Q&A WITH JACOB HADAD
When did you learn you want to major in business?
Growing up, I had a handful of friends who owned all of the video games I wanted. I would beg my mom to buy me a video game, and she would tell me to wait until Hanukkah. I began negotiating with her and ultimately won the terms that I would receive my Hanukkah gift in May to lock the video game in early.
But at 13 years old, I’d had enough. I needed economic independence. So I found my first job as a newspaper boy, bringing in nearly $80 a week! Subsequently, I managed several more paper routes, spun discs with my brother’s DJ company, interned at a law firm, and was a counselor at summer camps, steadily working my way through high school. I loved controlling my financial destiny, and it was then that I decided studying business in college (and ultimately having my own firm some day) was the most logical and fulfilling course of action.
Name a time you were less than stellar with your finances.
I graduated in 2008--perfect timing to enter the work force--in the midst of a financial crisis. Luckily, my first job was locked in as I had accepted an offer earlier in 2007. On my first day, I was given a stack of paperwork to fill out, one of which indicated an opportunity to contribute to a 401K. Being a young, uninformed professional contemplating that devastating drop in the market, I opted not to contribute. Why not, you ask? Well, the company did not match, and I decided that it would be more prudent to save cash to purchase a home or to start a business. Needless to say, it was the wrong decision. I began contributing to my 401K in 2010, so I did not lose too much time or upside. However, looking back I know I missed an opportunity to amass precious tax-deferred assets in the earliest days of my career. At the time, I did not appreciate that one day I might have to cap the capital I could put into such a powerful account.
You are a superhero Financial Planner, what are your powers?
I have the ability to connect with people, both in mind and spirit, to understand exactly what they are seeking. Once connected, I can use my unmatched abilities to provide these people with their own superior understanding that will empower every one of them to fulfill their dreams and aspirations under my guidance. My main goal is to rid the world of individuals who are unsure and fear for their financial future by using my superpowers to turn them into commanders of their own economic fate and guardians of a greater world.