Today we’d like to introduce you to Elliot Howard.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m originally from Findlay, Ohio, and I arrived in Houston, TX at the age of 16. My career, he has a diverse communication and business background as a financial representative, public speaker, columnist, blogger, and podcaster.
I am a Financial Representative with Western & Southern Life. As a Financial Representative with Western & Southern Life, I get the opportunity to help individuals and small businesses develop and execute plans for success. Only 11% of the American public has a financial plan. Of the 11% of the public that has a financial plan, less than half understand the plan and are operating within the plan correctly. Consequently, 89% of the American public doesn’t have a financial plan at all. The lack of personal financial planning has also impacted small businesses because only 25% of small businesses survive past the first generation of leadership, and so 75% of small businesses fail after the initial leadership leaves. I have over 25 years of professional experience, and 2o years of my experience has been within operations management. My experience is what sets me apart from others because I know what concerns the business owner while understanding the stresses of the individual employees.
I am the co-host of a business podcast, “The Services Cooperative Association Podcast” with CDC Integrated Services CEO & Founder Jerry Cooper. I am the current Chairman of The Services Cooperative Association, and Jerry Cooper is the former Chairman. The Services Cooperative Association is a business development Co-Op organization that is chartered by the city of Houston to help develop business owners through teaching and mentorship. The Services Cooperative Association is actually the first women’s business incubator in the history of the United States and have been around for 39 years.
I am also co-host of “This Podcast is None of Those Things” entertainment podcast with Bryan Henderson.
I started writing shortly after coming to the Houston area in 1993. I am now the author of the highly rated book “Rewritten Lives” and “Take A Walk Me.” My 3rd book will be released this fall called “Earnest Thoughts.”
I have earned an M.A. in Communication Studies and an MBA in Accounting. I have been active in the community working on projects for Man Alive, The Services Cooperative Association and The Epiphany Benefit Concert.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Moving around to multiple cities when I was younger had its challenges because it took a while to find a place I could call home, However, that’s not a problem now because there’s no place like Houston, and so “no place like home.” The main problem I had was successfully connecting with individuals and businesses to meet their needs. It was a challenge of communicating how I identify with the customers at first, and that is why I joined the Services Cooperative Association. They helped evolve my communication so I could take what was in my head and convey it effectively to my prospective customers. They also helped me to be comfortable in my own skin and develop my self-worth.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Western & Southern Life has been in business for over 130 years. I have a team of financial experts who assist my passion of partnering with people and small businesses to achieve their financial goals. We help individuals with personal financial decisions involving insurance, investments, and retirement. We help small businesses attract and retain top talent by enabling to provide a 401k retirement plan to their employees while giving those employees their own personal financial representative to help them with financial decisions which adds value to working with the business. We also provide income protection insurance and business group health insurance for groups of 2 or greater.
Our financial consulting is at no cost to the customer, and all of our services are a la carte. Moreover, my customers can reach me seven days a week, and I check on them at least twice a year.
Our business and industry is heavily regulated by the federal, state, and local governments. That includes the SEC, SIPC, FINRA, and HIPAA regulations.
What matters most to you?
Taking care of my family is what matters most to me. It’s also important that I help others take care of their families. In the end, it’s your family who is with you through all things. They are the ones you share life with and oftentimes are the final goodbye. I think after all of the tragedies that have happened show how fragile and precious our lifetimes are with our loved ones.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.westernsouthern.com/wslife/financial-representatives/elliot-howard-564910
- Instagram: Instagram.com/jelliothoward_
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elliot.howard.7
- Twitter: Twitter.com/Jelliot72688
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/JElliotHoward
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/elliot-howard-western-and-southern-life-houston
- Other: https://hdcampbell3.wixsite.com/my-site/elliot-howard
Image Credits
1st picture: me and my wife; 2nd picture: me and me sons in suits; 3rd picture: My parents are joining us at Kobams/now Naija in Houston’s Westchase District; 4th picture: family picture at the Houston Dynamo game; 5th picture: courtesy of professional Houston photographer Jerry Elliot Howard, Jr. of Downtown Houston; 6th picture: me and my colleague Staff Manager and Registered Representative Manuel De La Rosa at The Fountain of Praise; pictures 7 and 8 are just me.
