Keith Moran is a personal financial economist at North Florida Financial Corporation on the Southside.
WHAT DOES HE DO?
“Personal financial economics is the field that I work in.” Moran looks at a person’s overall financial picture and helps them find ways to keep more of the money they make. “We show people that a lot of the things that they think they know are not true about growing money because of taxes, inflation, market risks and other things that work against the ability of people to save and accumulate personal wealth. It’s our job to point out those things and to try to overcome them.”
HOW WOULD A REALTOR BENEFIT FROM YOUR SERVICES?
“Personally. Any individual who wants to work with us, we will show them the flaws that they might have in their own personal financial plan, show them how to undo the mistakes that have been done to them in the past and to accrue and accumulate more money while still having benefits.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF REALTORS IN JACKSONVILLE?
“I had a wonderful experience with the two people in real estate, Dena Calivas and Debi Wilkinson, that helped us when we were moving down here. They were just super. I was just very impressed by their professionalism and their ability to get the job done. I thought that the Realtors here were probably doing pretty well. I thought that they would be a great market for me to talk to. It’s one thing to make the money and another to keep the money.”
WHAT ELSE DO THEY DO?
They sell all financial products. “We help people know how to best own them, buy them, understand them and maximize the benefits they offer.”
HOW LONG AT HIS CURRENT POSITION?
He joined North Florida Financial Corporation four months ago, but he has been doing personal financial work for 18 years.
BEFORE HIS CURRENT JOB?
He owned Moran Financial Service Company and worked as a independent personal financial economist for 13 years.
HOW DID HE GET INTO THIS TYPE OF BUSINESS?
When he graduated college, his next door neighbor worked at an insurance company where he got his first job out of college.
COLLEGE
He has a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Trinity University.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“I like helping people. I like helping people understand the problems that they face accumulating money.”
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING THING ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“Getting people to work with me. People are understandably disbelieving. They just don’t know who to trust.”
WHAT HAS HELPED YOU MOST TO GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
“Persistence, just not giving up on it.”
WHERE DOES HE GET CLIENTS?
“Every person I talk to is a potential client. I’ve never met a person who didn’t want more money whether they needed it or not.”
HOW MUCH DOES THE SERVICE COST?
Nothing. “We view financial products and if a financial product would be helpful, we just hope that they purchase them from us.”
HOMETOWN
New Jersey.
MOVED TO JACKSONVILLE?
October 2003.
RESIDES
Avondale.
WHAT DOES HE LIKE TO DO WHEN NOT WORKING?
Fish, go to the beach and enjoy cultural activities.
CHURCH
Good Shepherd Episcopal.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
He is on the resource management team for United Way.
FAMILY
He has been married to Heidi for four years. They have two dogs and two cats.
FAVORITES
A movie he saw recently and would recommend is “Monster.” His all-time favorite movie is “Platoon.” When relaxing at home, he enjoys tuning into “Seinfeld” re-runs. His favorite book is “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand When traveling he enjoys Vermont, where he moved here from. When dining out, he and his wife like Marker 32 in Jacksonville Beach.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis