Ladder to Leader: My Journey From Failure to Fire to Financial Freedom

Synopsis

Ladder to Leader: My Journey From Failure to Fire to Financial Freedom is a memoir by Ryan D. Larson, the principal Investment Advisor Representative and Founder of FirstLine Financial, LLC. Founded in 2015, FirstLine Financial earned a Service Mark from the US Patent office for the company's intake process in 2020, only five years later. Larson credits his time in the Phoenix Fire and other Arizona Fire Departments for teaching him organization and planning skills that inspired FirstLine Financial's intake process. In the second half of the book, Larson introduces financial terms and products, describing them using terminology and giving examples that make them simple to understand. The book is interesting from a memoir perspective and shares information, including case studies, to explain the financial investing terminology clearly and concisely.Larson shares childhood struggles which lead to his failures and frustrations as a high school graduate. He tells stories about feeling like an outsider at home because of not being close to his three siblings and the impact his father's time away in the military affected him. Married young, the family always lived near his mother's parents. His father joined the army, and his mother worked part-time to help make ends meet. Larson's grandparents took care of the children often and were very important to the author, especially when his father deployed during his pivotal middle school years. Always active and very athletic, Larson became a local Pop Warner Football hero. His father, when not deployed, was an assistant coach and very involved with the author's athletics. Both father and son saw a future for Larson in professional football, which came to an end in middle school. However, Larson struggled academically and his parents wanted him to “just graduate and get a job,” especially when his dreams of a pro-football career faded. All of this affected the author's self-confidence. After graduation from high school, Larson was lost, became depressed, and floated from job to job, never feeling fulfilled or seeing a future for himself. A twist of fate, which his mother calls ‘divine inspiration,' led Larson to the Fire Department Explorer Program, which fueled his interest in becoming a firefighter. The competition is fierce for the very few fire department job openings, requiring passing a rigorous suitability/entrance exam. Larson studied several hours a day to prepare and failed the exam at least three times, but his score was better each time. This process made him realize that he is smart and, if he sets his mind to the task, he can accomplish anything. The fire department exam includes sections on reading comprehension and math, which the author was terrified of. The confidence he gained from this process carried him through the many challenges he had yet to face.Once employed as a firefighter, Larson quickly became a valued member of the department. During his days off, he began taking stock market trading classes after watching the movie Wall Street. As part of the course, students bought and sold stocks, learned how to chart them, and did things that would have once scared Larson. As he began making money, fellow firefighters took an interest in his new passion. Before long, he was discussing their finances and giving investment advice. With encouragement from his wife and friends at the station, Larson began working for financial advisors. He eventually earned his Independent Retirement Adviser credentials and opening his own Registered Investment Advisory Firm, FirstLine Financial.

Copyright:

2022

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9781735484525

Related ISBNs:

9781735484518

Publisher:

Calling Card Books

Date of Addition:

05/17/22

Copyrighted By:

Ryan Larson

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Business and Finance

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.