Bonding over a bond desk doesn't sound romantic but it worked for Dorothea Zando and Brian Laux who met on Wall Street during the '80s.
"We were part of a very social group of people at work," Zando recalled from her Atlantic Highlands office. "Some of us in the group ended up getting married."
Zando and Laux tied the knot 30-years ago. They no longer live in New York or work on Wall Street. The couple with two children in their twenties, moved to New Jersey and are senior wealth consultants, who toil under the moniker Zando Financial.
"There's a barrage of information out there," Zando said. "It's confusing. We can make it easier for people during these challenging times. We can tell them this is why things are happening this way and we can advise them. If your relationship with money is important to you, wouldn't it make sense to speak with someone who has been in this business for more than 40 years? We're more like therapists than advisors."
Zando has a terrific track record and as a result their client base ranges from 20-somethings to octogenarians.
"Our clients are all over the board at different stages of their lives," Zando said. "We tailor what we do to every client. With people that are nearly retired and rolling over 401Ks, they need extra income so we talk about what they can do with their social security and how it can work for them. With someone in their '20s, we go into the market. We'll be more aggressive investment with them. The message we have with people in their '20s is, 'Don't wait.' If you start investing early enough, you'll be able to compound that amount. It'll make a big difference for your retirement years. The difference could be over $1 million."
Zando and Laux are open to speak at any hour about investing. "We have a 24-hour policy," Laux said. "You can call us after market hours or during the weekends. We'll do reviews at night or whenever. We want to help people at every stage of their life through retirement and beyond."
Ironically, Zando and Laux aren't planning to retire, at least for a while. "We love what we do," Zando said. "Why not continue to run our own business? If we need to take a Tuesday off, we'll take a Tuesday off. We might bring in someone like our son, who can hopefully come in and take over everything when we're in our '90s."
Now there's a plan but that's what Zando and Laux are all about, helping folks with pragmatic moves.
The longtime couple plans to stay in Monmouth County. "We love Monmouth County," Zando said. "Why would we leave? Both of our kids went to Monmouth University. We love the beach, the bars and restaurants. We're happy to live in New Jersey, particularly where we live. We can walk to the ferry to go to Manhattan. From our beach we can see the New York skyline. This is a great place to raise kids."
Both of their children reside in New Jersey. Their son Raymond Laux often performs in Asbury Park with his band Malibu. "We just saw Raymond and Malibu at Low Dive," Zando said. "The band is Raymond and his two college friends and they're great. . It's so good to be able to see them in Asbury Park We have a great time there."
Zando and Laux have seen it all in the financial world. "We were working in this business when the market crashed in '87 and 01, 02 and 08," Zando said. "We navigated through that and we're still going strong. If anyone needs any financial advice we can help them."
The couple also runs the Victor Zando Foundation. "It was established in 2003 in memory of my brother, Victor, who passed away," Zando said. "He left behind a 15-month old."
So the foundation helps children with Catholic School tuition. Students at Asbury Park's Mt. Caramel have benefitted courtesy of the Foundation's uniform fund and tuition assistance.
"We want to help in a meaningful and impactful way with the foundation and with financial services," Laux said.
Contact Zando Financial at 732-706-1335,www.zandofinancial.com
"Our clients are all over the board at different stages of their lives. We tailor what we do to every client."
"Don't wait.' If you start investing early enough, you'll be able to compound that amount. It'll make a big difference for your retirement years."