Lloyd Yamada started his professional life on a completely different path from financial planning. In his mid-40s, however, his father became ill, and Lloyd retired from electrical engineering to help his mother care for him. That time period proved a crucial one. Lloyd gained an empathy for similar people in transition, and his desire to help them became the springboard for his new career as a financial planner. Today, because of his experience, he understands the need of transitioning clients for strategies that support them as they move into the next phase of their journey. And in his work, he emphasizes steps that can build confidence and support clarity, such as career counseling or new income strategies.After studying electrical engineering at the University of Hawaii, Lloyd led the navigation products group at Stanford Telecom for nearly a decade. When he transitioned to financial planning, he made it his goal to gain a broad experience by working for as many types of financial planning companies as he could. He aspired to own a practice, and he decided that he would apply the best practices of the companies he worked for while discarding the worst. What surprised him most was how much he enjoyed working with people. It was such a different experience from engineering, where his focus was hardware and software. Now he was building relationships with people, and he was thrilled by how much they appreciated his guidance.Today, as CEO, Lloyd spends more time running the business than working with clients as much as he used to. Nonetheless, he is grateful for the opportunity to create a lasting firm that helps clients achieve their aspirations. In his role, he oversees the firm’s strategy and revenue base, and he works with his partners to integrate financial planning and investment strategies so clients can continue to build on their wealth’s potential.