Cindy Couyoumjian - Redefining Financial Literacy: Unlocking the Hidden Forces of Your Financial Future

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Copyright 2021 Cindy Couyoumjian

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Print ISBN: 978-1-62634-740-3

eBook ISBN: 978-1-62634-741-0

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First Edition

For my parents, Clara and John Koczkodan

Thank you for instilling in me the virtues of hard work, integrity,
and an overarching spiritual impulse toward others.

Thank you for teaching me the timeless lesson that putting the needs
of others before my own is the way to live a good life.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to acknowledge my Cinergy Financial family for their tireless efforts and dedication to this book. The following people have been with me for the past 15 years and I simply could not have completed this book without their help and support. I want to thank Connie Hernandez, Danny Martinez, Prisma Oseguera, and Thess Williams. I would also like to thank Michelle Lopez, who has been with the Cinergy family for nine years, for her unwavering commitment and dedication to me. I also want to thank Joanne Cleaver for helping me through the early draft of this book.

I must give a special thank-you to Leticia Hewko, who has been my business partner, friend, confidant, and support for the past seven years. She worked countless hours holding up my practice so that I could write this book. I am forever grateful for her friendship, business relationship, and the sisterhood we shared during this process. I have five sisters and I count Leticia as my sixth.

I would also like to offer a special thank-you to my high school coach and mentor, Jan Sanders. Coach Sanders epitomized the Aristotelian notion of sustained excellence. She inspired generations of young women to dream the impossible and achieve the improbable. She shaped and directed my own dreams both within and beyond sports. She instilled within me the kind of passion and competitive spirit that transcended both space and time. Her far-reaching influence is imprinted upon my consciousness and echoes through this book.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the editors at Greenleaf, Erin Brown and Nathan True, for their tireless dedication to this book. The editing was a monumental task given the number of sources cited and the complexity of the topics discussed. I would also like to thank Tyler LeBleu for overseeing the production side of this book. I would be remiss if I didnt thank Dan Thomas of IFG compliance for his invaluable assistance throughout the writing of this book.

Finally, I want to thank my husband, Harry, and my two beautiful children, Kobe and Claire, for putting up with me during the writing of this book. I spent endless days and sleepless nights to get this book done, and they have been my rock. They kept me grounded, focused, and centered. Without their love and support, this book would not have seen the light of day.

PREFACE

Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.

J.W. VON GOETHE

_____

I have spent most of my adult life in the financial sector. I spent eight grueling years studying and preparing for several licenses administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). I earned the prestigious certified financial planner (CFP) designation in 1992. To put this in perspective, women make up only 23% of all certified financial planners. The CFP exam is a rigorous day-long exam that only 60% will pass to become CFPs. Im not just listing these achievements to brag; its to show that Ive done my homework. I know how investment works, and I know the standard wisdom taught in classes and seminars and practiced in financial planning firms across the country.

However, after spending years applying my knowledge to the real world, I began to see that the standard wisdom doesnt always necessarily work. When the dot-com bubble burst, it led to the stock market crash of 2002. By 2003 many of my clients had lost a significant amount of money due to the crash. My investment strategy at the time was the 60/40 portfolio60% invested in stocks for a high return potential at high risk, and 40% in bonds for a low return potential at lower risk. Although my clients understood that market crashes occur, I was emotionally devastated. The stock market crash was the result of forces beyond my control, but I internalized the losses as if they were my fault. I felt responsible and became despondent. Setbacks like this, however, define us. Setbacks are punctuated moments that often help us take great leaps forward.

I started to question everything I had learned. I questioned the financial industry and my place in it. I experienced doubt and uncertainty. Doubt is a crippling feeling that freezes you into inaction. Once doubt finds its way into your soul, you become burdened by incessantly questioning everything, including your identity. I was so distraught that I was ready to leave the financial industry.

Thats when I went to see my pastor for guidance. I told him what had happened and how I was feeling. The wisdom he imparted was invaluable. First, he asked me a few simple questions. He asked whether I was a truthful person. I immediately answered that yes, of course I was. He then proceeded to ask me other questions in rapid-fire succession. Did I have integrity? Did I care about my clients? Did I have passion for what I did? I answered yes to all of his questions.

He then looked me in the eye and told me that I had a moral obligation not to leave my clients. In fact, he told me, I have a moral obligation not to leave my future clients because they will need guidance. His final words to me were powerful in their capacity to jolt me out of my all-consuming doubt. He told me to move forward by embracing the divine spark of ethical engagement in order to help others. He told me to think about all the women that need my help. He was correct, of course, particularly about the women who will need my guidance.