Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dennis Perkins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dennis, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
To have maximum optimism, which is where I live, comes from the belief that tomorrow will be better than today. In reality, is everyday better than the previous; sometimes not, but the trajectory of my life should look exactly like this. I’m grounded in the promise and assurance that Jesus has already won the war for my salvation and I am spending eternity in His presence and worshiping Him as my Lord forever. With this as the backdrop, I want to live everyday He grants me here on earth to the fullest and I want everyone around me to feel the joy that I have while walking in His presence.
How does this look in a practical sense? For me, I must be in the presence of my Lord and the number one practical way is through the daily reading of His Word and through prayer. In addition He established His local church to gather the believers to preach His Word, equip, encourage, etc…these are all life giving for me and brings all my optimism for tomorrow..
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Professionally I am a financial advisor. I started directly upon graduating college in 2004 at a regional firm based in Virginia. I was very fortunate to be at this firm as I had the ability to go and do, opposed to just sit and learn. Of course there was learning also, but in my experience the best path for growth comes when we are stretched beyond comfort.
Never was this more apparent than in 2008/2009. Prior to the Great Recession there were already many plans for our marriage & family in motion. In June of 2008 my wife Jade and I after three years of marriage moved into our first house (with our first house payment). Jade was also pregnant with our first child who was due at the end of September. It was important to us that she stay home and raise our daughter so she resigned her position as a general surgery nurse at the beginning of September. As we remember all too well, the stock market had been going down for a year at this point, but was getting ready to pick up steam with many of the major companies going bankrupt at the end of September…exactly the same time that my daughter was born. After the birth, Jade had some major complications and over the next 10 days had many times when the doctors weren’t sure exactly what was wrong, or exactly how to fix her…to say it was scary was an understatement. Here I have this beautiful new baby and am beyond overjoyed and at the same time the love of my life is in touch and go with her life.
On top of all of this, on a professional level this is pre iPhone and I really have no idea what is going on at work. So I then found myself going back and forth from the hospital to the office to caring for our new daughter. I was just to try and hold it all together. Thankfully Jade fully recovered!!! It was only because of the peace of Christ and the family of brothers and sisters in Christ supporting us that I was able to make it through this challenging time.
Then as if things weren’t crazy enough we found out in early 2009 that many advisors in our firm were leaving and going independent. After much conversation and prayer; myself and my now business partner Ken Price decided that we would do the same. So, on March 2, 2009 we started our financial advising firm; Price Perkins. What a crazy nine months!
We built Price Perkins to be a business that specialized in looking at someone’s life in a holistic manner. Whether it’s what we do directly in the form of retirement, investment, college, life insurance, long term care planning; or estate planning, tax planning, etc…we want to ensure that the individual/couple is able to life their life to the fullest while at the same time having a great long term financial plan. I know it’s a bit cliche, but the folks that we have the privilege and honor of helping journey through life are family and are loved as such!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Honesty. I must be known for telling the truth 100% of the time. Lies (big or small) are the same and are never acceptable. Reputations are such a fragile thing and take a lifetime to build and only seconds to destroy. Advice for honesty isn’t super complicated…just don’t lie.
2. Hard work. Take pride in your work and work hard. No one finds success at anything by doing it half way. If you’re going to do something give it everything you’ve got. Become the expert in that area and be known as the expert that people want to come to because they know you have the knowledge to help them.
3. No. Saying no is going to be one of the greatest traits you will ever develop. We all have a finite amount of time and if we want to specialize in something it will take max effort and max time, which means we will have to say no to the majority of things we are asked to do. Once you have a clear understanding of where you are going, saying no becomes easier because it’s not in the direction you are going. We want to be an inch wide and a mile deep.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
There isn’t any one person that has helped me overcome challenges or build the essential skills to become successful as it’s a combination of life that has led me to this point.
Growing up I would say it was my parents example of what true love looks like of being married 40+ years. Also, they were both very hard workers and set the example from a young age of what hard work and long hours looks like.
When my wife and I started dating we were very young 18 & 17, so we have grown together over all these years. It was never just me, but always us. There is no world where I find anywhere close to the success professionally, or personally in the absence of Jade in my life. She is truly my soulmate and we are display of what God planned for marriage where two become one.
Lastly and most importantly it’s Jesus Christ being my Lord and Savior. He sustains me each and every day and brings the joy for tomorrow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.priceperkins.com
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