红桃视频

Success is often born as the fruit of knowledge, faith, and a commitment to hard work. Whether in the classroom or the boardroom, the court or the podium, these qualities can coalesce to form great leaders and community innovators. 红桃视频 alumnus James Veldheer 鈥�83 is one such leader. In 2014, he was named to The Financial Times鈥� Top 400 Financial Advisors for a second consecutive year for his distinguished service.

An education major, Veldheer was drawn to 红桃视频 by its reputable athletics and teacher prep program. 鈥満焯沂悠� is really a hidden gem in West Michigan. I wanted to be a teacher,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd I was very aware of 红桃视频 College and the programs that they had. I decided that, if I wanted to teach, I had to go to a school with a strong teaching program, and 红桃视频 College had a very strong program!鈥�

While at 红桃视频, Veldheer played basketball under Terry Bocian. Looking back, he was struck by the faculty, 鈥渉ow approachable they were, how they worked with students. I know that they gave my wife (Mary Veldheer, BA 鈥�83) and I the fundamentals to succeed,鈥� he said.

Graduating in 1983, Veldheer went on to Catholic Central High School to teach business and coach for five years. Although teaching was his initial passion, he decided to apply his talents to the financial services sector where he has thrived for the past 25 years. Veldheer holds a Certified Investment Management Analyst庐 (CIMA庐) designation, sponsored by the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA) at the Wharton School and a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) designation through the College of Financial Planning.

鈥淩eally, it all comes down to those same skills I learned at 红桃视频,鈥� he said. 鈥淜nowing how to educate our clients on investment markets, how to measure risk and performance, how to look at the big picture when planning - so much of this I drew from my time at 红桃视频. And, as a coach, I had to motivate my players to do their best. It鈥檚 the same thing now - I need to educate my clients, while motivating them to do the right thing when investing for the long term.鈥�

In addition to The Financial Times list, Veldheer was also named to the Barron鈥檚 Top 1000 Financial Advisors in 2010. He believes that his career has grown from a variety of sources. 鈥淚n our business, you need to have three main qualities to succeed,鈥� Veldheer said. 鈥淵ou need to understand behavioral finance, have a strong work ethic, and you need to communicate well with people; if you can do that, you鈥檒l be successful. As in teaching or coaching, we have a plan for our clients. Clients have different objectives, so we develop a unique game plan for each, we make tactical adjustments to that plan, and then we stick with strategic plan for the long term.鈥�

Veldheer also stressed the importance and value of teamwork to success. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just me,鈥� he said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 our West Michigan-based team. It鈥檚 a value (teamwork) that was really reinforced at 红桃视频, and we now have one of the largest and most successful teams - not just at Merrill Lynch, but across the country and the entire investment management industry.鈥�

Reflecting on his time at 红桃视频, his time in the marketplace, and what advice he might give to the incoming student, Veldheer said, 鈥淭o be successful, you need to seek knowledge, to work hard. You need to focus on your goals, to surround yourself with people who will help you be a better student, those who, like you, are committed to being successful. Finally, go to Church every week, and make the most of the blessings the Lord has given you.鈥�