Scott Leonard, CFP®

MY BACKGROUND AND WHAT BROUGHT ME HERE…

I started in the financial services industry after college, working for a major brokerage firm and an insurance company. I earned the CFP® certification and became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner during that time. 

I wasn’t happy with the focus on selling products, so I transitioned to working with a large money management firm, one of the first companies to help bring passive/index investment strategies to the public, working with independent financial advisors. I was the National Education Manager for the company, teaching the investment concepts I learned while obtaining my economics degree at UCLA. 

During this period, I learned about the independent, fee-only fiduciary side of the industry. It was clear that it was the right way to deliver financial advice. So I started my own company in 1996 to deliver comprehensive financial advice free of the conflicts found with the banks, brokerage, and insurance companies.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PROFESSION…

I am a classic entrepreneur. For as long as I can remember, I was starting businesses as a child and constantly thinking of a better mousetrap. All of the financial aspects of planning and running a business have always been interesting to me. While I was a math tutor in college, I realized that I really enjoyed helping and working with people. Working toward the CFP® certification and becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional just seemed like a natural fit, combining my love of working with and helping people, and my fascination with all things financial.

OUTSIDE OF WORK, I’M MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT…

In a word, family. Our time together sailing around the world built a strong family bond. I am also fortunate that all three boys have found my passion for water polo, and I have enjoyed helping coach their teams over the years.

SOMETHING UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT ABOUT ME…

In 2011, my family and I embarked on a three-year world sailing adventure, fulfilling one of my childhood dreams and sharing my wife’s and my passion for travel and adventure with our three children. For me, and all of us at Navigoe, just planning for one’s dreams and goals is not the objective. It is the successful execution of your goals that gets us excited.

WHEN NOT IN THE OFFICE, LOOK FOR ME…

• Coaching and playing water polo

• Skiing

• Traveling with family and friends

• On a boat in some tropical location – or 80 feet under doing SCUBA

• Cleaning up a beach, marina, or nature trail

AS PART OF NAVIGOE’S 1% FOR THE PLANET COMMITMENT, WHAT ARE YOU MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT?

Having seen the human-caused environmental damage in some of the most remote islands in the South Pacific, I realized how little I truly knew about how humans are affecting our environment and planet. Knowledge is more than just power – it is motivational. The charities we support must have education as a major aspect of their mission. Volunteer engagement is also critical and is part of a comprehensive educational program.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL MOST SETS NAVIGOE APART FROM OTHER FIRMS?

It has to be our boutique size. Our team includes certified financial planners in Redondo Beach that can assist our clients in all the same ways as large banks and brokerage firms. However, we are not bogged down by legacy systems, proprietary products or the bureaucracy afflicting large companies. Our size allows me to be involved in the planning for all clients: a win-win all the way around. We are boutique by design. That allows us to provide extremely customized solutions for every client.