am a single parent and have raised my, now almost 18 year old, daughter doing my best to fill both roles. Sometimes it worked great and other times I fell flat on my face (and possibly cried into my pillow a time or ten).
The challenging times in life have led me right where I’m at today. And I wouldn’t have it any other way! I believe my life experiences have given me unique insight in order to better help others. I know that financial health relates directly back to parental health and happiness. In fact, in my work as a financial advisor, I’ve seen how having a solid financial plan improves marriages, physical health, family happiness, and performance in one’s career. So in order to give your readers’ an introduction to me, I have to say my role as a parent, financial advisor, and friend all rolled together make me who I am.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’d love to meet someone who says they have had 100% smooth sailing in their life and get their secrets. Actually, no thank you, that sounds boring!
I certainly have had my share of what I call “left turns”. My challenges have stemmed from thinking I can’t raise my daughter alone, that I’m not good enough, or all her future heartaches will be my fault because I didn’t give her the two-parent-white-picket-fence-house she deserves. There were years of her life that I worked 2-3 jobs and was so stressed I couldn’t see the forest through the trees! It took me creating my own financial plan and path towards financial freedom to take that 110 lb. weight off my shoulders. I eventually left my 15 year career as an elementary teacher in order to become a financial advisor so that I could help others create a better, more secure life. I feel as though I’m living proof that you can do anything if you work hard enough, get up when you fall down, and share what you’ve learned.
Now that my daughter is leaving for college, I see that she has all the tools needed and is entirely capable of creating an amazing life for herself. I don’t know that she would be the strong, resilient, independent young adult that she is without watching me fall and get back up in my life.
That’s what life is all about, right? Learning, improving, and then sharing your knowledge so that someone else doesn’t have to make your same mistakes.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about BKA Wealth?
At BKA Wealth, we have developed and refined a process to strengthen and streamline financial planning for business owners, executives, and select individuals. We serve as the financial quarterback, so to speak, for our client’s complete financial picture to include estate attorneys, CPAs, mortgage lenders; we even have a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst on staff.
We operate differently than most financial firms in that we work as a team. Our clients get the benefit of multiple experts. The CEO and CFO of BKA, Eric Boyce, takes the investing lead with clients on allocating funds, risk reduction, and rebalancing of portfolios. Jeff Kikel, BKA’s President, is our expert for client’s who own a business or have received stock options from their companies and need tax mitigation strategies and structures put in place. I bring to the table risk management, financial planning, and a willingness to give transparent truth in order to help clients make the most of their hard-earned money.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
My best advice and something I remind myself of often is Jim Rohn’s famous quote “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. If you are not happy with where you are at in life, I’d advise you to take inventory of your surroundings. Who or what are you listening to? What are you filling your mind with? TV? News? Are you allowing other people’s opinions to influence you? If you want to be better and do better, you need to surround yourself with better.
I believe in this so wholeheartedly that I created a women’s professional business networking group and named it “Networking BossBabes”, when my daughter and I moved to Texas over three years ago. I knew that in order to be successful in life, I needed to surround myself with positive, hardworking, like-minded women who desire to help each other succeed. We all deserve to have BossBabes in our life 🙂
A few quotes I live by:
-“Be comfortable being uncomfortable, that’s when we achieve the most personal growth.”
-Life is too short to make all of your own mistakes, make new ones, and then teach others how to not make them!
-“It’s said that a wise person learns from his mistakes. A wiser one learns from others’ mistakes. But the wisest person of all learns from other’s successes.” – John C. Maxwell
Contact Info:
- Email: kelly@bkawealth.com
- Website: https://www.bkawealth.com/home
- Facebook: @kfreemanplanning
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNU_PW4Croo&list=PLnv6g1zB3iiHC0tOeKyM8L2LkHTjDJDIb
