Background

Life experience is a good teacher. For Joe, managing change personally and professionally has positioned him well for the career he holds today. “In college I earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from R.I.T. because it was a good fit given my methodical, analytical style. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine where it would take me,” said Joe in describing his circuitous career path that began with three years as a quality assurance chemist, three more years with an environmental engineering company and finally a stint doing project management at a trade show management company. “I am pleased to have found a home in financial services doing what I do best—critically analyzing client information, carefully researching various strategies and making recommendations to clients that are designed to help them address their specific needs and goals—kind of like the scientific method on which I was trained.”

Philosophy

For Joe, much of his early-life experiences helped define who he is today. “I was born in Korea, but my father died when I was five and I was placed in an orphanage,” explains Joe. “I was adopted by an American family and moved to the U.S., but when I was ten my adoptive mother passed away.” As Joe explains, these early experiences helped solidify his thinking and desire to work in a capacity where he could make a tangible difference in the lives of others—most notably in helping families mitigate risk using tools like long-term disability income and life insurance.

So often, clients focus on the wrong issues in their financial lives when in reality protecting what matters most is key. “In many cases, the first priority should be to address the person’s insurance needs as insurance forms the backbone of a successful person’s financial framework.”

Joe’s strength is in helping early-career or young professionals, young families and mid-career families understand their finances and help mitigate the risks we all face every day. “My gift is my ability to help make complex insurance information meaningful and relevant,” adds Joe with great enthusiasm. “As a natural process thinker and scientist by training, my orientation to detail and thoroughness are what attract clients to me. While I can be effective in helping people from all walks of life, I think I am particularly successful in working with technical and scientific professionals, like engineers, IT people, scientists, etc.”

When he’s not working, Joe enjoys running and playing tennis, softball, volleyball and kickball. In addition, he volunteers with American Red Cross, Digital Rochester and his alma mater, R.I.T.

MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing designation (or fleet name) for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual). Springfield, MA 01111-0001. Supervisory Office: 600 Clinton Square, Rochester, NY 14604. (585) 262-5600.