Financial Advisor, Donlan & Barcomb – Financial + Investment Services
Hometown: Clayton, NY
Age:31
Education: BS, Finance, SUNY Plattsburgh
Community Involvement: Member, Adirondack Young Professionals (past president/board member); Rotarian, BNI, current president; Assistant Lacrosse Coach, Plattsburgh State, 2011–16)
Jared Burns is a registered representative of The Investment Center, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Donlan & Barcomb is not affiliated with the Investment Center, Inc.
What’s your biggest professional success?
My biggest success is not one of accolades or awards but rather a more personal achievement. I view that success as the path that I’ve forged, which has brought me to the career I’ve always wanted.
What’s your dream job?
At the risk of sounding cliché, my current career is the dream that I’ve always had. It was back on career day during my freshman year of high school that I made the decision to become a financial advisor. I will never forget meeting Mr. Alterie and listening to what his career involved and the many clients he helped. It’s has been a while since that career day but now I work at a phenomenal boutique financial advisory practice, right here in Plattsburgh. Every day I’m given the opportunity to help my clients forge their own path toward financial independence and enriched retirement. It’s very fulfilling work, the same work that Mr. Alterie talked about my freshman year.
How do you maintain a work/life balance?
There are a few ways that I believe help me create a good life for my family and myself. It’s rooted in an understanding that there will be times that work will and should demand my focus and attention, while understanding that in order to feel fulfilled there needs to be a willingness to turn the business “off,” so to speak, and just be mindfully present with my family and friends.
It really comes down to managing time to fulfill the needs of my clients and leave work feeling productive. Which in turn allows me to take time to spend with my family.
What important lessons have you learned in your career?
I’ve learned quite a few different lessons in my working career, many of them through personal experience. One of the biggest lessons so far is not the typical one of hard work, drive or persistence. I think those can almost be understood. Rather it’s having learned to practice mindfulness and deriving true purpose in my work.
What’s most exciting trend happening in the community right now?
I can’t narrow in on only one specific thing. I think our community is on pace to become one of the greatest places to live in New York. From the development of Downtown Plattsburgh to the movement of more businesses to call our area home, to the unbelievable progress of our airport, the list goes on and on. I’m just incredibly proud to call Plattsburgh home and very excited to see all the potential come to fruition. There are so many great people working day in and day out, behind the scenes in our community without whom we wouldn’t be achieving all of these great milestones.
What would make the North Country a more enjoyable place to live and work?
It’s coming. I think all of the progress is going to make this area one that more people envy.
Who is your mentor and what have you learned from him/her?
I can’t reduce the mentors that I’ve had in my life to one specific person, and I think it’s in that fact that I’ve had many very beneficial relationships with a variety of mentors. So many people have influenced the way I carry myself personally and professionally. It’s through these many mentors that I’ve been able to receive valuable opinions and outside information that have helped me grow tremendously.
How do you contribute to the culture of your company?
I believe my contribution has been one of energy, enthusiasm and calculated change. Being a younger advisor in what I could best describe as a multi-generational office, I’ve come to understand that it takes a great balance to promote positive change all the while maintaining a firm grasp on the nuances that are required to ease the transitions of growth.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?
In 2011, my wife and I quit our jobs in Boston to become small business owners of a specialized photography company and move to Plattsburgh. We took a leap from the security of corporate jobs to the uncertainty of small business ownership. But, it was through this journey that we grew very independent and driven.
What is something that no one would guess about you?
I learned to kiteboard in Cape Cod and can be seen out on Lake Champlain on windy days.
Write a brief note to your younger self…
Do what you feel will help you and your family live a full and wealthy life. Try to say yes to new opportunities because you’re never truly sure what life-changing events could unfold. Trust your instincts and you’ll be able to forge a wonderful path toward a great purpose driven life.