Stephen
C. Hlibok
Columbia, Maryland
shlibok@pclient.ml.com
1 Q:
What do you do in your job?
A: My specific role is to provide
services that create financial independence and help people to maintain their
financial independence. That is the goal of this organization. We want to help
each of our clients to become financially independent and to maintain their
financial independence as well as achieve their dreams. In my position, I meet
with clients and during the course of our discussion the most important matter is
to find out their vision or what it is they want. Then I try to design a
financial plan, and through financial planning helps them realize their dreams.
They may be hoping to retire when they are 60, or at age 50 they want to travel
the world, for example. Their dream or vision is my point of focus, and I
follow up by helping to support that process of becoming financially
independent.
2
Q: Who are your clients?
A: Typically a large percentage of my
clients are already in the work force. They have reached middle age, a point at
which they have started to think about where they are heading for the rest of
their life. That is a large portion of my clientele. Additionally, there are a
lot of people who have just retired, and somewhat unexpectedly come into a
large sum of money which they do not know how to manage. They have no financial
experience, so they come to me to give them some advice as to how to invest. I
check to find out if they prefer their current lifestyle to stay the same, or
if they wish to make a change, and then advise them accordingly.
3 Q:
When and how did you start out in this business?
A: When I started out in this business in
1987, I started out like everyone else, with cold calls. No one likes it. Cold
calls mean that I initiate a phone call to an individual, introduce myself, explain
that I work for Merrill Lynch as a financial planner, and ask if they are
interested in my services. The process starts there. It's not the fun part of
the job, but once you start making connections, there is a ripple effect through
referrals. One contact leads to another until you reach a point where cold calls
almost completely diminish. Now my business thrives to a great extent on
referrals. That is how I have been doing business for the past ten years,
really. As business grew, I became too busy to really handle it all, so I
started to hire others. I hired Greg as a partner, and he also happens to be my
brother. With a partner, I've been able to expand the business within the last
few years.
4 Q: Who
does your paycheck?
A: Actually, I create my own paycheck. I
don't have a supervisor as much as I have someone that I work along with. We do
have a manager who oversees our office and makes sure that we are maintaining
our goals, meeting our goals, and adhering to Merrill Lynch's mission
statement. Also, he makes sure that we are in compliance with providing
financial services suitable to the client, and so forth. Basically, we run the
business on our own. We create our own paychecks. We figure out how much we
want and how we want to get those numbers. We figure out how many clients we
want to serve, and the type of client. I don't only provide services to Deaf
people, although I started there. It was my niche and it was an easy place to
start, but I gradually broadened out to the point where I must provide services
to anyone who likes my style and philosophy and who is comfortable with me.
5 Q:
What does "Vice President" mean?
A: Now, as for the term Vice President,
I'd like to clarify what that means. It is a symbol of my success in the
financial process with Merrill Lynch. I have met their goals. I have achieved
certain levels in numbers of clients, in numbers of assets that are placed, in
the amount of money that I have brought in for the company. That is how I
achieved the rank of Vice President. I am Vice President of this office.
6 Q: How
do you operate as a financial investor?
A: When it comes to investing, I am not
a day trader. There are many choices and products which Merrill Lynch offers and
they are all available through the computer with an in-house program called
TGA. This program is an in-house design, which provides financial information, pricing,
news, and a scheduling calendar. Everything is in there. It is a powerful tool,
which I rely on heavily. What I do is review the information to make sure that
we are up to par and on track of the current market fluctuations and trends. It
alerts me to information that I need to follow up on and the calendar helps me
keep track of clients so that I know to call them at certain intervals to make
sure that their goals are being reached or that we are on the way.
My philosophy is one of long term
investing. I believe in helping clients manage their long term goals. I am not
interested in the day trading, but I do still have some of my favorite stocks that
I buy and trade individually, but basically I do a lot of financial planning, diversification
of assets, and follow up. Right now, the mortgage rates have been falling, so
this is a good opportunity for me to make contact with clients and check their
rates to see if they should re-finance or if such a change would be an
improvement I follow the trends.
7
Q: Hoe do you handle your clients?
A: I really handle clients on a case by
case basis. It's very individual. Some clients like to be bothered frequently, so
to speak, and others like to be left alone. Some clients want me to take full
control, so it really varies from one person to another. Regardless, however, the
bottom line is that my job is to provide financial independence for each client
and make sure that they maintain financial independence. That's the bottom
line. The procedures and ways of dealing with different clients vary because
each individual has his or her own goals. You can't set up just one way for
everyone. Everything has to be customized for each individual.
8 Q: How
did you become an investor?
A: In my family, growing up, I was
always a good saver. I was the best saver in the family. I absolutely loved to
save. I started out doing business with baseball cards. Instead of trading
baseball cards, I'd sell them for money. I also shoveled snow. I always had
that business-related mentality. I'd go out and shovel snow, and come home with
$35 in my pocket, and in the 1970s, that was a big deal, you know, and I'd sock
it away. I did babysitting, sold baseball cards, and even sold firewood back
then, with my parents' knowledge, of course. I did all kinds of little things so
saving was just natural to me. Then, when I got to Gallaudet University, which
was a college at that time, I looked for a sales opportunity. The bookstore at
that time was in sorry shape. They had very limited products available, so I
set up sales of flashing alarm clocks. I did that on my own, selling to
friends. I did a lot of little things like that.
And growing up, I remember that even
as a kid, I was interested in reading financial information in the newspaper. I
was living in New York City, the financial center of the world, and I saw it
all around me. I'd read the Wall Street Journal and asked my father to explain
it to me, and he explained some of it, but there was a lot that he did not
know. I began to realize that information pertaining to finances within the
Deaf community was almost nil. Then I decided I'd be the one to get involved. There
was one Deaf individual who was involved with financial management back then, and
I looked up to him. He gave me the impression that it was really tough. Then,
at Gallaudet, everyone laughed because the job would require the use of a
telephone. Back then we didn't have emails or computers or pagers. We had none
of that in 1980, and the fact that it would require the use of the phone was a
huge negative. For some reason, I never absorbed that negative response.
After graduation from Gallaudet, I
went to NYU and Wall Street was right there. I decided to apply, but Merrill
Lynch rejected me. I had applied to Merrill Lynch because they were known as
the number one firm in the world. I wanted the best and that is where I tried
first. I selected Merrill Lynch, I was fascinated by the symbol of the bull, the
sense of strength and boldness, so I sent my application. The rejection hurt. Sure
it did, but then I was in a book store, and saw a thin little book entitled, "How
To Earn $100,000 in the Stock Market." I pulled it off the shelf and began
to read, and what I read had a huge impact on me, It said that rejection is a
normal part of business, and that many times a person who is interviewed will
be rejected first just to see if he will come back. Immediately, I called
Merrill Lynch back, and continued to hound them until they referred me here. I
made some contacts here, but the manager was not at all interested.
Still, I kept at it until he granted
me a 20-minute interview. When I came for the interview, we didn't talk at all
about work. He spent the entire time asking me about my life. He seemed
fascinated, and the chemistry was here. It was a match. Still, Merrill Lynch was
resistant. I then suggested that he have a meeting with Gallaudet University. He
met with Merv Garretson and Dr. Lee who were there at the time. Both of them
gave him glowing reports and emphasized their belief in me as a graduate of
Gallaudet and as a good employee. After that, my manager fought hard and he got
me in. It's been 13 years now. As for financial background, I am self taught. I
went to NYU, and I took a lot of other courses, too. Some of my coursework from
Gallaudet University also is applicable. A little bit of everything is
involved.
9 Q:
What are some of your financial credentials?
A: I built up my financial portfolio, took
courses, and now I am a certified financial manager. That requires ongoing
education and Merrill Lynch has its own school that we attend yearly in order
to update our knowledge base of financial changes.
10 Q:
What are some of your current goals?
A: Actually, my goal from this point on
is to enjoy the job more and to have fun. Really, that is my focus. I want to
continue the on-going education having to do with financial planning and estate
planning. That is an important issue because a lot of people are retiring and a
lot of people are coming into a lot of wealth. We want them to keep track of
that and help them become educated. Trusts is an area that I am focusing on
currently.
11 Q:
What was one of your turning points in your job?
A: And one important event that made
the manager want to fight for me was, because at the time, around 1987, the
cold war had weakened, and there was a lack of clarity about what was going to
happen in Western and Eastern Europe. I used an analogy by stating that the
Deaf community and the hearing community, when it came to financial management,
were separated by the Berlin Wall, and it should not have happened, but it was
built and it remained because of communication difference. I stated that I
wanted to build a bridge over the wall, and the analogy hit home with the
manager. He said, let's take down the wall together. That manager worked hard to
convince Merrill Lynch to hire me, and that was an important piece of
communication. He always repeats that analogy and he still is working for
Merrill Lynch. He is a very successful person, and to this day, he still likes
to quote the Berlin Wall story.
12 Q:
How do you communicate with Hearing people in your Job?
A: People are always interested in
knowing about the question of communication and how it works. Communication can
mean anything, as long as you get your message across and it can be done in a
variety of ways. For example, I may use sign language, or I may have to lipread
sometimes, and I may have to try to speak sometimes, or I may write notes. I
use relay, email, pagers, or whatever is available that will work to get across
the message. However, at the beginning of my employment, my manager, to whom I
have to give a lot of credit, hired a teacher to teach the entire staff how to
sign. Every week the teacher would give instruction to ensure that we could
communicate. That helped a lot, even though they are not proficient, we can
discuss work related information having to do with finances.
Also, we have an interpreter for
every presentation. We have weekly presentations about different products or
information. We always have an interpreter, without fail. However, at my
request the service has decreased because I felt I didn't need it. I could do a
lot of reading on my own instead. Now that the computer has become more
sophisticated and technical, a lot of our discussion can take place there. We
have what is called a learning channel and the information is captioned so I
can use that. I do still use interpreters, and, in fact, we have an interpreter
here right now who is on call. When I
need an interpreter, I can call one.
In the beginning, I used the TTY a
lot, and that TTY is still here. It was my first TTY, and it still works, even
though I make 30 or 40 or 50 calls every day. Now, however, it has become lonesome
and covered with dust because I have made the switch to email. Email is right
there for me to see and I can make an immediate response. I've got a list of
emails displayed at this very moment. So I use email a lot. I'm very dependent
on email for making contacts. I also find the pager helpful. It is helpful. People
can find me easily, anywhere, really. So technology has really grown, and it
seems as if my business has run the same course, expanding right along with the
technological advances.
One thing I am very much looking
forward to is video conferencing. That is a very exciting technology and once
it is set up I can communicate anywhere via sign language. I do travel a lot. I
fly, because nothing beats a face to face meeting. It is so important to meet
in person and get a feel for the other individual. That's very important. Nothing
beats it. Technology has expanded and it makes things easier and saves times, but
is it the best solution for getting clients and maintaining relationships. The
best way is through face to face meetings. Video conferencing comes in second because
you have something between you and the client – a piece of technology. I'm
looking forward to seeing that happen. Can you tell me how soon it will happen?
13 Q: Do
you socialize with your co-workers?
A: I'm not working 9:00-5:00 really. As
I explained earlier, I do write my paycheck myself, so we do often work after
hours. It's not only work, but there is a fun part, too. Last Friday we had
Happy Hour here. We have Happy Hour every week. We all get together at a local
place, a tavern or a pub or restaurant, and we talk casually. It's a nice place
to unwind from all of the events of the day and the week and we can get to know
each other's families and friends. We also have a baseball team and we play
against other offices in the area. If we beat another team, the manager of that
team's office pays for the food for all of us that night. It's really nice and
creates an air of excitement.
So we do things like that, and then
I wanted to mention something else about last night. Last night we went to see
Ira Gedat, who is a well known motivational speaker. I had never heard of him, but
we all went together last night to the Mayflower Hotel, right where the DPN
protest started and he gave a powerful explanation of how thinking of yourself
as a winner makes you a winner and thinking of yourself as a loser makes you a
loser. It's all based on your mindset. It's all about your attitude. Last night
I took eight pages of notes. He was a fantastic speaker. I really enjoyed it. He
explained so many things about setting goals and things like that. So that is
the kind of work activity that we do together often, and it's kind of like our
"dope," the fix we need to feel energized and good about everything, and
to view the business and the year 2002 as the best year ever.
14 Q:
What are some of your challenges?
A: In my way of thinking, the most
challenging aspect of the business is education and how to educate the
community about the realities of the financial market with all of its changes
and trends. It's hard to get them to understand how the financial world runs and
why money goes up and down. Education is a challenge. I would say that I'm a
part time teacher because I do teach them. It's always a challenge. However, I
see it as an opportunity to help them understand more about their finances, and
have more clarity. There are always challenges in trying to educate. Then,
however, time management is another challenge. It's always a challenge to
figure out how to balance my time with my family life and my work life, my
personal needs, and my hobbies. All are challenging, I think, that are named
process of growth.
15 Q:
Who are your role models?
A: It was my family, really, my father and
also my mother. There are many factors involved, but it happens when you grow
up in a family where the parents always bring a view of the outside world into
the home and explain what is happening at work. My father worked in a hearing
environment so he would always talk about various issues and I learned from
that, and was always impressed with his ability to move forward. My mother
always said, "It's never too late." Whatever it is, it's never too
late. So I think these things were instilled in me growing up. In addition, the
community, organizations such as NAD and Youth Leadership Camps provided me
with a lot of role models in terms of leadership during the 1970s. All of these
experiences factored into it.
And right now, I would say my role
model is my first manager who hired me. He is still my role model. Any time I
need to talk, I email him. He is a man of few words, but extremely powerful in
his communication. His name is Toby Pitts. He has been my role model since I
came into this business. One example is that I always wanted to climb
mountains. I wanted to climb the Matterhorn in Zermatt. I had that goal in
1983, before I started working here. He recently sent me a picture. He had
asked me to tell him that story, and then he sent me a picture last summer showing
me that he had just reached the top of that mountain. That inspired me. I had
the feeling that if it happened to him, it will happen to me, too.
16 Q:
What advice do you have for young Deaf investors?
A: See me. The reason I say that is
because I think the best way it just to talk. Talk helps, but it is also
important to share what is happening out there now. When they are 14 or 15, it's
important to let them know that there are resources out there. There are
established Deaf business groups out there, meeting several times a year. They
should go. They should know about that. They need to know that they can do
anything if they believe in themselves. It is important to have repetition of
what you believe. If you believe it, keep it in mind.
Keep going, like Wilson, the Prime
Minister of England. When he was 10 years old, he had his picture taken in
front of the government building. He had it enlarged and posted on his wall and
looked at it every day, until 42 years later he became the Prime Minister of
England. That's the kind of thing, you know, if you really want something, you
have to put it out there, not just talk about it. If you are really interested
in it, say so. Take a picture of yourself in front of the building. Put it in a
book or take it with you. Throughout your life, it will be there to remind you.
That gives you the strength to do something challenging.
17 Q:
How important is education for young Deaf people?
A: When it comes to education, education
is something no one can take away from you. It is the best and safest way to
maximize your ability to learn and remember. Whatever happens around you, one
thing they can't take away is your education. That education is the door to
your future. It is important to recognize education as a serious part of your
growth and learning process. It is critical, and again, no one can take it away
from you. So grab every opportunity. Make the most of it because it is a golden
opportunity to have an education.
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