Gary Looney has been a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley for five years.
HIS FORTE
Looney’s specialty is retirement planning. “Everybody’s situation is different, their age, income, needs. I try to help people plan for their financial needs during retirement. Financial advising is a little more broad.”
WHAT’S REWARDING ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“It’s the ability to help people realize their goals.”
WHAT CHALLENGES
DO YOU FACE?
“It’s been a different market the last 18 months. Sept. 11 was an unusual incident. You have to factor out unusual incidents when looking at performance. I have to convince people to stay with the plan and not panic.”
WHERE DID YOU
LEARN THE TRADE?
“I retired from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office as a lieutenant after 23 years and started here. I was always really interested in benefits. I was elected police trustee to the Police and Fire Pension Fund, that’s how I got involved. They sent me to seminars to learn about investments and evaluating money managers.” While serving as a public information officer for the JSO, he went to all the major crime scenes and fielded questions from reporters.
FROM THE BADGE
TO THE BUCK
“When I began to get more knowledge about those investment products available, I wanted to learn more to help the police and fire fund. It was an incentive for me to enter this as a career.”
WAS IT A SMOOTH TRANSITION?
“With the sheriff’s office there was a lot of variety and flexibility; you’re not doing the same task all the time but it is a structured environment. Here, I’m more on my own. It’s like running a business as part of a family. It’s more independent.”
EXPERIENCE
“I was always involved in employee benefits. As the FOP [Fraternal Order of Police] president, I negotiated contracts and was the business agent for law enforcement and corrections officers. I was chair for three years of the advisory board to the Police and Fire Pension Fund.”
COLLEGE
Looney received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of North Florida in 1985. He also holds a master’s degree in education from UNF.
WHY BECOME A COP?
“I met these policemen at FCCJ [then Florida Community College]. I didn’t have a career in mind. There were three or four policemen that hung around the snack bar. They talked me into going into law enforcement.”
APPLE FOR THE TEACHER
“I do some [FCCJ] community education through Mandarin High School and Ft. Caroline Middle School. I teach fundamental investment guidelines to network my business. I was a state certified, part-time instructor at the [police] academy.”
WHO DO YOU ADVISE?
“I work with small businesses and small business owners to set up retirement plans for them. Large companies who don’t have a defined benefit plan is what I look for. I work closely with all the retired City employees since I was the first vice president of the Retired Employees Association of the City of Jacksonville. I’m growing the business by being involved in networks and associations.”
WHAT ASSOCIATIONS
ARE YOU PART OF?
Looney is president of the Jacksonville Chapter of the National Association of Retired Cops. He is also a member of the Chamber’s Downtown Council, Morocco Shriners Association, a mason at the Ionic Lodge and serves on the personnel committee of Hillcrest Baptist Church.
BORN
Jacksonville.
WHERE’S HOME?
Looney and his wife Kathryn live in Ortega. They have two children in their 20s, Angela and Adam.
WHEN HE’S NOT READING TICKER TAPE
Dining at Outback Steakhouse, tuning into “JAG” or picking up a detective novel are his favorites. He also enjoys boating, golfing and watching the movie of “Good Will Hunting.”
— by Monica Chamness