True Grit: Blazing a Trail from Homelessness to Award-Winning Financial Educator with Sharita Humphrey

[00:00:00] Eric Brotman: Welcome to Don’t Retire… Graduate!: the podcast that teaches you how to advance into retirement rather than retreating. I’m your host and valedictorian Eric Brotman. And we have a special guest with us today. Sharita Humphrey, who has a remarkable story from broke and homeless to the national financial educator of the year.

Um, her bio won’t do justice to her story, but, but I will read it just to give some perspective of where she’s come from and what she’s become. Sharita Humphrey’s an award-winning finance expert, money mentor, and certified financial educator. She was, as I mentioned, previously, broke and homeless herself and she knows firsthand that financial freedom has a blueprint.

She’s committed to helping individuals and business owners change the financial trajectories of their lives and companies. She was named the 2020 national financial educator of the year and her efforts and impact in the community secured her a namesake day on August 24th, 2021. Sharita, welcome to Don’t Retire… Graduate!

[00:00:59] Sharita Humphrey: Thank you so much for having me. I’m excited to be here.

[00:01:02] Eric Brotman: Your story is remarkable. And in so many ways, I think unique, although perhaps you have some stories and some other folks you’ve met over the years as an educator and a coach and so forth. So. Let’s begin at the beginning because I know no other way to do it. How, how did your financial journey begin? And let’s talk a little bit about how you, how you bootstrapped and have created such an incredible financial background and career.

[00:01:29] Sharita Humphrey: I think my story started from not having money conversations at home. That was one of the most pivotal things that really started me to want to understand more.

What was making my, what was making me as a child different from some of my peers? Being able to see them go on certain vacations, be able to do certain extracurricular activities. That of course my mom raising three daughters on her own, she just didn’t have it. She was trying to keep a roof over our head and her head above water. And I remember just seeing her just so stressed out, trying to make everything work. And it just wasn’t working, but she was trying. And so I was eight years old and I asked my mom, I said, mom, how can I help you? And I was just trying to offer some type of support. I didn’t really know what that meant at eight years old. And I told my mom, I was just like, let me help you. Um, put the things we going to put all of the bills together, try to just organize them. I didn’t really understand that at eight years old, but it was just something that I was doing and it was helping my mom.

And I didn’t realize that that was actually starting the, what do they say the seed for me to be where I am today. But just trying to help my mom manage those things and organize those things was not enough. I knew what it was, but I think this looking back at eight years old, I probably should not have been trying to make payment arrangements. And it’s almost funny to me because I’m just like when I’m trying to call and make and call the person on the other line asking, could we have another week or another month to pay this?

I’m pretty sure that that they heard an eight year old’s voice come across the phone, but I was just trying to do whatever I could to be able to help my mom. And, you know, she had a lot, we had a lot of, you know, trials and struggles, just like any other, um, lower income, what I like to say, lower wealth families trying to figure things out.

And I started to kind of almost become resentful because as I started to go into my teens and, you know, a young adulthood that was just trying to figure out what is, why do, why do we keep living in this cycle over and over and over again? And I didn’t understand that it came from not being able to talk about what was happening. It was kind of like out of sight, out of mind. If you don’t talk about it, then the money, the money or the lack thereof is not real. And

[00:03:58] Eric Brotman: yeah, that’s, that’s a great approach. Yeah. If you don’t think about it, it doesn’t happen. Okay. Let me interrupt you for a second because I have to know, were you the oldest of the three?

[00:04:10] Sharita Humphrey: I was not. I am the middle child. I guess I have middle child syndrome.

[00:04:15] Eric Brotman: I, I would have bet my left pinky finger that you were the oldest and that you were sort of becoming one of the adults in the house, but you had an older sister and a younger sister. Were they equally concerned about this or were they more oblivious to it? Or how would you characterize that dynamic?

[00:04:32] Sharita Humphrey: The one thing that used to get teased about with my older sister and younger sister is that I was the nerd. I was the person who was always just trying to figure things out, doing research, reading books. And so I think it just became a part of our life. It was our lifestyle. So I don’t think that my sisters worried as much as I would cause they’re like, you’re always worrying about things you shouldn’t worry about. Just be a kid. And so I was just like, this doesn’t feel right. So thing doesn’t feel right. And they’re like, well, you’re just trying to compare your life to someone else. And I was like, no, I think there’s, there’s something that we should be doing, but I didn’t know what it was.

I was a kid. And I think that that’s what, um, kind of just took on its own thing. And it pushed me into wanting to just get out there and just see certain things. Cause I remember looking out of my bedroom window and just talking, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but as an adult, now we call that therapy.

Just kind of talking to, you know, talking to myself and like, like what do you see for your life and what do you want to do? And I used to just dream big. And sometimes even, you know, you know, my sisters and sometimes they, my family, they’re like, you’re just living a dream in your head every day. And I just remember saying, you just remember them saying that and just laughing.

And I was just kind of like, okay, one day I would say one day, I’m going to show you that I’m not just making this stuff up, and it’s just not things that I’m writing down or dreaming about. And I left home, you know, the rebellious thing just because I just want it to be able to create my own life, became a mom very young, had two small boys. And I think that. You know, I was probably not in a position to become a mom. I just knew that I was not going to create the life for them, that I, in my head, that’s what I wanted for them. But that wasn’t the outcome because I did make some negative financial decisions. I’m not alone, but, you know, I was trying to cover things as far as food and shelter and taking care of, to, you know, to two small children. And I couldn’t do it all. So I was in that position where I, I kinda felt like, uh, history was repeating itself and I, it did, and I lost, I lost our home. We didn’t, we ended up homeless. And the day that we got evicted was I felt like a failure, not from a personal standpoint, but as a mom. And so that just always kind of just hung over our head because I’m like, it would have been different if it was just me by myself. I probably could have handled that. But knowing that now I have two small children who aren’t, I’m supposed to make better decisions for, for them. It kind of the, I think they said the, I became, um, you know, they became my cubs and I was just trying to just figure things out for them. And I just. I remember just thinking, man, we don’t have an address. And I was just like, in my life, I’ve had, I said, mail became so important to me. That was something I looked at. Like we don’t have anywhere to go. And I remember us just riding the bus because we were trying to figure out where to go.

Because many times we were moving from place to place and shelters, especially living in a more metropolitan city, the opportunities for you to be able to secure a longer-term opportunity for a shelter can be, can be challenging. The homeless rate in bigger cities are always astronomical. So I said, okay, what else could I do?

And we were on the bus and I just remember seeing the not great shady kind of seedy kind of motel. And I was just like, if it’s within my budget, it’s only going to be for a little bit. So I convinced myself that, okay, this is going to just be for a little short time and we’ll be okay.

Unfortunately. My income and what, you know, finding a new place was going to cost was not going to be as quick as easy as I thought, but I didn’t lose hope. I just said, okay, we’re going to be here a little bit longer, a few weeks, starting to a few months. And before we know it, if you want to turn to close to a year. And so..

[00:08:58] Eric Brotman: Chills, you’re giving me chills. Cause I’m trying to picture, I’m trying to put myself in, in your shoes at that time as a parent, as a adult, as a human being. And you’re literally that you’re, you’re giving me chills. Cause I can’t imagine what do you do when there is just no safety net? Um, what a scary thing, especially for your sons and for you to, and you use the word cycle and we all know poverty is definitely a cycle. I mean, that is something that repeats itself routinely.

Strangely wealth is kind of a cycle too. So you’re, you’re living for the better part of a year in a motel with your two sons. Uh, with no permanent address, trying to make ends meet. I would be absolutely terrified. Um, and I suspect you were though, I also am hearing, I’m hearing some major grit. So tell me what was next.

[00:09:54] Sharita Humphrey: So for us, I just, I like, what do they say? I think people made it popular, especially Oprah Winfrey. That, oh, you know, I just had my ugly cry. I remember just sitting here trying to just figure out like, what, what the heck am I going to do? How are we going to change this?

But one of the things was the things I used to get teased about as a kid, but I love to be able to read. Reading and research was just something that was my happy place. So we would take the bus to the library as often as I could and just pick up a book about personal finance um, budgeting, credit, things that I never knew about, but I was just fascinated by, by just reading it. And I remember there was a librarian there and she said, you just keep coming every day and keep asking about this. And so she was just like, here’s some other sections and some books and it just opened up for me. Like I was, I felt like a kid in a candy store, so I could feel what my kids felt like at that moment. Just like, wow, this is something that I. I’ve never known. And I didn’t realize that there was so much that I could do by educating myself on personal finance, credit, investing.

And so that became the grit for me, I’m resilient. And so I said, you know what, I’m going to use this information and I’m going to change. But you know we always have downfalls, you know, we always have difficult thoughts and wondering, you know, am I just now just talking out of my head? Is, you know, some of the things that, you know, my family and my sisters are saying, was I dreaming too big? And I just kept saying, no, I don’t know. I lost things, but I didn’t lose hope. And I think there was the, I think it was hope that kept me to keep going for that library to eventually sign up for things like Self Financial, which helped me to build my credit because one of the things that I did have on my bucket list was to work for the government.

And, you know, every time all the positions that I wanted, one of the things that they looked at was credit. And I’m like, oh my gosh, this is not going to work because my credit is in shambles. but what do I do? So I started reading up on credit, utilizing their platforms, reading financial, um, things. And then I just got the confidence to be able to, you know, ask and look for a better position.

And I want people to know, because people ask me this all the time. You’re living in that motel and you were going to work. Yes. There is a lot of people who go to work and show up every single day. And you have no financial idea what’s going on. It was going to work and bills going there. And who wants to get, I remember not renewing, because it was almost time for me to get my, my driver’s license renewed. And that’s what made me have that ugly cry that I mentioned. Um, because I’m like, there’s no way that I am going to give the driver license place an address to a motel to get my mail. There was just no way. And you know, the boys were down. I had them in, you know, in the bed and I just started to just cry like I never cried before. And I was just like, I just, cause I had out of all of this, not one tear fell. Not when they evicted us, not what we were looking for a place, not even when I turned the key to go into that motel room. Never.

But, you know, just knowing and looking back at my picture, knowing that I was up against the clock and I didn’t, there was no way I was going to give them this address. I just cried like a collicky baby. Just couldn’t stop. And it woke my children up in, I don’t know. They always say kids have like a keen sense. They didn’t say anything, they just hugged me. And that was all that I needed. That was all that I needed. They just hugged me and I just told them, I said, I’m going to make you guys trust fund kids. I don’t even know what this means, but I’m going to change the financial trajectory that we’re on. But I was learning things and I said, I remember reading and seeing something, and it stuck with me. That, um, success leaves clues, and you have to start to speak the things, even when you don’t, even when you don’t believe them, because once you keep saying them out loud enough, Your subconscious starts to believe it.

So I started to say those things. I was just like, I’m going to change the financial trajectory that we’re on. I said, I’m going to secure something. And I told them, I said, you know what, give me a few months. And I’m going to go after all the things that I’m just telling you guys right now. And I said I’m going to start to work for the government. And you know, they’re kids, they didn’t even understand what I was talking about, but I needed to talk to somebody because after writing so much and those walls start to get, start to close in on you.

I was just like, they’re probably never going to forget this, but I just need to be able to just get this out. So I said that, and that was, that was all that I needed. And it just changed my thought process. It gave me some renewed strength and additional hope that I needed.

I went after those things and I started to save and work and do all the things that I needed to do. And I remember going to an apartment complex and I was very upfront with the young lady. I was less like I was evicted before. Um, but I, you know, I have, I’ve been putting money back and I just, that, you know, I told her, I was just like, well, I said, this home is not for me, it’s for my kids. And so she was just like, okay, Do these things. And I did, and we got that place and I just, I just remember being so happy. And it wasn’t even about when she said that we were approved, it was to know that I had an address and that I was going to be able to not only give my kids more space and a new place, but that when I got, when I went to give an address for my driver license, it wasn’t going to be the one foot at the motel.

[00:16:23] Eric Brotman: Wow. That I, yeah, I’m speechless and I’m never speechless cause I have a microphone in my hand a lot, but, but you have me speechless. I have. How old are your, are your boys now?

[00:16:37] Sharita Humphrey: So they are now 22 and 21. And it’s been it’s been a journey.

[00:16:47] Eric Brotman: Do they remember, do they remember those days?

[00:16:51] Sharita Humphrey: They do. You know what, I guess my act of being a creative mom, I think they just think that we were on a long vacation. Like they just had… Because I just, because just because you’re in a negative situation doesn’t mean that you can’t make the best of it. And I just couldn’t let my boys continue to see me cry. You know, when they saw me do that as the cry that one time, I was just like, I cannot do this. I have to be strong for them, but I have to, most importantly, I had to be strong for me. And so to know that what I told them is now their reality makes me feel like an accomplished mom, if nothing else.

[00:17:45] Eric Brotman: Big time, big time. Tiger moms have nothing on you. So let me, let me ask you, because you’re, you’re now in a position where, and, and what an unbelievable trajectory, but you’re, you’re now in a position where you’re helping other people see this. You’re truly paying this forward now. Um, so, so would you say it’s a fair statement to say you’ve, you’ve sort of found your calling and that now you’re, you’re trying to get other folks and pull them up the way that you pulled yourself up. Is that a fair assessment?

[00:18:19] Sharita Humphrey: Oh yeah. I think that’s a very fair assessment because one of the things that I wrote was that I was going to help somebody else, because I knew that I wasn’t the only person experiencing financial lack or the lack of financial knowledge, because I unfortunately, but fortunately. I say but I’ll explain. There was a young woman who was there with three kids at the same hotel that I was living in. That’s why I say unfortunately. So that led me know that I wasn’t alone. And I think that’s what helped me not to continue to feel like a failure. But fortunately enough that I was writing, you know, way back then that even if I just helped one person and told them my story, I just wanted them to know that not to give up. And so that’s what that line that I always say.”I lost things. I didn’t lose hope.” came from. And so I left my government. I, I did say that I’ve got the place, but I also want you guys to know that I actually got the government job as well. I got the government job that was on my bucket list. And I would, I never thought that when they called me and they told me that I got the job, they asked me, could I start on April 1st? And I was like, is this a joke? On April fool’s day? And I was just like, well, isn’t that funny? There’s a cycle. You’re going to come to your first day, it’s gonna start with a laugh. And, um, I did, I started on April fool’s day. That was the first day. And I will never forget that day because I knew that I was going to do something and I just thought I was in my, in my, in my thought process. I’m like, I’ve overcome so much. I know the government is a good position. I worked for, you know, great um, department inside of the agency that I worked for. And so I was just like, man, I can do what I told my, my children.

But my mom used to always tell me you’re a rebel. And I guess a little bit is still in there because a lot of people were like, man, you lost everything, you came back from nothing. Why would you leave your job that you worked so hard for just to maybe start a business, to be able to teach other people and go in a passion. How did you know this was going to work?

I didn’t. I remember calling my mom and I said, mom, although I love my job and I’ve worked hard to get here. There’s greater work for me to do. And my mom said, I’m not surprised. She said, you’ve always been a rebel. And I remember replying back because the library taught me a new word. And I told my mom, I said, no, mama, no, I’m not a rebel.

I was born a trailblazer.

[00:21:47] Eric Brotman: What year was this?

[00:21:48] Sharita Humphrey: I said, oh, this a few years back. I can’t believe I left my job four or five, almost five years ago.

[00:22:00] Eric Brotman: Okay, so you had two teenagers. Two teenagers and you said to heck with this, this pension and these benefits, I’m going to go, I’m going to go scratch my entrepreneurial itch, which most people are afraid to ever try.

[00:22:14] Sharita Humphrey: Right. Right. Especially after, after all I had been through.

[00:22:20] Eric Brotman: Well, I maybe that’s true. Or maybe it’s that, you know, you said I I’ve been there and it doesn’t scare me anymore. I don’t know. You, you had two teenagers and you said, you know what, I’m going to walk away from, from steady employment. And you walked away vested and you’ll have a pension, some other things I presume, but, or at least a thrift plan and other things. And I know you’ve, you know, I know you’ve done smart things with your money or you wouldn’t be sitting where you’re sitting today. But I remember the day that I started, um, BFG and it was 2003. So, um, I’m now almost 20 years at this and I remember borrowing money from everywhere and thinking, oh my God, what did I do? Describe that experience because I know you work with entrepreneurs. Describe the experience of saying, okay, I’m taking my safety net and I’m throwing it away and I’m getting on the tight rope.

[00:23:09] Sharita Humphrey: Right. So I had, I’ve always been a planner. Um, especially when it came, actually I became even stronger planner when I lost everything. But I knew I had to have a safety net and it wasn’t– because I couldn’t put my kids back into, I couldn’t let the cycle of losing it again. I couldn’t do that. Then I was just like because I had to, I made them a promise and I said, the one thing my children know, and we still stick to this. So this day is when mom pinky promises, I’m going all the way. And so I was just like, I can’t break this promise to them. So I was just like, I have to figure this out. And the government was such a blessing in more ways than they’ll ever know, because it taught me so much and going from not having much to now being able to be paid once a month. I got, I remember, first of the month, we got all of our paycheck for the month and I was just like, oh, this is good. But people don’t realize four to five weeks is a long time until the next paycheck.

And so I had to realize, wait, I say, wait a minute, I’m only going to get 12 paychecks a year. I have to make sure that this makes sense. So so my expenses, I kept them low. Um, I made sure that we always did. We were still able to live our life because I had “us” as a line item on our budget. Because I wanted my children not to have to think about whether we were still going to be able to live the life that I’ve created for them and I’d promised to them.

And so I started putting, um, “us” as a line item uh, on our budget. And I remember telling my coworker. I say, you know what, I’m going to start paying my bills in advance. And they’re like, “why? You got job security.” And I was like, oh yeah, but they, no one knew that I was planning on leaving. So one month it became two months of savings. Two months became three months of savings. And I said, wait, let me figure this out. What if I go and talk to my leasing office and ask, can I pay my, my rent and my, you know, in advance? She’s like, okay. Cause I said, I knew him want to get a home, let me just get ahead of this. So I started to do that. So I start planning way out. Even when I started to feel that entrepreneur itch, I didn’t just make the dash. I knew that there were certain things that I wanted to have like a home and I wanted to get those things while I still had consistent employment. Cause I knew entrepreneurship was scary and I had never been there and I was just like, I wanted to make sure I was putting myself to do that. So I started putting up enough. We got a new home. And before then I was like, okay. I started marking things off. And before I knew it, I looked through our bank and my bank account. And I looked at my savings and started looking at some different things. And I’m like, wow, if not, if, if nothing else I have more than enough. And just with the way that I’ve been doing things and the aligning you know, aligning things. I know they said the first two or three years are very difficult for entrepreneurs. So I said, well, let me not fall into that statistic because I don’t, I don’t want to have to come back to work. If I don’t have to, I’ve got to make this work.

I came from homelessness. I gotta make this work. So I think the safety net of me having an additional safety net, because the department that I worked under, we could, they, they were okay with you having outside employment, but it was a whole thing and it wasn’t worth me trying to do this. So I was just teaching people while I was still doing this because I didn’t want to have to tell them I had another job. It would have been a whole thing that I had to report to my superiors.

So I just started to teach people what I knew for free while I was still working. Volunteering my time, teaching people what I know. And before then, before I knew it, people were asking me, they’re just like, well, why don’t you do this as a job? And I was like, I can’t. I said I can, but I can’t. Um, and I decided, you know, I remember my very last assignment I saw, I saw a couple who made more than I thought I could ever do what they in a lifetime lose it all. They lost their business and I think it pained me more than it pained them. They’re just like, it’s just, “we spent all of our savings. We put $500,000 into this business, and we lost it all.” and they like “we’re living paycheck to paycheck, despite our careers, degrees, and posts all of the acronyms behind our names.”.

And I just saw that and I just told them “you lost things, don’t lose hope.” And you know, and that was it. I hope one day that they hear this because they gave me, that particular couple gave me the jump that I needed. Cause I was scared to leave a safety net. but when I saw that, I said, “you know, I can’t, I can’t stay here because there’s more people like me, like them” and I left and I remember giving my notice and they’re like, “you’re so young. You’ve so much life. You have a great job. You worked so hard to get here. Are you sure?”

 I’m like, I gotta go. And they’re like, well, we got to give you a little bit more time to think about it. So I had this, even though my, my two weeks notice turned into six weeks because they said, well, she didn’t think about this for a few weeks before you make that decision. And I never wavered even down to the day. I never wavered. I left. And I remember them telling me, you know, I remember one of my superiors telling me that I’ll be back. And I guess, I guess the rebel in me, the rebel would be flared up in the inside.

[00:29:09] Eric Brotman: I’ll bet. I would not say that to you ever. I would never bet against you for anything. That’s oh my gosh. You just did.

[00:29:17] Sharita Humphrey: Yes, yes. She said that. I will never forget that. And you know, and

[00:29:23] Eric Brotman: I hope she sees you now.

[00:29:25] Sharita Humphrey: But you know, what’s so funny. I was, I had to, I took it the rebel in me um, let, let a little bit of anger come in, um, inside of me, cause I did feel, emotionally, I felt a way about those words, but now that I think back as the one sitting in this position now, she was absolutely right. Because the same thing, the same work that I left to come and teach people, the government now pays me to do this same work. So I, I teach entrepreneurs doing state local and federal agencies to be able to do this. And last year I won my first, I won my first government contract that I submitted. Um, and it was teaching entrepreneur and teaching my superiors how to be able to lead in today’s new normal. And so life became a full circle. So her words, I say, thank you because the rebel in me was upset but the trailblazer in my was like she was right, because you did exactly what she said. You came back, but just in a greater capacity,

[00:30:43] Eric Brotman: That’s amazing Sharita. I need you to do something for me.

[00:30:47] Sharita Humphrey: Yes.

[00:30:48] Eric Brotman: Can you do something for me? I want you to make me a pinky promise because I know what the pinky promise means. I want you to make a pinky promise that this is not our last conversation.

[00:30:59] Sharita Humphrey: This is not our last conversation.

[00:31:00] Eric Brotman: Because running. Okay. Pinky promise because we are, we’re running short on time. I wish the show was an hour. Um, we’re running short on time. The company you started is Change in Motion. I want to ask you what you want to be when you grow up, because I know you’re still in wild motion, so what’s, what’s next? What, what do you want to be? What do you want to do?

[00:31:24] Sharita Humphrey: Uh, agricultural producing. Farmingg is my next journey.

[00:31:31] Eric Brotman: Farming.

[00:31:33] Sharita Humphrey: Yes.

[00:31:34] Eric Brotman: Okay. Now, now I know you’ve been, you’ve been buying land already, correct? Right. And so are so, oh my goodness. So you’re going to create jobs and you’re going to create abundance and you’re going to create sustenance and you’re going to make a difference in lots of unbelievable ways that way too. My money’s on you.

[00:31:58] Sharita Humphrey: I’m going to teach people in the agriculture space what I know.

[00:32:03] Eric Brotman: I will never bet against you. I got to ask for an extra credit assignment cause nobody likes homework. And our listeners do extra credit. And, uh, I don’t know how to have one takeaway from this, but where, I guess if nothing else let’s come up with one action item and then tell us where people can learn more about you and learn more about Change in Motion.

[00:32:26] Sharita Humphrey: So the action item is to remember that your budget is your blueprint to helping you to get and stay in the driver’s seat of your financial future. So I challenge all of everyone listening to create a budget, be consistent, and to know that those numbers will become your reality.

[00:32:53] Eric Brotman: Sage advice, where can folks learn more?

[00:32:56] Sharita Humphrey: So people can learn more about me, um, at SharitaMHumphrey.com. If they just want to know a little bit more about my story. If you want to know about all the amazing work that I do with the small businesses, um, and with government agencies, you can, you can visit and check out more about me and my team at ChangeinMotion.co.

 I look forward to the conversation and I’m keeping my pinky promise that we’re going to come back and continue the story.

[00:33:20] Eric Brotman: I want to know more and I’m visiting you on the farm. So this was, this was, this was awesome. Sharita. Thank you so, so much for sharing this story. I hope it moves some people. I also hope it created that moment where somebody says you’ll be back and they say, watch me, hold my beer.

Um, I love that. I love the grit and I wish you incredible success. And I know you’re changing lives and, and keep doing what you’re doing. Okay?

[00:33:45] Sharita Humphrey: Thank you so much for having me.

[00:33:47] Eric Brotman: To all our listeners, thank you for listening to another episode of Don’t Retire… Graduate! If you like, what you hear, please subscribe and rate our podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

Please also check out our books, workbooks and online financial literacy resources at brotmanmedia.com. We’ll be back next week with another installment of office hours and in two weeks with another engaging guest. For now, this is your host, Eric Brotman reminding: you don’t retire. Graduate!

[00:34:13] Narrator: From this day forward, let us begin changing the way we view retirement. Today, I implore you: don’t retire. Graduate! Visit our website at brotmanmedia.com to subscribe and please like us and post comments on social media. Securities offered through Kestra investment services, LLC. Kestra IS. Member FINRA SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra advisory services, LLC. Kestra AS, an affiliate of Kestra IS. Kestra IS or Kestra AS are not affiliated with Brotman financial or any other entity discussed.