Jason Paplaski CFP©

Other than a brief stint in Davenport, IA where I attended St. Ambrose University to earn my BA in Accounting & Finance, I have spent my entire life in the Chicagoland area.  My career in the securities industry began with sideline chatter with my teammates during a volleyball game and an eavesdropping coach who happened to be a financial advisor offered me his internship position at a local Scottrade branch if I was interested.  Outside of my internship, I had taken such an interest in the world of investments that I began doing my own research for how to start investing.  I kept reading to invest in companies you like, use, and know a lot about.  With the appetite of a 20-year-old and the ability to engulf 2 Chipotle burritos in one sitting, I decided to invest in what I eat!  With that, I decided to invest in Chipotle.  After about a year, I learned my first investment lesson during the 2008 Financial Crisis about what fear, emotion, and a lack of a plan can do to your investments.  I sold my Chipotle shares at $85 for a mere $10 profit per share.  If I would have held onto those shares and not give in to my emotions, I would have been much happier with the return.  Maybe 10-15 times happier.

Upon graduation, I obtained my securities licenses and was offered a position as a registered representative in the Gurnee, IL Scottrade branch and eventually moved to the primary Chicago location. After my time with Scottrade, I joined Charles Schwab where I helped consolidate and manage over $500MM and 800+ households.  After 6 years with Charles Schwab, I moved to the institutional space assisting financial advisors and their practices with the onboarding process at LPL Financial. 

This is when I realized what I wanted to do with my career. During my tenure with LPL I worked with nearly 100 different financial advisors and gained valuable exposure to various business models, financial advisor personalities, and strategies for advising clients from all across the country.  While working intimately with one financial advisor after another, I started to see variations of models from those that were efficient and practical to others that I felt were outdated or may not be in the client’s best interests. I was not actively looking to make the career change to financial advisor just yet until I met with Serenity Wealth Management. After learning about the SWM process, I realized that the firm was putting all the ideas I had for what modern wealth management should be into practice. It wasn’t long after my introduction to Serenity that I decided to leave my prior company and become a Financial Advisor. What I liked most about my conversations with Rich was that it was clearly evident that putting clients first was non-negotiable.  Our fiduciary responsibility is vital to the success of our clients.

Outside of work, I always enjoy spending time with my amazing wife Kristyn and our rescue pup, Remy.  We LOVE FOOD and try to discover new cuisines in every nook and cranny of our city.  When additional time allows, we volunteer at local animal shelters, travel the world, and play volleyball.