Cloke thrives in financial industry
By Rex L. Troute, The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Cloke has been in the business for 27 years, created the Thrive Income Distribution System, is a national educational and motivational speaker, and recently started a new firm, Acuity Financial, in
That is a long way from being a 21-year-old miner in the U.S. Gypsum plant near
Cloke would later merge his practice with
"Two Rivers was a great partner," Cloke said. "The time had come for us to be independent and allow our footprint to grow nationally."
Cloke already had a national audience, largely due to his developing the Thrive Income Distribution System in
Cloke not only applies the Thrive system to many of his clients' needs, but takes it a step further. He has traveled the country to speak about Thrive to retirement advisers, estate advisers, legal and accounting professionals, and academics. This year, he already has held
Thrive consists of three components: a speaking and educational one; a software component and a custom analytic component.
To date, Cloke figures about 100 financial planning firms in the nation are using Thrive, and more than 1,000 advisers are touting its advantages.
"The product changed the face of retirement," Cloke said, as Thrive uncovered ways to invest money more efficiently.
Because of Thrive, Cloke has become an adjunct instructor for the
Along with the
In 2009, Cloke was selected as one of the top five financial advisers in the nation by
Cloke plans to apply Thrive and all of his financial planning experience to his new enterprise, Acuity Financial.
"We've considered it for a period of time because of our national footprint in the retirement arena," Cloke said.
He considers Acuity Financial an agnostic financial planning firm: offering estate, wealth and retirement planning; business services; group medical and other services. The firm works with traditional equity markets, plus helps with 401k plans and qualified pension plans, which is a niche market for Acuity Financial.
Cloke chose the word "acuity" for the company name because it means vision and clarity.
"It represents our tag line -- helping define vision and clarity for your financial future," Cloke said.
Cloke believes the company's mission is to help clients reach their dreams by reviewing their assets, analyzing the true math and incorporating a plan to get to their dream. Upon retirement, an individual can find themselves living in financial scarcity or financial abundance.
"We help clients reboot that movie ... to live in a place of abundance," Cloke said.
When he separated from
Cloke's son, Joshua, is an integral part of the practice. In addition to running the Invest Management Service of the company, Joshua also manages the Employee Benefits Division which includes group medical and ancillary benefit plans.
Curtis is finding other ways to spread the word about his financial innovations. He wrote chapter 7 in a friend's book, "Retirement Income Masters: Secrets of the Pros" by
Cloke is writing his own book at the moment, tentatively titled "Retirement Riot." He was on a plane to
In Cloke's case, he has turned the word "riot" into the theme -- Retirement Income On Time/Target.
Whether it is his new firm, Thrive or the upcoming book, Cloke continues to innovate.
___
(c)2014 The Hawk Eye (Burlington, Iowa)
Visit The Hawk Eye (Burlington, Iowa) at www.thehawkeye.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Wordcount: | 907 |
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News