Stone House Stories
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How A Horse Named Charlie Could Save Your Retirement
In the small town of Montrose, you can find one of the more historic buildings in Pennsylvania.....
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In the small town of Montrose, you can find one of the more historic buildings in Pennsylvania.
Originally home to one of the early newspapers in America, the printing presses in the Stone House were powered by Charlie, a reliable, old horse that would walk in circles in the basement to turn the mill that powered the printers back in the 1800s. It was in this building that Stone House Retirement Income Planners got our start and our name.
The beautiful stone walls, which are well over a foot thick, were built strong enough to stand the test of time. The building is as beautiful now as it was when it was constructed in the 1800s.
It wasn’t long after Bob and I started working together that fate put us in the Stone House building as we were starting our financial firm.
I joined Bob in 2003 with the mission to create a place where hard-working people could come for honest, unbiased advice about their money. We were tired of the “old way” of doing things still used by many financial advisers. Commissioned salespeople dominated the financial advice business. Many of them would try to make a quick buck and move on to the next person. We knew there was a better way and knew what we had to do to build it. What we didn’t know is if it would work…….
Fast forward nearly 17 years later and the little company we started from scratch has grown to now manage over $300 million of assets for hard-working men and women from across the country…and we are just getting started!
We believe very strongly in our mission to change the landscape of financial advice. Working with an actual person that has a legal and ethical responsibility to act in your best interest when giving advice on your investments and financial concerns is the best option to protect and improve your future.
That is why the next ten years for us is all about you!
Here are some of the ways that our firm is growing…
We are working hard to find even better ways to deliver the advice you need to build your ideal future.
We are hiring the right people to help us in our mission to make finance easier and better so you can live a life worth living.
We are building new ways to create better relationships with our clients, like our LifeStack Cards and our world-class client engagement systems.
We’ve added new ways for people to interact with us including LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Clients can communicate with us over the phone, through email, client portal, and even in live web meetings!
One of our most popular new features is how our clients can talk to their advisers through text message.
We can even put all of your accounts in one place for you to see everything you own (even accounts we don’t manage)!
Don’t forget our Stone House mobile app! You can download it from the Apple or Android app stores.
We hope you will join us in our mission to improve how people like you handle their money and build better futures.
And to think…… it all started with a horse named Charlie working for a small town newspaper.
*Assets as of 11/30/20
Passing It Forward - Mike Cravath, WMS℠
I grew up in a family with three older sisters and four older brothers, making me the youngest of eight children...
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I grew up in a family with three older sisters and four older brothers, making me the youngest of eight children. My mother was a stay-at-home mom and taught us about having traditional family values, the power of helping others, and how to be overall good people. My father was a security guard at the Scranton School for the Deaf. However, this income alone was not enough to make ends meet so my father also made and sold paintings, bartended on weekends, and bought and sold collectibles on eBay. By watching him work almost every hour of everyday, he showed us by example how to work hard and do whatever is necessary to provide for your family.
My father’s main objective throughout his entire life was to provide for my mother and the family. He passed away in 2010 when he was 65 and my mother was 60. This was unexpected and a very devastating time for our family. At that time, my mother did not know where to turn or what she was going to do financially. She had gotten an inheritance from his estate and had this set amount to last her the rest of her life. Overnight, she went from not having to worry about handling finances to suddenly taking over all the responsibilities.
It was at this point that I recommended she talk to a financial advisor. She was very wary of the idea at first because no one in our family had ever worked with one and she had an outdated, preconceived notion of financial planning. She felt an advisor was meant to help those with a lot more money, and she wouldn’t be worth their time. However, we went to a few meetings and found an advisor we felt we could trust. She let him make a plan for her and invest her money. She still to this day will say that is one of the best decisions she ever made and thanks me for giving her the nudge she needed to make this life changing step. It allowed her to worry much less and made the task of supporting such a large family manageable
This sequence of events is why I, myself, became a financial advisor. Finances were no longer a hurdle, but instead, they now supported our family. After seeing the difference having an advisor made for my mother, I knew it was what I wanted to do.
My philosophy in my work is to treat every individual that walks through my door like I would have wanted my mother to be treated during that time. My hope is to pass on the kindness and support that advisor showed my family during a difficult time in our lives, and by doing so, give clients control and independence over their finances.
-Mike Cravath, WMS℠
Advisor
Teeing Up Your Retirement - Ryan Vassil, WMS℠
I grew up in Clarks Summit, a small town in Pennsylvania, and was always heavily involved in sports...
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I grew up in Clarks Summit, a small town in Pennsylvania, and was always heavily involved in sports. My focus was basketball which ultimately lead me to Bethany College, a small school outside of Pittsburgh, when they recruited me to be on their basketball team.
My father is a great amateur golfer. He taught me to play at a young age and, throughout my life, he always encouraged me to stay with it. I ended up joining the Bethany College Golf Team in my junior and senior years and honed my skills on the course as I wound down my competitive basketball years.
Golf provided an opportunity for constant self-improvement and the thrill of competition that has always been a love of mine. Whether it was playing driveway basketball with my brothers as a child or playing in front hundreds of fans in gymnasiums in high school and college, I was always striving to win. I learned this attitude from my father and older brother who taught me to give my best effort in anything I am trying. This helped me in so many ways throughout my life.
It was in college that I became enamored with finance, investing and the stock market. I majored in economics and was fascinated with the concepts and theories behind how money flows through the system and affects virtually every part of our lives. I learned to apply many of the same principals I learned playing basketball and golf to my own finances. Things like preparation, patience, and keeping a long-term outlook are important in both sports and investing.
You must have a game plan of how you will approach the golf course just like your investing preferences and goals. You need patience to ride the ups and downs of a golf round and stock markets. And you need to trust the long-term plans that you put in place. Confidence is key to have faith that the work you put in will carry you to the outcomes you desire, whether you are playing golf or managing money. Golf is a 4-hour round with 18 holes. One bad shot does not ruin the big picture, just like a bad day or month does not ruin a person’s retirement plan. You must constantly assess the big picture.
After school I was split between working in finance and the tech industry. I saw enormous growth in tech in my college years and heard constantly how it was the future. I ended up at a technology consulting firm in Philadelphia. It was a great job, and I learned a lot working with companies like IBM, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell. There were two problems though; I still wanted to follow my passion of finance and I wanted to work back in NEPA where most of my family lives.
When I found Stone House, that solved both of my problems. Being a smaller, boutique firm was the biggest selling point for me. Working in Philly, I was used to a large office where competition between coworkers was more important than providing the best service to our clients. It is a totally different culture at Stone House. When I joined, Bob, Scott, and John explained to me that the focus of their efforts are put towards clients’ satisfaction and staying up to date on stock market and financial trends to make the best decisions. I was invited to work as part of a great team of people to create the best solutions for my clients’ needs. I felt my competitive edge and drive for self-improvement returning as I joined the team. It reminded me of the many days spent on the course practicing the perfectly measured putt and on the basketball team working with others to accomplish a goal.
I look forward to helping people of our area and across the country retire strong and live out a successful retirement. As in golf, the key to a successful retirement is in the setup. I look forward to helping you tee up your perfect retirement.
-Ryan Vassil, WMS℠
Advisor
Enduring the Road Ahead - Ben Robinson
Running has been a staple in my life since I was 14 years old. With it, I have been blessed to explore some of the most beautiful locations in the world...
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Running has been a staple in my life since I was 14 years old. With it, I have been blessed to explore some of the most beautiful locations in the world. From running through the breathtaking mountains of Utah and Colorado to racing through California’s Wine Country, and even representing team USA at the Skyrunning World Championship in the Scottish Highlands, this amazing sport has given me so much and has allowed me to push myself every day. I have run up and down mountains both across the entire state of Pennsylvania as well as in the Swiss and French Alps. It has ingrained in me more patience, drive, commitment, and consistency than anything else in my life.
In my personal life, I am a devout Christian with an incredible mother who is a United Methodist Pastor. Her and my father, who is a long-time construction worker, taught me the values of hard work and determination. Both sides of my family have long-standing ties in Tunkhannock and it’s just one of the many reasons why I love this small town so much. My father’s side of the family has deep roots in farming and my mother’s side of the family established some of our town’s most well-known businesses. I recently proposed to the most caring, adventurous, and amazing person I have ever met, Jill, and she thankfully said yes! I am the man I am today because of all of them and cannot thank them enough for all their support throughout the years.
I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset and knew business would be in my future. I was the kid that when I got bored, I would be creating games with friends, brainstorming new inventions, playing outside, or being involved in one of the many different sports I was signed up for at different points of my childhood. I even invented a new yard game from scratch, created the prototype, and wrote up the rules. Later, in adulthood, I became engrossed in the stock market. I spent many long hours learning about investment strategies and the importance of saving money at an early age. That is when I found Stone House.
Although it may not seem like it, running is a parallel to the business world. They both require lots of work, attention to detail, and constant problem solving in order to be efficient while continually improving. My transition to Stone House was a perfect fit. The team behind this organization is amazing and I believe in the services they provide to our clients. My favorite part about working with Stone House is the ability to help people! Saving for retirement can be confusing and retirement, itself, may seem daunting, but the team here at Stone House has an incredible support system to guide you through the whole process to make this time in your life a breeze.
As I look toward the future, I still have my eyes set on a few more personal and professional goals, like representing the USA at more championships, completing a 100-mile race, and making the Olympic Marathon Trials. With the help of my Stone House family, I look forward to bringing all the amazing experiences, everything my family and community has taught me, and all that I have learned throughout my life to help people like you prepare for and live out an amazing retirement.
-Ben Robinson, WMS℠
Advisor
Retirement Farmer - Raymond Stone
I was born a farmer...well, at least that is what the doctor thought when he pronounced, “It’s a little farmer!”...
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From The Navy to The Stone House - Barb Grimaud
Something about me that surprises most people is that I wanted to be a fighter pilot.....
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Something about me that surprises most people is that I wanted to be a fighter pilot. I wanted it so much that I went to the U.S. Naval Academy. With the Navy, I traveled the world but ultimately ended up right back where it all began. This is my story……
As a young woman, I loved being in the Navy. I traveled to some amazing places and had some of the best experiences of my young life. I learned and experienced what it was to be a leader and work hard. Before I was 25 I had lived in Annapolis, Maryland, Athens, Georgia, Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, and Newport, Rhode Island.
I steered a destroyer in man overboard drills, qualified as a sharpshooter in the M16, sailed at night through perfect-storm conditions, swam with sharks in the Indian Ocean, played polo (on horseback), and oversaw meals for thousands of servicemen and women in a crowded galley. I’ve seen the sunrise from the deck of an aircraft carrier and the sunset on an island in the Indian Ocean. I’ve been to Japan and Singapore. I even got to shake hands with President George W. Bush, and banter with Senator John McCain at the Army/Navy football game.
After five years of active duty, I felt like I was missing something though. I had a few injuries over the years due to athletics that made me ineligible to become a fighter pilot and, as much as I loved my experiences abroad, I wanted to go home. I have always been close to my family, and I wanted to be nearer to them as I started the next phase of my life.
I decided to get my law degree. Legal work was in my blood. My father was an attorney for over 40 years, and I always thought it would be a good fit for me. I ultimately got my degree from Widener and passed the Bar exam. I found a position as a federal law clerk in Scranton with District Judge Edwin Kosik, which allowed me to live close to my parents, my two sisters, my brother, and my horse, Jets, who I have had for over 20 years and still keep at my parents’ farm.
Not much time went by before I met the man I would eventually marry. Chris and his two wonderful daughters became my family when we got married at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tunkhannock. And now, with our newest addition, my baby boy, also named Chris, the five of us live happily in the small town we grew up in.
As a kid growing up in a small town, I would have never guessed this path in life. All my adventures and decisions led me to exactly where I was meant to be – at home with my family where it all began.
Now I get to begin a new adventure with an incredible team as I help people locally and from across the country, manage their investments and create retirement income plans they can count on. I am so proud to be a part of a team that really cares about their clients, our community, and each other. I’m excited to see where my journey leads. Maybe one day, you’ll be a part of it!
Interested in setting up a time to talk? Please reach me by email, at BGrimaud@StoneHouseMail.com, or by phone, at (570) 836-7020.
– Barbara Grimaud, Esq.
Retirement Engineer - Chad Taake
I've been blessed in life to be surrounded by people who have supported me. From a young age...
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My lifelong professional passion has always been around investment management and financial planning.
In fact, my first exposure to financial planning started when I was a young boy mowing neighbors’ lawns to make some money during the summer. My father taught me about saving, investing, and how you can grow your money through investing. This became a key bonding area for us.
In college, I decided to pursue the “safe” path in engineering, as I knew there was a long successful career ahead with that degree, and the safety of an engineering degree seemed right as I had plans to marry my high school sweetheart.
Fast forward about 10yrs, my wife, a brilliant and successful marketer, finally convinced me to pursue my passion and supported me in becoming a financial adviser. However, after researching several firms, nothing felt right.
I needed a company that would support my learning, support my passion, but also not push the sales aspect of many financial planning firms. I wanted to truly help people make better financial choices, have a hand in the portfolios I managed for clients, and I didn’t want to get paid through commissions for products I recommended to my clients.
One day I was talking to a friend of mine, and he mentioned an investment advisory firm that works with a number of Procter & Gamble employees and retirees. In fact, a partner of the firm, John Burke, had worked for P&G for over 15 years, spending his last 5 years doing financial advising part-time.
I didn’t expect much when I sent an email to John at Stone House Retirement Income Planners. But it was just the opposite. After one chat with John, I know that I wanted to be a part of the Stone House team.
They were a small but growing company that has used some of P&G’s best practices like DMS (Daily Management System) and PDCA (Plan Do Check Act) in their business operations. These systems were very familiar to me as a P&G employee and felt like second nature. Plus, they helped the company be more efficient, but most importantly to help clients’ total financial wellbeing. It was more than just investment management with Stone House.
Fast forward to today… as a proud member of the Stone House team, I am proud to be establishing the Stone House brand, practices, and methodology outside of Tunkhannock with a focus on Cincinnati and Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
The more and more experience I get as a financial planner, the more reassured I am that I made the right decision. As a financial planner with Stone House, I am my clients Financial Coach & Project Manager.
With over 13 years of project management experience with P&G, I am now getting to leverage the strength and capability I have built with that experience alongside my lifelong passion for investment management. This opportunity has allowed me to take my passion for investment, tie in my experience working with P&G, and develop an interest in entrepreneurship as I grow my book of business. Most importantly, I get to truly impact people’s lives to set them up for a retirement that meets their goals by extending the values I’ve learned in P&G and beyond.
I am hopeful that my work ethic, my capabilities, and my trustworthiness as a P&G colleague will give you the confidence to give me a shot. Interested in setting up a time to talk? Please reach me by email, at CTaake@StoneHouseMail.com, or by phone, at (513) 360-6441.
Stone House Is An Independent Company And Is Not Affiliated With Or Endorsed By Procter & Gamble.
Staring Out The Window - Bob Brown, CFP®
In 2006, I founded Stone House, with Scott (who also doubles as my brother-in-law).....
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In 2006, I founded Stone House, with Scott (who also doubles as my brother-in-law), and eventually John (who joined us in 2007). Around the office, I’m a Senior Advisor and the Director of Financial Planning but, at home, I’m better known as ‘Dad’.
Last summer, I took my family on an adventure through the hills of West Virginia to loop through Charleston, SC, and Savannah, GA, and back up the map again to our home in Pennsylvania.
Traditionally, I’m the driver of the family, but I got tired of driving and asked my wife to take the wheel. Slowly but surely, as I sat in the passenger seat with my wife taking control of the next leg of our adventure, something started to happen.
The more I trusted her to steer the family to our destination, the more I relaxed. I was able to actually look out the window. Seems pretty silly when I write it down here, but I have to tell you, it was liberating!
Handing off the responsibility of driving reminded me of my childhood trip out west. My parents packed up our family of five into a pickup truck with a cap on the back. My parents sat in the front and my two brothers and I sloshed around in the bed of the truck for thousands of miles. Things were a lot different in the 80’s!
My mom and dad would take turns driving. When my dad got to sit in the passenger seat, his demeanor changed. He actually enjoyed the trip and now I know why! I get it. It’s a shift in our mindset. When you’re driving your whole family around the country, your whole world is in that truck. You need to keep your hands on the wheel, stay alert, stay on point. No room for error. So, for me, it was an”a-ha” moment that I wanted to share with you.
Every one of our clients goes through a similar transformation. The process of going from working full-time and making ALL the decisions in life… to suddenly being retired and working with a financial planner. It’s just like asking someone you trust to take the wheel of your car so you can enjoy the ride. Having that trusted adviser guiding you through retirement allows you to fully experience and enjoy your retirement.
Our clients are smart people. Many of them are capable of managing their own finances, but instead, they make a conscious decision to work with us. They’ve reached a level of trust and have asked us to take the wheel. The most important thing they gain is time; time to engage and share it with those who are important to them, and time to look out the window and enjoy their own lives.
I’m super proud of what we do in our office every day for our clients. Maybe one day, you’ll be ready for us to take the wheel of your retirement so you can get some time back for the important things in life.
– Robert J. Brown, Certified Financial Planner Practitioner