Ken Gillaspie Legacy Fund

About the Ken Gillaspie Legacy Fund

Ken loved his profession and cared deeply about his clients. He also believed in following a holistic, life planning approach to delivering financial planning services and advice. He continually nurtured his skills, knowledge, and insight in order to conduct meaningful conversations about money and life with those whom he served. He considered it a joy and a privilege to be involved in the lives of his clients in this way, and encouraged his peers to do the same.

Ken understood the link between his personal and professional growth and his ability to effectively guide clients in a life planning process. He frequently commented to his colleagues that the tools and training developed by Money Quotient helped him to meet these objectives and to develop trusting and fruitful relationships with his clients. Therefore, it seems a fitting tribute to Ken to support other financial planning professionals, students, and educators in accessing the same tools and training.

Contributions to the Ken Gillaspie Legacy Fund will be used to provide scholarships for the Money Quotient Fundamentals of True Wealth™ Planning virtual training course. Members of he Money Quotient Advisory Board will comprise the selection committee. They will review the applications and make the funding decisions. In the future, it is our hope that the scope of the Ken Gillaspie Legacy Fund will expand to include additional projects that will further develop life planning knowledge, skills, and training within the financial planning community.

 

"I think how people deal with the financial issues in their lives is very important to the quality of their life and can have a meaningful impact on their marriage, family, peace of mind, and ability to contribute and give back to the community. If we all did a better job of handling our own financial matters, just maybe it could make a positive change in our country and future for our children. I want to help make that difference."

—Ken Gillaspie

Improvisation

In music, "improvisation" is the art of extemporization or creating all or part of a composition at the moment of performance. To improvise effectively, a musician must thoroughly understand the conversation of a given musical style. these conversations provide a mental library for the musician — effective chord sequences, rhythmic patterns, melodic motives, and so forth — that are combined, varied and used as a starting point for new inventions. Such resources help give the resulting music the cohesiveness it needs while allowing room for spontaneous creativity.

Because Ken was also an accomplished jazz musician, we think the term "improvisation" is an appropriate metaphor for the life planning conversations he came to view as an integral component of his client meetings. This is because there is an element of spontaneity and creativity in this type of client communication. However, like improvisational jazz, composing an effective life planning dialogue is also grounded in a "mental library" of knowledge, insight, training, and experience. It is from this foundation that the planner can effectively facilitate client-focused interaction about the intersection of money and life.

Ken's Professional Life

Ken was raised and lived most of his life in Portland, Oregon. He attended Wilson High School, Portland State University, and the University of Portland. His undergraduate work was in business, psychology, and education; and he earned a master's degree in music. Ken also served in the Army as a medic and trumpet player during the Vietnam War.

Ken taught music for several years and then changed careers in 1980 with the establishment of his financial advisory firm. He earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation in 1986. Ken enjoyed many years of partnership with Ron Wilkinson and Evan Russell and often said that his great staff and clients made going to work a pleasure. Ken was always actively involved in professional organizations working to better the financial services industry and be of service to the public.

Ken strongly believed in the value of a life-centered, values-based approach to delivering comprehensive financial planning services. He understood the role of "dialogue" in getting to know and understand his clients and in helping them to establish financial goals. When forced to take time off from work because of his cancer treatments, he wrote in his blog that what he missed most was having life planning conversations with his clients.

Ken's Family Life

Ken was devoted to his wife Peggy, and their two sons, Christopher and David. As a family, they shared a love of traveling, sailing, and playing music together.

Ken's Musical Life

Ken's love of music permeated his life. He taught music for many years and counted many of his former students as friends. As a local jazz musician, Ken was often spotted in the Portland area playing trumpet and flugalhorn at public and private functions. He also delighted in entertaining his colleagues at professional meetings and conferences by playing his instruments and organizing jam sessions. He influenced many of his peers to start playing and enjoying instruments they had long set aside.