Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta. It’s time for Charitable Georgia. Brought to you by B’s Charitable Pursuits and Resources. We put the fun in fund raising. For more information, go to B’s Charitable Pursuits. Dot com. That’s B’s Charitable Pursuits dot com. Now here’s your host, Brian Pruett.

Brian Pruett: [00:00:45] Good, fabulous Friday morning. It’s another fabulous Friday. And I got three more fabulous guests. If this is your first time listening to Charitable Georgia, this is all about positivity happening in your community. And again, like I said, we’ve got three fabulous guests. First of all, I hope everybody had a safe and happy 4th of July. Kind of throws everybody’s week off when this kind of middle of the week. So people are probably, you know, still getting over their partying. But anyway, our first guest this morning is Alicia Barnes-Newton from the Etowa Scholarship Foundation. Alicia, thanks for being here.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:01:14] Thank you for having me.

Brian Pruett: [00:01:15] So we’ll talk about the scholarship foundation here in a second and why you do what you do. But if you don’t mind, share a little bit about your background.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:01:23] Well, I am a jack of all trades. Honestly, I’ve done a lot of different types of work, and I think it has benefited me to allow me to speak to students. But I have my degree in crisis response counseling from Liberty University and I am a mom of three. I have a bonus daughter who’s 24, and then I have a 16 year old daughter and a 13 year old son and been remarried to my husband for three years. So it’s a little bit about me. Not not much, but just a little bit.

Brian Pruett: [00:01:54] Oh, that’s cool. That’s cool. So, All right. So Annual Scholarship Foundation. You guys work with youth and helping them in the education piece. So, Cheryl, what about that?

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:02:01] So the Scholarship Foundation has been in existence for about 40 years now, 41 years. And it was started just as a scholarship foundation in Bartow County and Cartersville City students. And last year, we launched a new program. I started with the foundation in January of 2022, and we were bringing on a new program called the Future Shop Program. It was really a vision of my my executive director, Lee Welch, and she was seeing that students were not picking up their money for scholarships and money was being left on the table. And she said, what is happening? What’s the problem here? So we started really visiting with the students and realizing they had no idea what they wanted to do. And my mom told me I needed to go to college. So I went and and I flopped out the first semester or I changed my mind. And my parents finally said I didn’t have to go. You know, just different reasons. Some of them we just never even they fell off the face of the earth and never heard from them again. So we wanted to start a program where we really were intentional of working with students to figure out what exactly do you want to do when you graduate from high school? It doesn’t mean you have to go get a four year degree and then never use that degree and still go work at a coffee shop, which is nothing wrong with working at a coffee shop, but don’t go into student loan debt to do it. You know, let’s get back into trade, Let’s get back into school. Let’s figure out what you let’s get into industry. Let’s join the military, go and do mission work. What is it that you’re passionate about? What do you want to pursue? And you know, the new logo lingo, excuse me, is with kids is what? What am I about? This is what I’m about. So that’s what we’re trying to figure out with these kids.

Brian Pruett: [00:03:48] So you guys work with kids just in Bartow County, or is it all over Georgia or all? Do you.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:03:51] Work? Well, we started we’re initiative is Bartow County and Cartersville City. And now I’m really I speak to students wherever I can and talk to them My my children actually are in Cobb County schools. So my my daughter’s kids student friends and mom, please come and talk to them. Can you can you meet with them? Can you, you know, sit down with them? And I’m like, absolutely. So the the scholarships themselves are specific or more specific to Bartow County and Cartersville City just because of the way the foundation is set up. But we’re hoping to extend our reach soon.

Brian Pruett: [00:04:28] Those are the the kids. Do they have to qualify for anything to be a part of the scholarships?

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:04:33] Yes. So we have our application opens in January and it closes on March 15th. So it’s really there’s different questions on the application. We have over 200 scholarships. So all of the endowments and different scholarships, really, it just depends on kind of what their qualifications are or kind of what niche they fit, if you will, because there are certain scholarships for companies that are dependent, you know, the dependent of an employee. So they have to be able to check that box or a certain church that they’re affiliated with and how many volunteer hours that they may do. So they have to check that box. So it just depends. But like I said, we have over 200 scholarships available. So when they’re able to fill out that application and it also doesn’t just apply to high school seniors, we have non traditional students, you know, moms going back to school. We have college students that continue to receive our scholarships from the time they graduate high school all through their graduate program, just as long as they’re applying and they’re filling out the application, then they are considered for the scholarship.

Brian Pruett: [00:05:38] I like how you talked about earlier about finding their why basically. And if you talked about the trade schools, which I think a lot. People don’t even think about that because, you know, when I was growing up and people talk about being a mechanic, it was like, so he’s just a mechanic, he’s a grease monkey. But those guys, I mean, they have a purpose. They make serious.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:05:55] Money.

Brian Pruett: [00:05:55] They do. And, you know.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:05:57] People don’t think about it.

Brian Pruett: [00:05:58] You know, welding and all that. It’s a good trade. So I like the fact that you guys talk about different military mission field, all that stuff. So on these scholarships, can they is it something where they can take and use it for any like any school they could go to?

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:06:11] Any school they can use it for tech, school, trade school, four year school, two year school. As long as they’re full time, they can take that scholarship anywhere. And that’s, again, some of the things that we work with them. And when I’m talking to students, so I’m in in Cartersville City schools full time. When we launched the program, the superintendent and principal of Cartersville High School, they were both completely on board and wanted me there full time. So my counterpart is in the county schools and rotates out of those schools because there’s three in our vision and hope is to eventually have a full time person with the foundation in each school full time.

Brian Pruett: [00:06:48] So when you talk about being in the schools full time, what does that look like? What are you doing?

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:06:52] So Monday through Friday, 9 to 3, they get in at 830 and leave at 330. So those 30 minutes are kind of, you know, they’re getting settled or getting ready to end their day. But they can come see me at any given time. I have a location, an office set up and on campus. And so the students come and talk to me and we do college applications, we do resumes. We fill out the Fafsa form, which parents are like, please do this because it’s confusing and it’s a pain and I don’t want to deal with it. And can you please help? I introduce them to some recruiters and work with their guidance counselors to make sure everybody’s on the same page. And the counselors are also talking to them as well to see what they need and they’ll send them to me. Also, we do campus visits to different colleges because they don’t have a lot of the counselors don’t have time to go and take a full day to take students. So this year I’m looking at doing nine different campus visits for colleges that most of the kids in Bartow County just don’t have time or their parents don’t have the resources to get them to those campus campuses. Excuse me, but it gives them the opportunity to see themselves where they want to be.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:08:00] You know, they they may have an idea of, well, I want to go to UGA. Okay. Well, let’s talk about that. You don’t. And then when we really start to break it down, they actually don’t qualify to go to UGA because UGA is hard as a freshman, you know, you’re going in, you have to have a 4.0 to a 4 or 5 minimum GPA and then you’re looking at your scores, you’re looking they still require test scores, just all of those things that they require that a lot of these students are like, I didn’t do the SAT or act because they said it was test optional. Well, it is, except for Georgia Tech and for UGA, you know, just those things that they just don’t think about. So it’s just having those conversations with them and breaking down cost comparisons for colleges of I got this scholarship, I got this scholarship from this school, but they have a $30,000 gap because it’s a private school and they’re getting $20,000. Well, it’s $52,000 a year to go. How are you going to go? How are you going to pay for that? Well, I don’t know. What do you mean? You know, so it’s all of those important conversations that kids just don’t think about because they’re just excited. I got accepted to a school and then they realize that they can’t afford it.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:09:09] So it is all of those conversations. It’s a lot to unpack in just a few minute conversation, but I’m just having those multiple conversations with them. Let’s bring them back. Let’s talk about it. Let’s figure out what that looks like. I give them action items at the end of our towards the end of our time, I usually spend about 20 to 30 minutes with them because I don’t want to take away too much of their academic time, but then I will have them come back. I’ll say, okay, let’s work on these three things and then the next time we visit, let’s make sure you have those things done and then we’ll, we’ll hit the next steps. So it’s not as overwhelming for them. But I am trying to even get with them. In their freshman year of high school seniors are always more important just because they’re out the door in that year. But I am trying to hit the underclassmen as well so that we can go ahead and start having the conversation of what this is going to look like for you. And let’s be prepared and let’s check the boxes so that you don’t aren’t in full panic mode, you know, your senior year and realizing that you’ve missed the boat on some things.

Brian Pruett: [00:10:06] That’s all. That’s pretty awesome. You shared one of the differences about you being able to take them on campus tours, but for those of listening who may not have experienced guidance counselors and all that, can you share a little bit difference between what you guys offer other than that taking and the guidance counselor? What’s the difference from you guys conversations?

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:10:23] Well, I am not a guidance counselor at all, so I just want to make sure because we want to make sure that we stay in our lane of where we are. So I don’t do any guidance, counseling, Guidance counselors help with their schedules. They’re helping with crisis, you know, any crisis that the student is encountering in the middle of the school year, they are dealing with a lot. More. Administration things as well that the school requires of them. I don’t have to. I’m not a part of that. And as an employee of the foundation and not of the school system. Really, I am solely there just to talk to them about what they’re going to do after graduation. And I’m there to help them with our application for scholarships. I help them find additional scholarships from other resources. I am only there to talk to them about that. So anything else that deals with anything the guidance counselor has, then I’m like, Have you talked to your guidance counselor? And sometimes they don’t even know who their guidance counselor is because they’ve never even gone to see them or they’ve seen them and don’t realize that they’ve seen them depending on the school, depending on the student, because most of the guidance counselors try to see them at the beginning of the year and just have a conversation with them. But it’s usually about ten, 15 minutes. And because they have to go down their checklist of the things that they need to do and unfortunately, they just don’t really have the time to do some of the fun things that they like to do, which is, you know, college stuff and being able to take them on those campus visits. So we’re just, you know, kind of we’re coming in to collaborate with them and partner with them to help take the load off a little bit.

Brian Pruett: [00:11:58] And there’s that name, collaborate, the word collaborate that our buddy Bob Brooks talks about, Collaborate over Competition. I think that’s awesome that you guys can do that within the schools as well and help the students that way. So how did the name come about? There’s a reason why it’s called Scholarship Foundation.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:12:17] There is. I honestly don’t know. You ask the wrong person if if the.

Brian Pruett: [00:12:23] Indian Mounds is out there.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:12:24] Yes, correct. And I mean the Etowah River. So I’m sure that had a part in it. I don’t know why it was named that specific.

Brian Pruett: [00:12:31] Some homework for you?

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:12:32] Yeah, It was like I wasn’t expecting that question.

Brian Pruett: [00:12:36] You talked a little bit about you’ll go to the Cobb County, some of the schools, but is there a plan in place of you guys branching out to doing this in other areas?

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:12:44] There is. And I can’t talk on all the details because a lot of things still need to be worked out. We have been given Century Bank is one of our main sponsors and they have actually provided a they used to have a mobile bus that during Covid that they used and it has been sitting in their parking lot. So they have actually donated the bus to us. And so we’re hoping to do something with that. What that looks like, we don’t know all the details just yet, but I would love to be able my my hope is to be able to take it to other schools outside of the county and the city and even some of the private schools that are in Cartersville, some of the co ops, the homeschool co ops, all of those things. I would like to be able to do that as well. I have worked with some homeschool students and parents are just like, we don’t have guidance counselors, so what do we do? You know? So just to be able to work with those students has been helpful and those families to know that we’re a resource for them and that they’re welcome to come any time and and contact the office and they can come and see me at the schools. They can even just check in at the high school and come see me or I’m able to meet students at coffee shops or our other office. So I have technically two offices, so I’m in the office at the school and then the office in, in the city. And during the summer. I’m not at the high school at all, obviously, because the students are not there, so I can see them at any time.

Brian Pruett: [00:14:07] I’m glad you. Because when I was going, I went to a private school and there was nothing like this when I was in school. I’m old, so that was nothing.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:14:13] But there are some private schools that have great programs and they have some phenomenal. College career counselors there outside of their guidance counselors that that’s all that they do. And so this is where this kind of came from. Walton High School in East Cobb has something like this. I don’t know if they call it a future shop, but that’s where kind of the idea came from with my director. She went to Walton High School and it was something available to her years and years ago. So but there’s just not a lot of schools that have it available. We’re hoping to initially hope maybe in the near in the future it could be something that could be statewide, a program that we could really build it to make it the standard. I guess maybe, you know, for for the state and be able to help all these students and get it in all the school districts. But funding is the biggest thing, you know since we are a non profit. It’s just wherever the money comes. Right. And that will allow us to hire more people and, you know, do what we need to do. Right.

Brian Pruett: [00:15:16] So you mentioned Century Bank. They donated that bus to you, which I think is awesome. Explain how businesses and people in the community can get involved with you guys and helping so.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:15:26] They can go to Edx.org or they can call our office at (770) 382-1757 and talk to Lee Welsh again, our director, and she can help them and get things started. So it just depends on what they want to do. We have general funding and donations that we receive and then we have funding for scholarships. So we have those. We always have people coming in to set up a new scholarship and an endowment in the immemorial. Someone a lot of people can leave. Money to us in their wills and their estates. And you can do that with a lot of nonprofits and a lot of people don’t think realize that. So they’re able to do that. And of course, that would be something in the future. But that’s always something that could be. But for now, it’s just we also have the ability to do monthly giving. So that’s set up on our website so people can do just like a tithe or any kind of monthly donation. They’re able to do that monthly and they get a tax write off on anything that they provide and give to the foundation.

Brian Pruett: [00:16:25] Awesome. So obviously you guys do a lot of fundraising as well. I know a couple of months ago I did the trivia night for you guys, but you guys have other events that you guys do throughout the year. Do you have anything coming up or things you want to share about what you got going?

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:16:35] We have our purse auction that’s coming up in November. So right now it is a great ladies night. So we have a lot of ladies that come and businesses. Right now, we’re selling tables for businesses to be able to come. It’s a table of eight. And they can also contact us and on reserving a table they like. And so we have all kinds of high end purses and some are not as high end, but we have fillers. And a lot of the local community businesses are great on donating fillers and gift certificates, and we have live auction items as well, packages that are great and it’s just a fun night. We have food and, you know, little heavier d’oeuvres and wine and the ladies come and they start getting getting excited about their purses and what they want to do. But we have that in November. And then we usually do two bourbon tasting events a year in January. We like to have a smaller one. And then we just did a bourbon event at Moonlight Stables in Dallas. So it was for the Belmont race. We did a Derby edition last year, so we did a Belmont edition this year and it was really fun. I think everybody enjoyed it. And we had like the big band music, you know, Frank Sinatra, singer guy, and he did great and his band was fantastic. So we were hoping to kind of keep it at that right now. So you just court.

Brian Pruett: [00:18:01] Stones.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:18:02] Ears, nice, nice.

Brian Pruett: [00:18:04] Bourbon. So yeah, So there you go. Yeah. So make sure you’re there. He’s taking notes. Exactly.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:18:09] Exactly. Yes. So we’re hoping to do it in the next probably at least 2 or 3 more times. So this year was the first time we did the Belmont and did it to the scale that we had it. We usually kind of keep them a little bit smaller, maybe 50 people. But this one we like to do, we want to get a couple hundred people in there, do raffles and just it’s just a fun night.

Brian Pruett: [00:18:31] Awesome. Do you have a story? Everybody’s different. I know, but do you have a particular story you could share on somebody that you’ve gone who’s gone through your program? That’s a success story? Just a testimonial. I will share this. I think I mentioned it to you when we did the trivia night. This this particular team that came, they had come when I was doing trivia regularly at Saint Angelo’s before Covid and all that happened. And then they called the restaurant, apparently heard that we were doing trivia once a month and started coming back. And that was the first night they were there. And I had another bucket up front for anybody who wanted to donate any extra money. And the gentleman asked me, What’s that for? And I said, Well, it’s for the non profit tonight. And I said, He said, Who is it? I said, Scholarship Foundation. And he told me he was one of the very first people to receive that. So I thought that was pretty cool. Um, but do you have a story you could share that maybe that’s a great success story?

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:19:20] Well, let me think about it again. If Lee was here, she she’s been with the foundation a long time. I’ve been with the foundation a year. So she and her wealth of knowledge is ridiculous of how many people and our students and how she keeps up with everyone. So with me being a little bit of a short timer with the foundation, I know of a lot of students that have been in the that are in the community. Zach Pritchard is actually who has Zach. He has Pritchard law firm. He was a recipient of ours years and years ago. So, I mean, he’s pretty successful. So there you go. I don’t know all the details of him, but he’s one that did receive a scholarship with us. But we run into I run into people all the time. You know, I’m just getting coffee or I’m getting lunch or I’m trying to remember when we’re doing events and I’m, you know, renting stuff and calling people. And they will tell me, oh my gosh, I was a scholarship recipient of yours back in the day, and I do this and I do that. So it’s usually just in passing a lot of those. We have a great student, Chloe Satterfield, who is right now. She’s at Georgia Tech and she is a graduate of Cartersville High School.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:20:31] And she’s doing amazing things. And she’s I mean, I could totally see her being like governor or the president one year. I mean, she’s very involved in youth politics and is very well spoken and just has a great head on her shoulders. And but there’s just a lot of great students that come from the county schools as well that I don’t know them personally, but I know that they’re doing great things and they’re very appreciative of their scholarships and the help. That they’re getting. So, you know, kind of the best is yet to come as we grow and and with the future shop program expanding and hopefully really engaging those students to be able to help them. So it’s kind of, you know, we’re building the bridge as we walk across it as far as the program is concerned. So to see the success programs with the future shop and the scholarships together, it’ll take a little bit of time to really see what that’s going to end up turning into. But I do have those students that have just told me you were like a mom to me in school. Thank you so much for your help. Or, you know, when we talk about things and go over cost comparisons or we talk about college, whatever that looks like, or they need to take a step back and let’s find a job.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:21:43] I’ve helped several students, nontraditional students, get out of where they were because they just weren’t making the money that they needed to. And just being, again, a collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and Cartersville and Bartow County as well, we have that relationship with them. So they’re able to we’re able to kind of put them together and introduce them to industry and just be able to help them get a better job. You know, the fast food industry is great for a high school student, but when you graduate and you’re still working there, you know that’s not going to pay the bills. So getting them involved and in the bigger industry, there’s a ton of industry in Bartow County and it’s huge industry that is there that the students just don’t realize is there and have these wonderful opportunities. And they, you know, they’re starting Toyo Tire and Textron and Anheuser-Busch and Hyundai is coming out there. And I mean, you know, they’re starting from 20, $22 an hour. I mean, who got 425 at Publix in high school? You know, so I think.

Brian Pruett: [00:22:41] That was three something at Taco Bell.

David Jackson : [00:22:43] So dating yourselves. Yes.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:22:45] I know. I know. But I just thought, Holly, you know, to be right out of high school and getting $20 an hour, sign me up. Right.

Brian Pruett: [00:22:53] Right. So that’s awesome. So other than the fact of having a passion and helping the youth and even the nontraditional students, why is it important for you to be part of the community?

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:23:02] I just want people to find their purpose. I want them to be able to know that they’re valuable. There’s a lot of students in Bartow County that and in Cartersville City that, you know, it’s considered more of a rural area, even though the city is not. But Bartow County is. And I feel like a lot of times they just feel like there’s just one way for them to go because that’s the way that they think that they should go or that their parents tell them this is the only thing that is available to you. So being able to show them that there’s a lot more to the to life and there’s a lot more opportunities out there that is available to them that they’re able to do. And it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to have that four year degree or whatever, you know, whoever it is that they’re listening to has told them or that they believe. Let’s change the narrative a little bit and understand that there’s a lot of great opportunity for them. And the best way to do that is just to be able to get face to face with them. You know, there’s only so much that they will take in with advertising or, you know, putting things out there, even through the schools, websites and so forth.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:24:05] They they do a great job putting things on the websites. But we all know teenagers don’t read, write a lot of it. You know, they’re too busy on, you know, their social media and stuff. So it’s like, how can we get in front of them? How do we engage them? How do we get them to understand that we’re here? One, we’re here to help them. But two, we really want them to know that there’s so many available opportunities for them. And I think for years I remember in high school the push was you need that four year degree. You’re not going to be successful if you don’t have a four year degree. And that I mean, over 20 years ago now look where we are. We have a lot. We lack trade, we lack skilled workers. We lack a lot of things that I feel like the shift is coming has started where people are starting to understand and it’s being promoted again to go get that trade, go get that skill and make, you know, whatever kind of money you want to make. You can be successful in those type of avenues. But and a lot of teenagers and kids really enjoy it and realize that they’re good at it and they’re not meant to be behind a desk.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:25:08] They’re not you know, they don’t thrive well in a four year university system. There are. And that there’s something for everybody and that we need those workers just as much. And it’s not to be selfish of you need to go do a trade so you can do this for your community. But it’s just we want you to be successful and help your community at the same time, you know, to be able to show them that they can do both and and just be able to have that knowledge and give to them. So the biggest thing for me is what is your purpose? And know that you have a purpose and the purpose can look different for everybody. So it doesn’t necessarily need to be. I think sometimes when we say purpose, people feel like maybe it’s this really big, grandiose idea and how can I achieve that? But really it could just be, what is your passion? That’s you. Usually your purpose, whatever’s in your heart, whatever you desire to do, whatever you enjoy, you know, work doesn’t have to be labor. Arduous and difficult. And, you know, and you hate the job. I mean, who wants to do that every day? You know.

Brian Pruett: [00:26:11] Plenty of people do.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:26:12] They do. And then they’re miserable. And then it’s like, well, that’s just what you do. You just get up and you hate your job, but it’s a paycheck and, you know, you come home and you’re miserable and you make everybody else around you miserable because you can’t stand where you are. Like enjoy life and enjoy where you are. And being able to do that and what you know is meant for you. So it’s I try not to get that deep with the students because, you know, sometimes we’ll go over their head. But just to say, what do you enjoy? What is it that you like? I was just yesterday with family and one of my niece’s friends. She’s at a she’s at Georgia Southern. And I was like, what are you doing? You know, like what for your degree? She’s like, I think I’m going to change my degree because I really don’t know what I want to do. And I said, okay, well, what do you enjoy? So we just started digging out. She goes, I really like the ocean and animals. And I said, Well, why don’t you do marine biology? She goes, I don’t think I’m smart enough for that. And I said, Honey, if you got into college, I think you’re smart enough to do be a marine biologist. You know, you got into college, you met all the requirements. And I was like, Don’t sell yourself short. I was like, Why don’t you look into that and see instead, you know, because she was she’s doing I forgot what she’s doing right now. I think it’s like criminal justice. And I was like, You want to be a lawyer? She’s like, No. So I was like, Honey, come on now. You know, so just, you know, it’s just those little conversations and sometimes it just sparks that little light bulb in their head and then they realize, Hey, I don’t have to do that. Maybe I can do something else.

Brian Pruett: [00:27:37] And that’s so important that people following their passions because, again, I’m doing now what I was I’m passionate about. It took me all these years to figure that out. But it’s like my stepson, my stepson, he lights up when he talks about cars. But so he went to Chattahoochee Tech, got a certificate on mechanics and all that. And then he spent, what, six, seven years working at Kroger? And I’m like, Why now? He’s at John Thornton Chevrolet and the Body Shop and he loves it. Right, Right. So it’s just one of those things that. But finding your passion is definitely, definitely what people need to do, for sure. And you’re younger than it’s a lot easier. Yes. Going forward. So. All right. Again, share your website and phone number for those who might want to get in touch with you guys.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:28:15] It is etawah.org. So e. T o w h.org and it is (770) 382-1757.

Brian Pruett: [00:28:23] Awesome. Well, Alicia, thank you for sharing. Don’t go because we’re not done with you yet, but we’re moving on to our next guest.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:28:28] Thank you for having me.

Brian Pruett: [00:28:30] Dr. Caitlin..Let me see if I’m going to do it right? Dr. Caitlin Quraishi.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:28:34] Yes.

Brian Pruett: [00:28:34] Awesome.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:28:36] Good morning.

Brian Pruett: [00:28:37] But Doctor Q is what she likes to go by. All right? It’s just.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:28:39] Easier. It’s easy.

Brian Pruett: [00:28:41] You’re with cultivate health. You’re you specialize in prenatal and kids. Yes. Chiropractic. Yep. So share a little bit. You’re fairly well, I guess, new back to Georgia.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:28:52] You back to Georgia a year right here a year.

Brian Pruett: [00:28:56] So share a little bit of your story and then we’ll talk about cultivate health.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:28:59] Okay. I have I graduated from chiropractic school at Life University here in Marietta in 2015. And chiropractic really found me. I have always known that I wanted to be in the health care field, and I knew that I wanted to work with kids, but I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. And so I think that really started when I started babysitting for a family in my neighborhood, and they had two kids. And one of them, Taylor, had neuroblastoma. And so just babysitting her and Landon and watching some of the things that they went through and her treatments and how that affected her body really had a big impact on me. And so I knew right then like, I want to work with kids, and I definitely thought I wanted to be a pediatric oncologist, but I realized I am way too emotional for that and I would cry way too much. So I went through undergrad and knew I was going to be in the health care field and then someone I had gone to school with since middle school said, Hey, I know, you know, we’re graduating. You’re kind of like in this limbo. You I’m going up to this school and I’m starting in the fall and I think you should go check it out. And so and that was that life. And so I went up and they have a leadership weekend. And I knew from the moment that I was there that that’s where I was supposed to be. But I didn’t know why and I didn’t look anywhere else. I put my application in it just it was it and it felt right. So I started there. Six months later and through, and I really didn’t know much about chiropractic either.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:31:05] So I started there and learned the chiropractic philosophy and just fell in love with it and learned that there’s like this whole other way to live and to trust in your own body and that we have this intelligence that is within us and we can tap into that. And so I fell in love with it and I focused everything as far as my electives in pediatrics and pregnancy. And so then I graduated and my husband and I moved to Washington State to go on an adventure and try something brand new. And we went out there and I was there for six years and I went into a family practice. So I was in a family practice for a year, and then I ended up opening up my own coverage business. So I would cover chiropractic offices all around the greater Seattle area. So I did that for the rest of the time that I was there and would cover about 25 practices a year. So I really saw a wide variety of of ways that chiropractors can practice. So it was elderly practices, sports practices, family car accident practices. So I had a very big exposure to a lot of different things. But in the back of my mind, I knew still that I wanted to do, you know, specifically focus on and kids and pregnant mamas. And so we ended up last year moving back to Georgia through all of the Covid craziness. And also it is insanely expensive to buy a home there. And we were ready to buy a home. And so we ended up moving back to Georgia last year. And I knew then that I was going to open my own practice so I could focus on exactly what I wanted to.

Brian Pruett: [00:33:23] Well, you jumped right in, obviously. But I want to talk a little bit about the the pregnant mamas and the the infant chiropractic, because I think the chiropractic, it’s snap, crackle, pop, and it’s not always that way. Right. So walk us through how that works with a pregnant mama and an infant. Yes.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:33:39] So I tell people because that is the the public perception a lot of times and I tell people it’s not like the TikTok videos because that’s what we see. And then that’s what we think. And it’s very that that would be very scary to me. So, yes, with working with pregnant moms and with kids and infants, everything is very specific and very gentle. So I tell people the amount of pressure that you’re going to put on the back of your eyelid or check the ripeness of a tomato is the only amount of pressure that we need. And if we are being very specific in where we are making those contacts in the body, like the body doesn’t need a lot of force to make a change in the brain. So.

Brian Pruett: [00:34:32] Well, I think chiropractic is amazing. I’ve shared with you Dr. John Markham’s, who we go to. I’ve been going to him for my mom’s over 30 years. We’re over 20. And it’s amazing. You can walk through his door and he goes, Well, that’s out, That’s out. And it’s just amazing how you guys can do that. But he has this little, you know, like a little clicker and all that stuff. So it’s, you know, chiropractors were the. Doctors were like, huh? Yes, Yes. Now, I think it’s very vital that that part of the health of the health thing you do. So as I mentioned, you jumped right back in when you moved here because you and I met at a networking event out in Paulding County. You then joined us over at the Cardinal Business Club. And you’ve now opened your practice in Cartersville. Yes. You have a lot of ladies that come to you. I like to say the the Golden Girls of the Cardinal Business Club. Yes. So you’re passionate about that. But you jumped in with helping Christy, our friend Christy, with footprints on the heart. Yes. And her nonprofit. You opened up your brand new office and helping. Know, it was a gift baskets for nurses back in December.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:35:34] Yes. So Christie’s footprints on the heart. They were doing a um they were doing light up the NICU on Christmas Eve. So she was putting together baskets and gifts for all of the nurses that were working Christmas Eve and then all of the babies that were in the NICU on Christmas Eve. And she with her nonprofit, she needed the space to like, put all of those things together. And so we just reached out to Cartersville Business Club and asked people to come and volunteer to help put all these gifts together. And then everyone came into my office as my office is one big open space. I don’t have individual rooms. And so we just set up tables and it was a huge assembly line and it was a lot of fun. We all really enjoyed it. And then, you know, that helped her get all of that stuff done because I can’t imagine her doing all of that on her own. And so, yeah, that was a really fun event that I hope that she continues to do and we can help her with that.

Brian Pruett: [00:36:46] And you just mentioned, too, you’re helping her this weekend move.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:36:48] Yes. Yes.

Brian Pruett: [00:36:50] So, um, obviously you’re passionate about the kids and everything, but being kind of new to back to the area. You moved to Dallas, right? And you came and so people really didn’t know you. I didn’t.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:37:01] Yeah, I didn’t know anyone.

Brian Pruett: [00:37:02] Right. But you jumped in as soon as you did. And so there’s a passion there. So why is that your passion? Why is it being a part of the community and helping others?

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:37:12] Oh, um. Gosh, I don’t know. I just love. I love helping people. I love getting involved. I think one of the things I learned about myself in Washington going into a lot of different offices was that I was really I found that I was really good at connecting people. And. And you’re good at that as well. You’re great at that. Brian. But I just found that I could see two people that should be connected and would work really well together and help each other. And that’s something that I love to do. And so just getting into the community and seeing where there’s a need and, you know, stepping in and helping like I love to do that. Um, so yeah.

Brian Pruett: [00:38:01] So tell us a little bit about Cultivate Health. What makes you a little bit different because you offer a lot of programs through cultivate health. So share about that.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:38:09] Okay. So my office, yes, I would say is a family wellness practice, but I specialize in kids and in pregnancy and prenatal. And I look at things a little different from the Standard Chiropractic office in the sense that I’m looking at that brain body connection all through the nervous system. I don’t do x rays in my office since I am working with pregnant mamas and kids and I do neurological scans which really tell me exactly where stress is built up in the system and how long it’s been there and how to help. So that’s what sets me apart. And then I just love taking care of the whole family and helping them realize like, there is another way to live their life and to tap into their own potential.

Brian Pruett: [00:39:09] Well, we’ve had different ladies at least share their stories of going to You have you’ve helped them with thyroid problems. You’ve helped them with balance issues. You’ve helped them with people who they couldn’t go to the chiropractor because of different issues they’ve had in their back. I’m going to get my wife there because she needs to come see you eventually. I’ll get her there. But I just think it’s amazing that, you know, you it’s not that you’re turning people away, but you have you want to get people early and you want to help them along the way. And the fact that you jumped in when you did is to me, it’s also not everybody does that. Right. And especially in the community, they don’t they’re not familiar with. Yes.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:39:43] Yes. Yeah. And I think that I always just want to be treated the way that I, you know, I want to be I want to treat others the way I want to be treated. And I want when people come in my door, no matter who it is, I want to treat them like I would treat my own family. And so I just think when they come in, no matter what they’re coming in with, what brings them in the door, I always go back to I love you and I can help you. And that’s always what guides me.

Brian Pruett: [00:40:17] That’s awesome. So you do do different programs. Is it monthly? You have some things going on, right?

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:40:21] Oh, monthly? Yes. I offer Education is a big, big core value for me and I do offer offer monthly workshops. So I do a perfect storm workshop which helps parents learn about helping their kids, whether that’s depression, anxiety, autism, ADHD. So that’s a monthly workshop that I do. I love to collaborate with other providers in the community, so I will bring different people in. So I had birth on The Daily, who is a duo doula team, and they came in and we did a birth story gathering so mothers could come in and share their stories around their birth, which is really healing. And then I have a workshop workshop coming up in the fall with Dr. Brandy Freeman, who is a pelvic floor physical therapist. And so she’s going to be talking all about the pelvic floor and the core and how that can help women at any age, but especially during pregnancy and postpartum. So yeah, I love to collaborate, bring other people in because it takes a team. It’s not just one provider that can can help you. So it’s really I love the team approach and getting all these different people that are experts in their area working together and collaborating to give the best care.

Brian Pruett: [00:42:02] All right. So if somebody is listening and wants to learn how they can get a hold of you, how can they do that?

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [00:42:08] I would say going to my website. My website is. Is w-w-w dot cultivate health cairo.com or calling my office phone number is (770) 291-6565. And then on social media I always post any of the workshops going on that are upcoming.

Brian Pruett: [00:42:36] Awesome. Well thanks for sharing your a little bit of the story. Don’t go anywhere. We’re not done. Okay. Thank you. Talk to Mr. David Jackson from Heritage Financial Solutions. David, thanks for being here this morning.

David Jackson : [00:42:46] Thanks, Brian. I appreciate the invite.

Brian Pruett: [00:42:48] So you’ve got an interesting background on how you got into involved and what you’re doing. So I’d like to share that. But, you know, you’re an adrenaline junkie, You motocross race for a while you were a mechanic. Yeah.

David Jackson : [00:42:58] 25 years. Yeah. Yeah.

Brian Pruett: [00:43:00] So but if you don’t mind, share your story because it drove to a passion of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

David Jackson : [00:43:05] Uh, which story would that be?

Brian Pruett: [00:43:07] Well, whatever you want to share. But the story of why you got into the financial part.

David Jackson : [00:43:12] Okay, so essentially, I was a mechanic for 25 years. The last ten years of it, I hated it. Just like you were talking about waking up every single morning and the alarm clock going off and it’s like, Oh God, is it that time again, really? Um, and I was miserable. I was miserable at home. I was bringing it home with me. So, you know, something had to change. And then what happened that really shifted my entire life was my dad had a massive heart attack and was clinically dead for over 30 minutes, and the people resuscitated him and brought him back. And the only thing he really lost was about six months of memory. Otherwise, he was perfectly healthy as far as I could tell. And suddenly his financial advisor was coming to the house like every three months when I didn’t see the guy. But what, maybe once every three, five years. Right. So obviously things were changing. And one day my dad, special forces, military, you know, put the heavy hand on the shoulder and says, Follow me. You just don’t tell the man. No. Oh, yes, sir. You know, so. So you followed him into his office. He swung open. The drawer of the file cabinet says if anything happens to me, everything you need is right here.

David Jackson : [00:44:30] And I was like, okay, Dad, what could go wrong? I mean, you’re here. My car’s clinging to me and the boys are going out Friday night. You know, everything’s good. About six months later, he had another heart attack, and it killed him. And I’m an only child. And I opened up the drawer that my dad said. Everything you need is right here. And lo and behold, every single thing that I needed was right there. My mom was a deer in the headlights and essentially fell onto my shoulders. And what I found was he had increased his insurance to half $1 million. He had about $400,000 in annuities that he left for my mom. His pension paperwork from AT&T, his pension from veteran assistants was all set up and all it needed was a signature and a notary. And then, of course, you know, his 401. From AT&T. Lucent Technologies came to my mom, too, and he had paid off the home and everything. He literally left my mom with a lot of funds and no bills. And this is really unique because my mom has been disabled since I was about four years old. Due to what we know now as thyroid eye disease, it was so severe that they literally removed her cheekbones from her skull to reduce pressure in her brain and she was unable to work.

David Jackson : [00:45:55] So my dad passed in February of 97 and left my mom with no bills, about $800,000 and $5,000 a month of income coming in. Wow. Well, my mom, with her illness, really got wrapped up in the opioid addiction. She was doctor shopping. She was going to multiple doctors not divulging the fact. And before I knew it, she had had three overdoses, three stays in rehab. And I was introduced to an elder attorney and he interviewed me, went to visit my mom, called me back into his office, and I was like. What did I do wrong? Because you didn’t do anything wrong. I was like, So why am I back here? And he slid a folder over to me. He goes, You are now your mom’s fiduciary. And I was like, That’s a really big word. What does it mean? You know? And he said, essentially, he said, you have to take care of your mom’s finances to the best of your ability. If there’s any discrepancies, you get to go to jail. I was like, um, I don’t know if I want this role. He’s like, It’s too late. It’s already been appointed by the courts. So lo and behold, I have access to all of my mom’s stuff.

David Jackson : [00:47:14] So I start trying to organize everything and I had to organize it and rearrange it three times to try to make sure I’m coming up with the right number. But what should have been $1 million sitting there easy. In 2008, she was down to 20 grand. And me being a former mechanic, what did I do? I reverse engineered everything and saw where all the money went and everybody in her world was stealing from her. Her financial advisor was churning, which is a term in my industry where you keep selling people products that they don’t necessarily need, but you’re doing it for the commissions involved. He had really high fees. He had asset under management fees. He had retainer fees. And my mom didn’t understand any of this. And she ended up going into assisted living in 2008. And I kept her head above water until she passed last December. And that kind of led me down the understanding of funding and retirement and how to make money grow and and not only make it grow, but how do you get to keep it yourself and not give it to other people. So there’s two things in this world that don’t lie math and yoga pants, right?

Brian Pruett: [00:48:38] So is why I’m not good at either one of those. You won’t steer me where, though.

David Jackson : [00:48:42] Yeah, well, yeah. Well, I’m bringing one of them to the table in a meeting. Okay. And normally it’s math. Okay, I’m not. I’m not saying I’m throwing some some yoga pants up on the table.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:48:52] I’m glad I didn’t wear my yoga pants. There you go.

David Jackson : [00:48:55] Me, too. Like I said, I’m feeling a little tight in the seat. Right. But the the fact is, is math doesn’t lie. 2.2 or sorry, two plus two will always equal four. And you know, a lot of people have great sales pitches and this, that and the other. I’m not that guy. I don’t have that used car salesman thing. Hey, have I got the deal for you? I’m just not that guy. If I can help you, it’ll be obvious. If I can’t, it’ll be obvious. And you know, I’m not fee based. The products I sell have fees. Let’s be clear. The products I sell have fees, but I don’t take a retainer fee. I don’t take assets under management fees. I don’t do trade fees. And I’m trying to teach the world how this industry is really just taking a lot more money than I think they should.

Brian Pruett: [00:49:47] So other than the fact that you don’t have fees, what other ways makes you stand out from other financial advisors?

David Jackson : [00:49:55] Point blank, plain and simple. Tax management. I know you have seen it. You all probably have not. But I’m becoming famous for my Google search, right? And most financial advisors, from what I’ve been told, have a totally different approach than I do. If I’m like Dr. Q over here, nice, young and everything, just start in life. First thing I would do if I was sitting in front of you is to tell you to open up your phone and open up Google, okay? And the first search we would look at is 1960 federal tax rates. Okay? Then we go to 1980 federal tax rates and then we go to to today. Right. And if that doesn’t slap you across the face hard enough, then we go to US debt clock.org. So you can actually see our national debt versus our debt to gross domestic product ratio and how much that translates into each person’s debt to the government that you didn’t create. The government created it for you, but they expect you to pay it back. Yeah. So something’s off in that scenario, right? Right. So I literally say it. I know, I know both of you have heard me. All three of you have heard me say it a lot. It’s not about how much you make. It’s about how much you actually get to keep yourself. Right now, taxes have never been lower on the federal side. Now you pay taxes on everything gas, food, property, this, that and the other. But out of all the taxes, the federal side is the biggest shark in the water taking the biggest bite out of you. So let’s manage that one first and foremost.

Brian Pruett: [00:51:32] Right? So when you meet with somebody, obviously you look at what’s best for them. But obviously there’s when I think of sitting down with a financial advisor and you and I have sat down and talked and things of that nature, but you have stocks and bonds, you have IRAs, you’ve got the life insurance aspect of it. So how do you go about finding what’s the best programs for the people that you work with?

David Jackson : [00:51:53] It depends on the person and their goals. I mean, essentially I’m kind of like part of the Google Maps. I mean, you have to enter a starting point A and where you want to go, and then I’ll show you the different routes to get there and show you. Information on the vehicles to get you there efficiently.

Brian Pruett: [00:52:14] Are there certain things you can’t do, like stocks and bonds? Ira? There are things you’re not able to do that you work with other people with.

David Jackson : [00:52:20] Well, I do not sell individual stocks and I don’t do trades. If I did, I’d be fee based. And it just takes a lot of time and I’m just not going to be that guy to manage a thousand people’s portfolios to a minuscule degree. I’ll help you macro manage your portfolio to management, but the micro management of is, Hey, I want to buy this stock. Well then get on my broker and buy the stock. You know, don’t pay somebody else to do it when you really don’t have to and you can do it yourself. But yeah, I’m kind of I’m trying to change the game a little bit. Like I was being pushed down a fee based avenue and I’ve been under fee based management and it was like, Are you moving these? Are you making these trades for my benefit or for the commission involved? Because I’m not really seeing my account growing. Yeah, right. But you’re still getting commissions, right? You know, so there’s a there’s a lot of companies out there that make a huge, huge income for themselves and their employees through other people’s money. I need to live comfortably, but I don’t need to make $750,000 a year on business that I wrote five years ago, you know, and I’ve built my entire practice on referrals.

Brian Pruett: [00:53:37] So so talk a little bit about your practice, heritage, financial solutions, and you got to share your tagline. Okay.

David Jackson : [00:53:43] Yeah. So are we allowed to share?

Brian Pruett: [00:53:46] The FCC doesn’t listen to this.

David Jackson : [00:53:47] Okay, So. So my tagline is no smoke, no mirrors, no bullshit. And I was given that by my clients. It was a it was a referral. One day they’re like, Look, just talk to Dave. He’s just no smoke, no mirrors, no bullshit. And. And the person said, Hey, somebody sold you to me with this line. Is that accurate? I was like, Yeah, I’m not going to give you a whole bunch of nonsense. It’s just it’s math. Either it four plus four equals eight or it doesn’t. It has to add up, but it has to get you efficiently to your goal. Right. And it’s just building a simple strategy. And honestly, at the end of the day, these strategies are fairly simple. Until you try to micromanage them, then they get in-depth and time consuming. The macro management of it, the just general management of it is actually very simple.

Brian Pruett: [00:54:44] So where all do you work? Is it just a portion of Metro Atlanta or do you go all over?

David Jackson : [00:54:50] No, I have a license in Tennessee. I had one in California. I let that go. Those people are crazy. You know, I refuse to get one in New York, even though I have family there. They’re like, well, you could be my advisor. Well, you need to move, right? Maybe. Right. But I mean, I have South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia. If I become a nationwide practice, all 50 states, as long as I have good clients and I can help them adequately and accurately, I will always do so.

Brian Pruett: [00:55:27] Is it to me it would be much better if you could meet in person, but obviously with a zoom and before then Skype. But that probably helps you be able to do all this.

David Jackson : [00:55:34] Oh, Zoom is phenomenal. So. So the pandemic, right? Pandemic happened. I cannot meet anybody in person. And the pandemic proved two things. One, I don’t need to pay for an office in Dunwoody and two, right. And two, I need to learn us. I need to learn Zoom desperately and honestly, it seems to have. Helped my clients too, because first off, they don’t. They want me to come to their house. They don’t have to clean, right? They don’t want to. Who wants to drive to Dunwoody? Nobody wants to be in that traffic anyways. And everybody seems to be very comfortable with Zoom. I mean, I had a client maybe about a year ago. She was literally had her hair in rollers putting on makeup. She goes, You don’t mind, do you? I was like, I don’t care because I got to get ready for work while we do this. I was like, okay, whatever you want to do the.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:56:27] Camera, it’s fine.

David Jackson : [00:56:29] She didn’t she left the camera on.

Brian Pruett: [00:56:31] You know, if your camera’s on, make sure you’re wearing pants.

David Jackson : [00:56:33] Right, Right. Well, I don’t. I try not to stand up.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [00:56:36] Just close in general, you know?

Speaker6: [00:56:38] You know.

David Jackson : [00:56:38] You know, a blazer in my boxer shorts.

Speaker6: [00:56:40] There you go. There you go.

Brian Pruett: [00:56:43] So you also are very involved in the community. You you and I see each other all multiple different networking groups other than the fact of trying to get people to point A to point B, as you say. Right. What’s why is it important for you to be part of the community?

David Jackson : [00:56:59] One, I’m trying to build a brand. I don’t have the deep pockets. I don’t have the storefronts. Every, you know, every 30 yards. There’s companies in my industry that I can’t throw a stick in the air blind without hitting one of them. Right? I can’t say any names, but there’s different ways of doing it. And I am one of the few that are doing it my way and reducing the fees so people can keep more of their own money. And I’ve built an entire practice on on referrals alone. So, you know, I want to be in the community. I want to help people. You know, there’s too there’s too much of of how do I help myself in today’s world? You know, there’s there’s good people, but the good people are the ones that get used, Right? I mean.

Speaker7: [00:57:51] Can I interject here for a minute? Sure, sure. So this is Stone Payton talking. I’m producing this show today. I’m not hosting, but when I moved here, Holly and I moved here a little over two years ago and I wanted to put up this studio, I reached out to this guy, David Jackson, and invited him on the show, and I didn’t even have a studio yet. I was just trying to line up guests and he immediately started connecting me with people around the community. He invited me to come to Woodstock Business Club. So he really lives into what he’s talking about. He is incredibly invested in other people’s success. He does connect people and he genuinely cares about the success of other people. So for whatever my endorsement is worth, and it might be worth what you just paid for it, but this guy actually walks the talk, I got to tell you.

Brian Pruett: [00:58:40] And that’s another way you and I are the same. We love connecting others with others and seeing how it works.

Speaker6: [00:58:44] Right?

David Jackson : [00:58:45] Right. I mean, look, first off, we were locked away for too long, okay? And second off, we all need people, right? You know, before the show started, we were talking about that Do or die, friend. Look, I need you to come and get me. Bring your truck. Don’t ask any questions.

Speaker6: [00:59:02] Right. Right.

David Jackson : [00:59:04] So I want to be that for people. You know, I got people calling me about their products. They’re not my clients, but I’ll help them manage it, because at the end of the day, if I can put some knowledge into people that they can move forward successfully, whether I make a dime on it or not, that’s a success.

Brian Pruett: [00:59:26] Well, I’ll give you some endorsement, too, because you and I sat down and I showed you my whole portfolio. And, you know, I told you who I was with. I’d been he’s actually been on my show, Dave Young. I’ll just give him some credit because.

David Jackson : [00:59:37] I like Dave.

Brian Pruett: [00:59:37] Dave is great. And Dave. Dave There you go. Um, but you know, you were very honest and said, you know, Dave’s got you and everything you need to be right, Right. You know? And so that’s another thing that you won’t find as honest as that too, because other people want that me, me, me and know I can help you better.

David Jackson : [00:59:53] Yeah, well, my scenario is if I can’t beat it, it’s going to be obvious. Right? And the fact is, is Dave helped you and he was very tech savvy in your plan and. He essentially did what I would have done. Right. Look, you need to get your money out of the tax cycle now, like rapidly. And that’s what he did for you. I mean, I can’t fault the man for that. Yes, he could come work for Heritage and probably.

Speaker6: [01:00:21] Be a little bit.

David Jackson : [01:00:23] You know, happier.

Speaker6: [01:00:24] But there’s a.

David Jackson : [01:00:26] But Dave Young, you’re going to have to walk away from your fees, buddy.

Speaker6: [01:00:29] You’re going to come and work for me. I’m just saying. But no pressure.

Brian Pruett: [01:00:33] He doesn’t have fees, though.

Speaker6: [01:00:35] Okay.

Brian Pruett: [01:00:36] From experience, he doesn’t. Okay.

Speaker6: [01:00:38] Well.

David Jackson : [01:00:39] Well, I know his past. He has worked for firms where he.

Brian Pruett: [01:00:43] Started his own.

David Jackson : [01:00:44] Right. And I like that. Right. So Dave and I are going. We’re trying to change things up, Dave. Dave’s a good guy. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of good financial advisors out there and there’s a lot that just simply aren’t. And, you know, I try to be transparent and I’m not everybody’s cup of tea. I’m the guy that walks in and say, look, here’s the math. You know, I’m not going to be the guy that tells you your chicken coop smells like roses. I’m not that guy. And some people need that. Some people need that reassurance that everything’s going to be okay and this, that and the other. I’m not that guy. If your chicken coop smells like a chicken coop, I’m going to tell you.

Brian Pruett: [01:01:24] Well, another big endorsement for you is a lot of people may know about Cherokee Connect on Facebook and people are constantly asking for people in your industry and everybody’s tagging you.

David Jackson : [01:01:35] Yeah, my evil plan to take over the world is working, right?

Speaker6: [01:01:40] Are you.

David Jackson : [01:01:40] Thinking what I am.

Speaker6: [01:01:41] Pinky? Right.

David Jackson : [01:01:44] But. But I think I’m being tagged because I’m real and I’m honest and everything’s transparent. There’s no hidden fees. There’s no this, that and the other. It’s boom. Here it is. And I have my entire business structured, so I get paid by the companies I contract with. My clients never pay me a dime. Yes. Some of what they pay this company goes back to me in the form of commissions. But there’s no asset under management fees. There’s no trade fees. And I talked to three people yesterday about, hey, we need to move some assets around because here’s what I have. And I’m showing 13, 14% year to date and you’re showing seven, all because you did not make these moves that I told you to. So let’s make these moves and then charge them a dime, you know? But they’re my clients and I have a 99% plus retention rate for a reason.

Brian Pruett: [01:02:41] If somebody’s listening, is there any one slice of piece free piece of advice that you are willing to give to somebody on the financial side?

David Jackson : [01:02:49] Oh, good Lord.

Speaker6: [01:02:50] How much time do we have? One piece of other than how.

David Jackson : [01:02:53] Big is this.

Speaker6: [01:02:54] Piece other.

Brian Pruett: [01:02:55] Than calling you, you just give me a little, little slice of something they can take away.

David Jackson : [01:02:58] Yeah. The Google search, understanding where taxes have been versus where they are now because the writing’s on the wall with the $32 trillion national debt and our debt to gross domestic product ratio being a -120% plus, uh, taxes are probably going up eventually, right? It’s just a matter of when and by how much. The number one product in the retirement world today is the 401. K. I ask anybody, what are you doing for your retirement? 80% of them say they are funding or even over funding their 401. And there was a point in time that was the perfect plan, but that was in the 60s and 80s when taxes were a lot higher. Right. Nobody’s asking why. They’re just going by what has been done in the past. The fact is, is a 401. K is your tax deferred retirement product opened to you and for you by your employer. But it’s a tax write off to them. But all of your money is completely deferred. The government has control of every single dime of it, and I’m not saying they will, but if they said, hey, you know, we allowed you a tax write off and we’re going to tax you at 80% on your retirement accounts, they could potentially do that. Everybody’s like, well, you’ll you’ll you’ll report less money, you’ll report less income in retirement and you’ll be taxed at a lower rate. Well, we don’t know that. We don’t know what inflation’s going to bring. We don’t know where taxes are going to, what rates they’re going to be at. So people are making a general knowledge statement when we don’t know there’s a moving target there. And the fact of where will taxes be, we simply don’t know. And you’re placing all of this. Into a tax cycle, which me, you and I have talked about it. I know Stones heard it from me. Dr. Q over here may have listened once or twice.

Speaker6: [01:04:58] But but.

David Jackson : [01:04:59] But the fact is, is I am a big, big pusher of getting money out of the tax cycle while you can. The government gives you avenues to do it. Why not use it?

Brian Pruett: [01:05:09] Yeah, that’s awesome. Well, thank you for that advice. So I think another reason people are comfortable with you is other than the no smoke, no mirrors, no bullshit, is that you’re a down to earth guy. You love mountain biking, you race motocross. I do, yes. So give us a little bit of story of your motocross days.

David Jackson : [01:05:26] Oh, wow. So, okay, so there I was.

Speaker6: [01:05:29] Seven years old.

David Jackson : [01:05:31] All good stories start with. So there I.

Speaker6: [01:05:33] Was.

David Jackson : [01:05:34] Right. So seven.

Speaker6: [01:05:34] Years old. Once upon a time. Yeah, it was.

David Jackson : [01:05:36] Seven years old. It was almost Christmas time. And I had ordered I wanted from Santa this, this Matchbox city. Right. Because I probably had 200 Matchbox cars. Right. And there was a note left on the chair in the kitchen says, look, you’ve been a really good kid this year. This, that and the other early Christmas present is out for you in the garage. And I was like, yes, my Matchbox thing is here. Well, my dad had bought me a little Honda Z50 motorcycle and I must have walked past it seven times looking for my Matchbox City right? And then I finally discovered it. But my mom would not even let me get on it until my dad got home. That’s like, eight hours, Mom.

Speaker6: [01:06:20] Right? What. What are you doing?

David Jackson : [01:06:22] You know, so my dad got home. I was riding this thing around the garden in the. In the backyard or a path probably in the first day. And it was like time for dinner. I just pretended like I didn’t hear him. Just kept on riding around the garden in a circle and I fell in love with it. And then somebody my dad worked with, his name was George. His brother Marvin was really, really fast on a motorcycle. So we went to watch Marvin Race one time and Dad’s like, What do you think? I was like, I want to try this, right? So the very next weekend was Dave’s first race. I get out there and I came in dead last. I mean, I think I think the next to last guy lapped me, you know, And I come in, I take my helmet off, my dad’s like, yeah, So and I was like, That was awesome.

Speaker6: [01:07:10] He goes, You.

David Jackson : [01:07:10] Do realize that you came in last? I was like, Who cares? That was so much fun. And that’s where it all started, you know? God, I miss it. I miss that sport. I sold my last motorcycle at the age of 45 with four broken ribs and a torn up shoulder. And I sold it to my buddy Pete, and I actually shed a tear when that thing was leaving the driveway.

Brian Pruett: [01:07:31] Well, you still do mountain biking, though.

David Jackson : [01:07:32] Yeah, but.

Speaker6: [01:07:34] It’s not the same. It’s really not. It’s really not.

David Jackson : [01:07:37] Not. No. I do like my mountain bikes. Don’t get me wrong. I was riding mountain bikes to stay in shape for motocross because all these younger kids would would beat me. And and it wasn’t a speed thing. It was an endurance thing. So I started mountain biking and then sold the motorcycle and mountain bikes it right now. Now I just need to find more mountains that. Take a chair to the top so you can ride down without having to pedal uphill.

Brian Pruett: [01:08:02] Well, I don’t do any of that because I break bones. My only story about dirt biking is that my dad got me one a Honda 175 when I was 15 years old, which my mother was very unhappy about. And and good job riding around on. In our neighborhood. And I learned very quickly that you do not rev up and let go of the clutch at the same time because I wrote a wheelie towards a tree and realized there was a car coming too. And I jumped off and broke my wrist. And then I sold the bike on this day.

Speaker6: [01:08:26] So. Well, you.

David Jackson : [01:08:28] Got to control the clutch. Yeah. I don’t have a problem with being wide open. You got to control the clutch and the power delivery to the ground.

Brian Pruett: [01:08:33] Yeah, well, just don’t rev it up and do it at the same time. It’s what I learned.

Speaker6: [01:08:35] You just pop, right?

Brian Pruett: [01:08:36] Exactly. So as we’re wrapping up, this is what I’d like to do as we wrap up is I’d like for each of you to give one either a quote or just a positive nugget so people can listen to their listening today and beyond. And the rest of 20, 23, 23, I’ll get it out. I can’t talk today. So, Alicia, give us something good.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [01:08:54] Oh, wow. Can you. Can I go last?

Brian Pruett: [01:08:57] Sure, you go. Go ahead. I know you got something, so.

David Jackson : [01:09:01] Yeah, I got all kinds of quotes. Right. So my favorite quote of all time was from a Chinese philosopher, Mencius. He said, Only when there are things a person will not do. Is that person capable of great things?

Brian Pruett: [01:09:14] Awesome. Well, before we go on to you. I do. I did forget to ask this. So if somebody wants to get a hold of you for your services, how can.

Speaker6: [01:09:19] They do that?

David Jackson : [01:09:20] Yeah. Heritage Solutions with an S dot net is my website. My phone number is (770) 596-3840. Heritage Solutions. You can find me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and then, of course, my website.

Brian Pruett: [01:09:37] Awesome. All right. Dr.. Q What kind of wisdom you got for us?

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [01:09:40] Okay. I would say that we have a saying in chiropractic Addio above, down Inside out. And so we live our lives through our nervous system. And health is comes from within. And so we just, we all have that potential to tap into our health, to live our best lives and to discover who we are and how we can change the world. Can I.

Speaker6: [01:10:11] Chime in on that.

David Jackson : [01:10:12] As well? So as somebody that raced motocross for a long time, I am a firm believer in chiropractic, okay? And I am in the firm belief that out of 99% of what ails you, your mind and your brain is very capable of curing it all. It just has to communicate with your body properly. And that first path, the I 75 of it all is your spinal cord. Yep.

Speaker6: [01:10:39] There you go. There you go.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [01:10:40] You’re hired.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [01:10:43] Just, like, sold. All right, Alicia. Okay. I’m not going to lie. I just Googled something, but it is perfect.

David Jackson : [01:10:50] Federal tax rates.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [01:10:51] No, I will. Later, though. We may have to go have coffee, but this is perfect because this is something I do talk about with my students is a quote from Winston Churchill Success is not final, Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts. So, I mean, I was like, well, that’s just perfect, you know, because that’s what I talk with my students. It’s okay to fail. You learn from failure and then you can move forward and and still be successful in your failure.

David Jackson : [01:11:19] Well, I got to say, I don’t like the word failure because it’s used too much. Yeah, I think everybody’s going to fall down. Everybody’s going to fail at an instant. But I don’t see that it’s only a failure when you don’t get back up. That’s right. It’s only a failure when you stop trying.

Brian Pruett: [01:11:34] John Maxwell in his book Fail Forward, right?

Speaker6: [01:11:36] Yeah, right.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [01:11:37] Yeah. And a lot of students think I mean, they just they’re afraid to fail so they don’t move forward. I cannot tell you how many students right now are terrified to get their driver’s license because they’re afraid to fail the driving test. I have so.

Brian Pruett: [01:11:52] Many my my step kids are.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [01:11:53] The same way. They’re terrified. Some of it is They’re afraid to to drive accidents, that sort of thing. But they are when I ask them, why haven’t you had why haven’t you gotten your driver’s license? And that some of one of the things we talk about I mean, when I’m talking to them, I mean, I’m talking to them about everything just about right. That’s within my lane, not getting into, you know, the deep stuff of their family, but those type of things. And they’re just, I’m afraid. What are you afraid of? Are you afraid to drive? No, I’m afraid I’m going to fail the test. Well, honey, it’s okay if you fail. Just. Just try it again.

Speaker6: [01:12:25] You can take it again, right? Like the very next day, right?

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [01:12:28] You can do it again. Like it’s okay. And. And I have had some students that I said let’s. That’s one of the action items. Let’s let’s go ahead and make it. Just go ahead and just make the appointment to take the test. And then they come in and how did it go? I passed, you know, and with a.

Speaker6: [01:12:43] 70.

Alicia Barnes-Newton: [01:12:44] You know, and I’m like, didn’t you passed? You got your license, you know, So it’s just those things. But in their mind, that mindset of if I don’t do well or if I fail, I won’t be able to do the next thing. And it’s like, It’s okay, you can. Get another shot.

David Jackson : [01:12:59] Well, and it’s like when I coached football, there was a lot of kids that felt like they were failures because they’re not running backs and they’re not quarterbacks. God didn’t make everybody correct for for one position. He made us all different for a reason.

Speaker6: [01:13:14] Right.

David Jackson : [01:13:15] You’re going to be good at some things. You’re not going to be good at others, right? Everybody needs to stay in their own lane. Yes.

Brian Pruett: [01:13:21] Well, when people fail, too, I also think this is another sports and coaching analogy is what’s the first thing a coach does when the kids the kids start really performing badly, they take them back to the basics.

David Jackson : [01:13:33] Well, it depends on the coach.

Speaker6: [01:13:34] Well.

Brian Pruett: [01:13:35] Good coaches.

Speaker6: [01:13:36] I’ve had good and bad.

David Jackson : [01:13:37] I mean, I’ve had spit flying hats being slung.

Speaker6: [01:13:40] And we’re.

David Jackson : [01:13:40] Talking about seven year old kids. I’m like, Look, pipe it down, coach. Right.

Brian Pruett: [01:13:44] But good coaches, it’s always you go back to the basics and the same thing, the basics of life. That’s a country music song, by the way. The basics of life is, you know, just think of that. So anyway, I the other thing that I like to do is the simple thank you is a lost art. So. So, Alicia, thank you for what you guys do for the students and the the youth in the Bartow County area and beyond. Dr.. Q Thank you for what you’re doing for the mamas and the kids. Yes. And Dave, thanks for what you’re doing for everybody else, trying to make sure that their future is is impactful. Well, and you’re welcome.

David Jackson : [01:14:15] And I want to turn it back around on you and say thanks for what you’re doing.

Speaker6: [01:14:18] Yeah, thanks for having us.

David Jackson : [01:14:19] I mean, the charity thing.

Dr. Caitlin Quraishi : [01:14:20] The trivia.

David Jackson : [01:14:21] Night. Yeah, it’s you’re bringing awareness and money to where it needs to be.

Brian Pruett: [01:14:26] Well, again, it’s my passion, so I love doing it. So everybody out there, remember, let’s be positive. Let’s be charitable.