About sam Arieff
I started investing in 1999 and by 2008, merely 9 years later, my portfolio got smashed by more than 40% two different times. I had pumped as much money as I could into the stock market, and I followed the conventional wisdom of "staying the course" and continuing to "dollar cost average" because I would have “time to make it back.” I was supposed to avoid panicking and remain confident because supposedly "the market always makes money over the long term." How many times have you heard those tired phrases used by so-called financial gurus? While my balance increased due to all the money I myself was shoveling into an S&P index fund, by 2008 I had ZERO gains to show for my 10 years of investing! I would have done better with a savings account, without the ulcers.
The global financial crisis of 2008 wiped away trillions of dollars of wealth. 8 million Americans lost their jobs and tens of thousands more lost their homes. Wall Street got bailed out and the middle class got the bill. I watched friends and family members delay their retirement plans or abandon them entirely.
Afterwards, I didn’t see our system change in any significant way for the better. Our debt, currently greater than $26 trillion dollars, continues to grow at a shocking rate. Our medical costs seem destined to increase into perpetuity. I haven’t seen our nation even attempt to solve our economic problems, a truly bipartisan lack of effort. In December, 2019, a $1.4 trillion spending package virtually guaranteed trillion dollar deficits in the near future. Covid-19 arrived in 2020, and the government printing machine went into overdrive, racking up another $3-6 trillion in debt in a single year.
While working on my MBA, I studied the financial crisis of 2007-2008, and I came to question some of the assumptions I had held as undeniable truth. I realized that several financial philosophies I had previously accepted were inconsistent with my observations and beliefs, and I absorbed important concepts like that ones I show my clients today. I learned how to reduce my exposure to many common financial hazards and even benefit from them. And I realized that if I could secure my own retirement and financial freedom without taking unnecessary risk, I could help others do the same thing.
Experience
My background and experiences include competing as a Division I collegiate athlete... coaching, tutoring, and administration for a major college athletics program... direct sales... Air Force pilot... restaurant managing partner... and airline pilot.
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
VETERAN
Before becoming a financial professional, Sam was a military officer and pilot for the United States Air Force. He served for more than 20 years and participated in multiple contingency operations including Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, accumulating more than 1000 combat hours and earning 6 Air Medals.
As an Air Force pilot with a Top-Secret clearance, Sam traveled the world, often in rather unenjoyable places, and he developed a sincere appreciation for how amazingly blessed we are to live in America. That appreciation extends equally to his brothers and sisters in arms, with whom he has had the honor to serve. For 20-plus years, Sam has borne witness to the sacrifice and the contributions made by young men and women, single mothers, immigrants, and countless others, for the love of country and in pursuit of the American dream.
Barely anyone gets rich from military service, so Sam finds it especially rewarding to help our nation’s bravest – to include law enforcement officers, fire fighters, first responders and teachers – create and protect wealth, and ultimately keep it in their families… where it belongs!
educational background
• Master of Business Administration (honors), University of Washington
• Master of Public Policy (honors), University of Texas at Austin
• B.A., Psychology (honors), University of Texas at Austin