David A. Witter
David A. Witter, founder and CEO of Financial Harvest Wealth Advisors offers an introduction to how the firm began.
“We’ve been here in Winter Park since 2010,” David said. “When we moved into our new offices, we fulfilled the dream of owning our own office building here in Winter Park to establish deep community roots.”
Katie M. Witter
Katie M. Witter is co-owner of Financial Harvest Wealth Advisors.
“I’m principal of Financial Harvest Wealth Advisors,” Katie said. “I do a lot of business development and marketing for the firm as well as help David with financial planning with our clients. David and I have two young children, Will and Kate, and we live in Winter Park.”
Why David Founded Financial Harvest Wealth Advisors
David said, “often people ask me how I got into doing what I’m doing now, and my story starts between my sophomore and junior year at college and a great bonding time with my Dad that summer.
“He sat me down at the end of the summer and he said, ‘David, I’m planning to move out and divorce your mom.’
“And a few weeks after that, I’m on the phone with my mom and I said, ‘how are you doing? How are you coping?’ She said, ‘I’m okay, but I’m really worried about money.’
From Engineering School to Financial Advisor
“And it was then that I started taking my elective courses at engineering school to learn about money and investing to help my own mom first and my own family first,” David said. “And little did I know, it turned into just a passion and mission in life to be able to help people with money and help families with money.
Wealth Management Solutions
“We had the ability with three or four or five or six professionals that we can really collaborate effectively together to deliver wealth management solutions that in the past, only the high net worth people could afford,” David said.
“I think one of most important things when a client walks in the door, or we’re having a conversation is that they feel like the most important person in the room,” Katie said.
Daryl Place Joins the Financial Harvest Team
Daryl Place is the relationship manager for Financial Harvest Wealth Advisors. Several years ago Daryl and her husband were looking for a little bit of financial advice as they were getting closer to beginning to think about retirement.
They interviewed a few different financial advisors, but Daryl said, “we were not real thrilled with anyone that we talked to. No one seemed to share our same values or strategies or concerns. A good friend of mine recommended, ‘hey, have you heard of David and Katie? Why don’t you go meet with them? I think you might really like them’.”
Wealth Management Approach
When Daryl and her husband walked out of the meeting, Daryl said, “we were ecstatic. We just immediately fell in love with David and Katie and loved the way they approached wealth management and approached our specific situation. They had unique solutions and ideas that we hadn’t heard of before, and we knew that we wanted to work with them.”
The Rocking Chair Test
“When I think about being able to pass my rocking chair test, I think of it in terms of a three-part test,” Daryl said. “I think of it as trying to be physically fit, spiritually fit, and financially fit in order to pass my rocking chair test.”
“When I think of my rocking chair test, I think of my parents,” Katie said. “They’ve been married for over four decades. And my dad has been professionally successful.
A Good and Satisfying Life
“When David and I are at the age, when we’re 80 years old looking back over our lives, I think the biggest thing for us is to say, ‘I lived a good and satisfying life,’ Katie said. “I think that in my heart it’s when I can make a difference in somebody’s life, big or small, that’s the ultimate.”
