Hello and welcome to MyRetirementPlaybook.com or MyRp.me for my regular readers. I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ or CFP®, and my passion is helping people like you plan for a successful retirement. During my career I have been a Financial Advisor, President of a Broker Dealer and I have successfully coached hundreds of financial advisors on how to help Baby Boomers retire on their own terms. Now I bring that experience to you to help you achieve the retirement that you choose versus the one you feel is thrust upon you because of circumstances or misunderstandings.

So feel free to explore the information that pertains to you. Don’t see what you are looking for? Let me know. Chances are I have it and will be happy to share my resources with you. Either way, I look forward to helping you achieve the retirement of your dreams!

How to reach me:

Mark@MarkHoaglin.com or Mark@MyRp.me

Who Am I?

I have spent most of my career helping people improve their financial lives. With a background in financial planning, investments, banking and management I bring a wealth of practical experience to those who need help on their financial journey.

I have written numerous articles on the subjects of financial planning and how banks and credit unions can improve the delivery of investments, insurance and planning services to their customers and members.  Some of the companies I have helped include Citibank, Cal Fed Bank, Home Fed Bank, Patelco Credit Union and XCU Capital Corporation. I led the successful turnaround of XCU Capital, a broker dealer owned by a number of credit unions. Upon the completion of the revival of XCU Capital I also spearheaded its sale to LPL Financial in 2007.

I wrote a book, Think Like an Athlete Manage Like a Pro, to help managers embrace the successful qualities of championship athletes. I have been fortunate to have played competitive sports most of my life and have been coached by some terrific people. I believe much of my success is rooted in the values and discipline that I learned from being an athlete. I played college football at Stanford University where I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree.

My intro to financial services came courtesy of Home Federal Savings and Loan Association, a terrific company that was based in San Diego, CA. I graduated from the Home Fed management training program which sparked a life-long passion for financial services. I earned my MBA from the University of San Diego while I was working full-time at Home Fed. I also hold the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist® designations.

My wife Lynn and I have raised two boys and live in the town of Danville in Northern California. I love being outdoors and while I used to be a serious runner I have had to look for alternative cardio pursuits as my knees finally told me, “no mas”. I continue to be inspired by family, fitness and faith.

This I Believe

I believe the key to Baby Boomer success in retirement planning is education. Yes, having enough money to last the rest of our lives is critical. The only way to get there is to take control of your retirement journey and the only way to do that is to become knowledgeable about the issues you will face – sooner or later. No, you don’t have to become an expert and you shouldn’t do it alone. There are experts like me who can help you get across the retirement goal line. Still, you need to participate in your “retirement cure”.

I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1992. I was 36 years old and in peak physical condition. Once the shock of the diagnosis wore off I realized that I had to tackle this new adversary just like any other opponent I had faced in my life. I had to understand it – become informed so I could participate in my cure. I read every book and article that I could get my hands on about Hodgkin’s disease and the chemotherapy that would be used to kill the cancerous cells. Just as I would prepare for a football game I had to know what I was up against. I had to become educated.

The days of going to the doctor (or financial advisor) and having him or her pat you on the knee and say, “There, there, I will take care of everything” are long gone. As I was preparing for battle I read Norman Cousin’s book Anatomy of an Illness. He discussed “partnering” with your doctor and not taking anything at face value and certainly not leaving your cure solely in the hands of the physician. He stated that we should ask questions and demand answers that we can understand and use all of the resources at our disposal to aid in our recovery.

I believe that following Cousin’s advice played a big part in my victory over cancer. Fortunately my Oncologist was more enlightened than most doctors were at that time and I actually looked forward to my appointments with him. I would come armed with the latest articles I had read from the Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine among others. Many times he had not yet read the articles that I brought to his attention during our appointments. I truly felt we had a partnership. Knock on wood… after all these years I am still cancer free!

A Parallel With Retirement Planning

Why do I share this life changing experience with you? Two reasons; one is that I believe that you have to take the same approach with your retirement journey. You have to become educated about the issues that affect or will affect your retirement planning and the execution of your plan. Secondly, you have to partner with your financial advisor. You have to participate in your “cure” as it may be. If you haven’t done as good of a job in saving for retirement as you should have then you need to take control of what it will take to get you on track. It is never too late and you should never give up!

I look forward to partnering with you on your journey. My promise is to provide the tools and resources that you need to become an educated participant in your journey instead of a victim of past mistakes. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today. Let’s get started!

Contact Information

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