Today on World Teacher Day we are honoring the educators who taught us the most (and some who are just beginning their teaching career). We also want to honor another important person, who not only has taught all of us important principles of finance and business, but who also has maintained an atmosphere of education throughout our firm. Our founder, Christina Winch, began her career as a high school teacher. Through the casual advice she offered to her fellow teachers, Christina recognized a need for more formal financial education and advice. She earned the required licenses and opened her firm in 1981. In the more than 40 years since, the business has grown exponentially, though the goal has remained steadfast. We don’t just handle our clients’ retirement accounts, we work very hard to explain what we do, why we do it and how each decision, by us and by our clients, matters. We teach in formal classes, during client meetings and on each phone call. We want our clients to understand their Required Minimum Distributions, the difference between qualified and non-qualified accounts, the taxable impact of withdrawals, how to determine their risk tolerance, how to plan for Long Term Care expenses, the importance of updating their beneficiary designations, among countless other things. We take care of these things for our clients, and we also make sure they understand why we do it. The desire to educate, born in a high school lunchroom more than 40 years ago, still fuels every conversation we have with clients and their families. That is the standard she set, and the legacy she’ll leave. Happy World Teacher Day to all of our favorite educators and to our founder, Christina Winch.
Christina Winch
Faith, family, finance and a familiar face
Christina Winch never set out to be a pioneer in women’s finance. She was just happy to give advice when people asked. “I was teaching in high school and when somebody asked me a question about their money, I’d give them an answer. And then another person would ask and then another and it blossomed from there,” she said. Soon, the English teacher was hosting informal financial seminars after school in the lunchroom. She loved encouraging people to take control of their finances and saw a genuine need to help people who had no idea how to plan for their retirement. So, she earned her licenses and began a formal shift into the financial world. In 1981, Christina opened a financial advisory firm and, 40 years later, many of the teachers who attended those lunchroom sessions are still her clients, along with more than 800 other people from around the country. “Christina is an energetic, gregarious person who enjoys engaging others,” said Bev Underwood, a former teacher and current client who used to attend those lunchroom sessions. “Whether teaching or financial planning, one needs to connect with people; the skills overlap.” Bev and Christina used to carpool to the high school, along with two other teachers. “In addition to being economical, the camaraderie and laughs made the journey fun for all,” Bev said. “Before leaving for school Christina would make breakfast (often pancakes) for (her kids) and leave them in that new kitchen appliance, the microwave. She wanted them to be well fed and ready to learn when they headed out to school.” Today, all three of Christina’s adult children are licensed financial advisors working in the firm. In both teaching and financial planning, Christina has enjoyed offering conventional wisdom in unconventional ways. She designed and taught “the Bible as literature” to high-risk public high school students and they loved the class. In fact, they often stop in to catch… | Read More »
Happy National Boss’s Day to one of the best
While nothing could have prepared us all for the broadscale economic, social and health challenges wrought by the historic COVID-19 pandemic, a few character traits among business leaders went a long way to mitigate the threat. At Winch Financial, our CEO Christina Winch recognized immediately the need to invest in technology to ensure a smooth transition to a work-from-home situation. As a result of her investment, and staff member expertise, every employee maintained his or her workflow right from the start of the state lockdown and continues to enjoy an efficient and safe, hybrid working environment. That type of foresight has been a hallmark of Christina’s in the financial planning industry since 1981. So, today, on National Boss’s Day, we offer flowers and a particularly grateful salute. Thank you for combining an old school commitment to a relationship-based business model with a refreshing eagerness to explore innovations in technology and investment techniques. Thank you for your contagious enthusiasm and the impressive work ethic with which you launched a business that continues to grow and thrive. Thank you for showing us how to treat clients like family. Thank you for the office parties, birthday celebrations and spontaneous lunches. Thank you for supporting a family-friendly work environment with flexibility and understanding. Thank you for being a 40-year pioneer in a male-dominated industry. Thank you for your sense of humor and fun. From all of us at Winch Financial, Happy Boss’s Day to one of the best.