Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Dominique’ Reese.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started my career in financial services in 2003. My mentor was a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch and I secured an internship to work in Private Wealth Management in Century City. It was then that I realized ordinary “regular” people had millions of dollars too. Not just famous people. People I didn’t know had money and it was the job of my mentor to manage it for them. In 2005, I interned at Merrill in Princeton, New Jersey. It was then that I secured a full-time job in Marketing, at Merrill, before my senior year started at Princeton.
Once I graduated, in 2006, I started working at Merrill Lynch in New Jersey, as a Marketing Analyst. I got an opportunity to network with a financial advisor in New York who was looking to build his team. In 2007, I transitioned as Junior Partner to his team, specifically, as the Financial Planning Specialist. It was my job to find clients who had $250,000 in investable assets, help them identify their goals, create a plan, present the plan, implement the plan and monitor the results and progress from that plan. I fell in love with what I did and what I was learning.
In 2009, after Merrill was bought by Bof A, I got laid off. I was totally taken aback. No one had ever prepared me for a layoff. “They” said, go to school, get good grades, go to college and get a good job. I did. Now, I had nothing. I didn’t know what was next, so I took a vacation. I went to Paris for 10 days. I came back and decided to start my own financial company. I realized in Paris, that when I was hosting seminars teaching clients about how to protect their portfolio in a down market or teaching about diversification and asset allocation, it wasn’t my millionaire clients who showed up.
Instead, it was hardworking everyday people, who had no assets, wanted the education and, had lots of debt, little to no savings and low to modest income. Who was serving them? That’s when CommuniTree LLC was born, in NYC. I pounded the streets of NYC, knocking on nonprofit doors, offering to teach for free about money. Whenever I’d teach, people would ask me if they could work with me and I said yes. That’s when my one-on-one money management counseling was birthed; I offered education, a budget, a debt strategy and savings strategy. Before I knew it, 3 years later, I had served every borough and countless organizations and their clients.
At this point, I hit a ceiling in my business. I had basically made all the money I knew to make, as a solopreneur. I thought I’d either go to B-school or needed to learn to hire train and develop. I didn’t want to do either. Meanwhile, I got introduced to the president of LPL, one of the largest broker-dealers in the world, and we discussed the work I was doing and how she wanted me to join her new venture in San Francisco. So, I did. In July 2012, I relocated back to California, after 11 years, and moved to San Francisco to work at NestWise, a financial technology and advisory firm. Now, I was an employee again.
As a startup, we grew quickly and I was promoted within 6 months, to Director of Business Development. I became the financial planning software expert and also developed our financial advisor salesforce.
A year later, in August 2013, our company was defunded and everyone was laid off. A week later, September 6, I found out I was a mother. I moved back home to LA and put all career efforts on hold. In Feb 2014, I began to run my business again, from home and take on clients virtually. This time around, I focused on building content, coaching and counseling, changed the name to Reese Financial Services and worked with Black women leaders, professionals and business owners. Later that year, in December, I was bestowed an honorary doctorate degree for the work I contributed to my industry and community over the past 10 years. I became Dr. Dominique’ N. Reese.
After giving birth, running my business and homeschooling for 2 years, I was ready for something different and needed a break from being a mompreneur. March 2016, I hosted my first book signing, for Master My Money: 16 Steps To Solve Your Money Problems & Create A Foundation For Financial Freedom. Months later, in July 2016, I began working, as an employee again, while operating Reese Financial Services part-time. I attracted an opportunity to become a financial coach in Los Angeles, working with veterans. I had never worked with veterans before. I also had never worked a job and ran my business in Los Angeles.
Today, I am still a veteran financial coach covering LA County. I still operate Reese Financial Services and am building a veteran financial coaching division as well as becoming a full-service financial firm. Additionally, I am partnering with local non-profits and doing business with the County of Los Angeles. I look forward to more speaking, teaching opportunities. I am in school at the American College of Financial Services, for my CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificate and designation.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Getting laid off (the first time), starting my business in the financial capital of the world, moving back to Cali to work at a startup, getting laid off (a 2nd time) and learning I was pregnant (a week after getting laid off), giving birth, publishing my first personal finance book, hosting a book signing, running a business and working a full-time job and being a single mother!
Reese Financial Services – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Reese Financial Services is a boutique financial education and consulting firm. We provide financial education, coaching, counseling, and consulting to individuals, nonprofits and corporations. I specialize in building solid financial foundations upon which clients can create and grow assets. Specifically, I help my clients increase their income, increase their savings, and decrease their debt.
I am most proud that Reese Financial Services is able to adapt to the changing client and economic landscape in order to serve the most pressing financial needs and goals of our clients. Being able to meet your client’s need versus give them what you think they should have, is so important in financial consulting. I am proud of the standard of excellence that I maintain.
Reese Financial Services is unique because we built our firm based on education.
Education drives our strategies and solutions. It’s important that the client is educated and literate beyond working with us. We provide trained licensed financial professional who can serve the education, coaching, counseling, planning and advising needs of the same client in one shop. Essentially, we are unique because we can grow with our client. This approach keeps our interest aligned with our clients’ interests and wellbeing.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I like to keep this simple. I define success as a win. Success happens for me when I am prepared, have a goal, have the desired outcome I am seeking, and have done what I know to do to maintain a strong focus on the outcomes I’m seeking.
Pricing:
- Master My Money: 16 Steps To Solve Your Money Problems & Create A Foundation For Financial Freedom, $17.95 on Amazon.com
Contact Info:
- Website: www.reesefinancialservices.com
- Phone: 213-787-4399
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdominiquereese/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CommuniTreeLLC/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/reesefinancial?lang=en
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
