Who is Erik Kroll?
January 20th, 2020 | 4 min read |
Hi, I’m Erik Kroll. 🙋♂️
Among many things, I am a husband, father and financial planner. I’m also an avid environmentalist and Christ Follower. I care deeply about the people I serve and my passion for helping others has fueled the growth of my financial planning business.
I learned early on in my career that when trust is built and true financial guidance is given, it can have a large and positive impact on peoples’ lives.
When I started in the financial industry, I was very eager to be an investment manager. However, I quickly realized that investments weren’t the only piece to pay attention to when it came to someone’s finances. Important yes, but still just a piece of the puzzle.
That fact was made clear to me when a man came to us after his wife had passed away way too soon, leaving him with a little boy to take care of on his own. Having a real, human conversation with him and creating a plan that looked at his whole financial picture was necessary; so that he didn’t have to worry about the financial aspect of what had just happened. He could fully focus on being there for his son and family.
That said, it’s not always out of tragedy that I come to help people. Many times it’s as simple working alongside them to make sure they are optimizing their financial health. At either end of the spectrum, and everywhere in between, I take the whole financial picture into account (cash flow, debt, goals, etc.) and give advice based on the things YOU prioritize and want to achieve in life.
Yes, I enjoy looking at numbers, and making calculations. But financial planning is more than that to me. I love having deeper conversations with my clients and helping them through whatever financial struggles they’re going through. Or helping them strategize how to achieve something BIG in their lives! The bottom line is, with finances, comes emotions. Good or bad, they can’t be ignored. The ability to guide someone through their finances and have a positive impact in their life is truly exhilarating to me. That’s what keeps me up at night and what gets me out of bed in the morning.
The unfortunate part of the profession I serve in is that I see too often where the advice is disjointed or an entire piece of the puzzle is left out of the equation. That’s no way to give financial advice as far as I’m concerned. On top of that, there is a lot of information out there and it can be really hard to distill on your own.
That is why I have created this blog. The thing is, not everyone who interacts with me will be a client and that’s okay. I want to have a positive impact by providing education and telling stories that people can relate to and learn from.
So, I encourage you to check back in every so often to stay up to date on how you can take charge of your finances. We’ll also have some fun along the way! If you have any topics you’d like to read more about, feel free to send me a message.
Erik Kroll is a Fee- Only Fiduciary Financial Planner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His mission is to help people across their whole financial picture. With a specialization in student loans, he has advised on over $5 million in student debt.
Erik is always on the journey of being a better father, husband, and listener.