SuperDad

BRIAN JONES SUPERDAD

BY LIESEL SCHMIDT

As a financial advisor at Jones Bazile Wealth Advisors with Northwestern Mutual, Brian Jones’s job is to help individuals, families, and businesses understand who they are, what their dreams are for the future and guide them in developing a strategic financial plan to make those dreams a reality. “Our goal with clients is to reduce anxiety around finances, investing and retirement for the everyday American,” he says.

When he clocks out at the end of the day, Jones goes home to his wife of ten years and their three kids, ages five, three and one. As rewarding as his paying job may be, it’s the one that comes without a paycheck that really holds his heart. “Being a dad is, hands down, the most rewarding thing I've ever done—and by far the most challenging,” says 33-year-old Jones. “Watching my kids grow and learn and interact with the world around them gives me tremendous pride. The challenging part is navigating their emotions and making sure I don’t overreact to situations but instead offer the kind of guidance and correction that will teach them how to handle various life situations appropriately. I’ve found that the best way to offer proper guidance to my kids is to share information directly from the Bible instead of relying on my own wisdom or experiences.”

Despite having a time intensive job, Jones enjoys tremendous flexibility in his work—giving him the ability to be an extremely present father. “I am very fortunate to be where I need—or want—to be for my family,” he observes. Being as financially savvy as he is, his kids will benefit from the wisdom he can impart. “Money management is not something taught to most people,” Jones notes. “I feel very confident that my children will have an exposure to money, investing and business that will help them sift through all the information available to them in the world to make smarter decisions and live a life by design, not by default.”

A military vet, Jones has seen many different sides of life—and the world—and all of that has greatly impacted his approach to fatherhood and his work. “I have always been very proud of my military service,” he says. “Through the military, I learned many valuable lessons on leadership, overcoming adversity and personal responsibility. I feel these lessons learned are in direct correlation to running a successful business, giving me confidence in approaching various situations and different client interactions. I know that no matter what situation I may face, it will be handled with integrity and a well-developed plan on how to attack the mission at hand. Over the years, I’ve learned not to focus on the results but to focus instead on the work you're putting in. With many things in life, we are not in control of the outcome. What we are in control of is our own effort; if we’ve done what we can to the best of our ability. Many times, the desired result takes a long time to come to fruition, which causes people to become very discouraged and maybe even give up on what they're trying to accomplish. When we focus on the input and working diligently, the outcome often takes care of itself. Knowing all of this has been incredibly important to being a father. The effort I put into my children and my relationship with them, in raising them right, will show in the end.”

As he watches his children grow into the people they will become, Jones’s greatest hope is simple. “If I get to the end of this life and the only things my children say about me is that their daddy taught them who Jesus is and lived his life accordingly, that will truly be the greatest accomplishment I could seek in this world,” he says.

Young as they still may be, Jones’s three little ones have taught him a few very unforgettable—and very important—lessons. “They’ve taught me greater patience and the fact that I don't have all the answers,” he says. “Contrary to what I used to believe, we can never have all the answers, and that's okay. We're not meant to know everything as humans. Luckily, we have a resource in the Bible that gives us guidance on how to navigate any situation or circumstance in life and how to view those in the proper light.”

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