Continuing our Spotlight Series, today we are sharing about Brian Matter.
What is a day in your CCMI life like?
Every day is different. Most days I wake up sometime between 5 and 5:30 a.m. to start my day. Some days I work out when I first get up, some days require some reading/studying, while other days I get ready and head out as fast as I can to get to meetings/work. I typically leave my house before 7 a.m. and listen to a variety of podcasts while I drive to work to help me continuously learn. Most of the time I get to say hello to my wife and three kids before I leave, but there are days when I leave extra early and don’t see them until the evening.
When I arrive at work, the first part of my morning is spent answering client emails and questions from our team. Since client meetings are a team effort at CCMI, we are in regular communication with one another when preparing for the meetings throughout the day. We also have internal meetings for our investment committee, specific projects that are usually centered on a process improvement, or various calls with analysts to better understand the markets or certain investments. In between meetings, I can be found in my office working on financial planning projects, returning phone calls, or connecting with other professionals regarding client questions. Other roles require regular chunks of time that come with being a business owner such as making sure the firm remains compliant (I’m Chief Compliance Officer), discussing CCMI’s budget with Matt, and making sure our team has the knowledge and resources they need to provide the best experience for our clients.
At the end of my work day, I listen to a podcast on my way home and then my evening schedule often includes coaching my children in a sport, eating dinner as a family and helping to put the kids to bed. We’ve structured the firm to provide for a great work-life balance which is important to me and is something we promote at CCMI for our team and our clients.
Give us a little insight into your family. Kids? Dogs? Cats?
Nikki (my wife) and I have been married since 2004. We have three kids: Emma (age 12) is in 7th grade, Kainoa (age 10) is in 4th grade, and Kekoa (age 7) is in 1st grade. They are all very active and love to play various sports. We love spending time with our kids and traveling on new adventures with them. No pets yet, but the boys catch plenty of lizards in our backyard, so it feels like we have a pet sometimes!
What is your favorite part about CCMI?
The people – both our clients and our team – make coming to work each day a lot of fun and give us a sense of purpose.
What is your favorite Jersey Mike’s sandwich?
I am the CCMI team member who might go to Jersey Mike’s the least, but when I do it is usually for a hot sandwich of some kind.
What is your favorite charity/non-profit and why?
There are many amazing charities that I love. Since I’m involved in a Rotary Club, I’m a big fan of Rotary International. The motto of “Service Above Self” has always resonated with me, and I’m fortunate to see the good works this amazing group does both locally and throughout the world. I am also a longtime fan of Reality Changers which transforms lives by providing youth from disadvantaged backgrounds with academic support, financial assistance and leadership training to become college graduates.
What do you do on a typical day when you are not at the office?
During the weekend or on my days off I am generally with my family. On many Saturdays you can find me at a field either coaching soccer or baseball or cheering one of my kids on during their games. If we aren’t at a ball field, my family likes to be in the outdoors. Whether spending time hiking or surfing at the beach, we prefer the fresh air and being active to any other activity!
Where did you go on your favorite vacation and where do you want to go next?
This is a tough one! I am fortunate to have traveled to many places all over the world and each has many special memories. Banff and Jasper in Canada was pretty amazing with my family last summer (I grew up going there so it was fun to take the kids to so many beautiful places I enjoyed as a child). A big highlight was also my most recent trip to New Zealand with Nikki (the kids stayed home on this one). The vacation was a perfect blend of everything I love – family, travel, hiking, adventure, and beautiful scenery. Highlights included hiking the Milford Track, canyoning, swinging over a canyon in a giant swing, rappelling to a glow worm cave, jet boating, river rafting a 21-foot waterfall, sledging and kayaking some beautiful coastline. It was a great trip and an opportunity to create great memories with Nikki! The next trip we are currently planning is to Alaska to see more of our beautiful country.
What is interesting about you that not many people know?
I love adventurous activities and new experiences. We incorporate a lot of these activities when we travel as you may have read in the answer to the previous question. In addition to some of the activities we completed in New Zealand, I have previously gone skydiving, bungee jumping, great white shark cage diving in South Africa, go-karting through the streets of Tokyo, and on other adventurous activities. I’m very careful in how I approach all these activities and I know that I have to come home to my kids, so I don’t take risks without the appropriate precautions!
What is a piece of financial advice that you received either when you were younger or while at CCMI that you apply in your financial life today?
Start saving early and live below your means. The power of compounding is amazing and working with clients who started early while living below their means provides for so many options later in life. We enjoy all of our clients, but it is fun to be able to tell clients they can retire early or spend more in retirement because of their actions 30 or 40 years earlier!
CCMI provides personalized fee-only financial planning and investment management services to business owners, professionals, individuals and families in San Diego and throughout the country. CCMI has a team of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professionals who act as fiduciaries, which means our clients’ interests always come first.
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