Welcome back to our Spotlight Series, where we interview and showcase members from our team!
For this month’s “Spotlight,” we’re sitting down with Scott Dickerson, Vice President of Capital Growth, who’s been in the industry for over 30 years. From large companies like IBM to starting his own firm, he’s worked hard to become an expert so he can help clients reach their best goals. Read more about Scott’s approaches to financial planning and where he finds his moments of joy, both at work and in his spare time.
Hi, Scott—thanks for taking the time to chat with me today, we’re excited to get to know you a little bit more! So, you’ve spent about 32 years now in the financial industry, and over 10 of them have been with Capital Growth. How has the experience been working alongside Art and the team?
I would say it was really one of the best changes I ever made in my career, because it’s just been great to have a team behind me with so much talent and experience I can rely on. I find this especially helpful in terms of service and response for my clients. It also frees up my time—when I had my own firm, I wore many hats, but now I can focus on working with my clients on their financial planning, which is where I really like to spend my time.
That sounds like the perfect transition for you. What’s it like now to be Vice President here?
I see my responsibilities as mainly working with the staff and doing what I can to pitch in, and contributing ideas to the firm—it’s great that everybody here is so open to that. I think this is how we’re able to always offer a very high level of service and advice to our clients.
Teamwork does make the dream work! Amongst the team, you’re a specialist in risk management and income strategies. How do you personally ensure that you can help your clients come up with the best plan when it comes to constructing portfolios or designing retirement funds?
I think my background, over the years, has allowed me to become more aware of things like risk management, and focusing on developing a very consistent process. I spend a lot of time getting to know my clients, their own situation and what their goals are. That way, I can build a really customized plan that reflects them.
I can definitely see how your background complements your work with clients—you’ve also managed to stay focused throughout your career, reaching achievements and receiving designations left and right! What are some things about the industry that drew you in and continue to keep you going?
Throughout my career, I’ve been committed to always making sure that I’m current and staying on top of issues that are relevant to my clients. I also try to stay on the cutting edge of education, which is why I have three formal designations that did take a lot of years. My education background was in Business, and that’s where I found a real aptitude and interest in the investing world. Plus, I naturally really enjoy helping and teaching about finance, so this has been the perfect fit for me.
I’m sure that sharing your knowledge to help clients reach their goals must be rewarding in so many ways. Are there any parts in the process that you look forward to the most?
I really love to be able to demonstrate how I’ve helped my clients achieve their own goals and make their financial lives better. There’s nothing more rewarding than having a client tell you that you were able to help them retire when they wanted to, or to help send their kids to college.
It’s always great to hear from my clients when they go out of their way to appreciate the work that I do, because I do try to go overboard as far as being there for my clients. This is especially true when times aren’t so easy, or when the markets are as they have been—I think that means a lot to them.
Speaking of being there for clients—I know you’ve been playing golf since at least college, so can clients expect to be taken out for a round or two?
I typically clear my calendar for golf! Golf, I find, is one of the few places where I get to step away from everyday stresses of life and get away from things. It’s especially fun to be able to get into that environment with a client because I get to know them even better and have fun with them out on the golf course.
Yes, with all that’s been going on during the pandemic, an escape here and there is absolutely needed. Do you think people will change how they approach financial planning after the pandemic?
I sense that people are more conservative in their financial world because the pandemic represented something out of the blue that nobody could plan for or think about. It’s really forced people to reevaluate their portfolios, their investments, and their financial life, as far as risk goes.
In terms of just life and values, I think it brought home the importance of not taking things for granted—whether it’s your health, finances, family, friends, and how we all spend our time.
Absolutely, it’s been a time of reflection for many of us, and I’m sure we’re all glad to see restrictions being lifted gradually. Is there anything you’re looking forward to the most?
The main thing for me is just getting back to normalcy, like traveling freely without stress or fear so I can continue working on my bucket list. I just got back from New Orleans as my first post-pandemic experience of traveling on holiday, and that went great, so I’m looking forward to the next one. Hopefully that’ll be very soon!
Plan your financial future with Scott’s experienced insights. Shoot him your questions in an email to scottd@capitalgrowthinc.com and learn more about his background on his Capital Growth page.