My Background

At Be Here Now Insurance & Financial Services (Be Here Now), I believe the time for action to build a better future for my clients and their families is now. 

In 2019, already with 9 years’ experience in the financial services industry, I experienced a stroke at age 41 the day before I was supposed to run the Chicago Marathon.  This led to the discovery of a brain aneurysm which required open brain surgery.  I went from regularly running marathons to using a walker in a matter of weeks.  While the experience was terrifying, it made me look at my life and my career through fresh eyes. 

I had financial safety nets in place: investments to absorb the loss of income, life insurance to protect my family if I didn’t survive, and financial strategies to protect myself if I needed care for an extended period (everything I had been preaching to my clients for 9 years).

With the help of an amazing support system, I was blessed to make a full recovery.  Not everybody is as fortunate as I was. That is the reason I created Be Here Now with the mission to provide the tools and expertise to make sure clients and their families have sufficient money when they need it, whether it’s for a comfortable retirement, to fund a college education, or to protect family members financially from the premature loss of a loved one.  We are here for you.  Your time is now.

My background as a classroom teacher makes educating you about how the pieces fit together come naturally to me.  I have also passed the 6-hour CFP certification exam required by the CFP Board of Standards.