Meet Garrett L. Holcombe | Dad & CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

We had the good fortune of connecting with Garrett L. Holcombe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Garrett L., what do you want people to remember about you?
Each of us has the unique duty and joy to carry on the hopes of our ancestors who came before us. We are that legacy, and it’s up to each of us, individually, to grow in our honor and set the example for those who come after us. My wife and I didn’t become parents in the conventional way. For whatever reason, God called upon us to take in two children, siblings, from our circle of friends, who needed us to love them the way they deserved. In 2016, we stepped up and took on the role of raising at 9yo boy and 11yo girl as if they were our own. We love them more than life itself, and they are a shining light in our world! I have the distinct honor of being their dad and helping them navigate, through eight years together so far, the trials and tribulations of life and the cusp of adulthood.

I *GET* to teach and show them how to be honorable, loving, and trustworthy people and to be successful in their own lives, wherever that may take them. Matthew and Samantha are my legacy, and I hope to make them, and those lives they touch or create, proud of my own efforts on their behalf.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am president of Horizon Planning Group, a wealth management firm in Woodstock, Georgia. We are a firm of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals and candidates, and we pride ourselves on the higher standards of care, ethics, expertise, and experience that entails. We are held to a higher fiduciary standard than most others in our field, and we carry that proudly.

I tend learn things the hard way in my life. It’s been a blessing at times, and a curse at times, especially depending on the lesson I’m learning, but when it comes to being a wealth manager, I wanted to do things right! I knew becoming a CFP® professional was where I wanted to take my business from the very first time I started to learn about this industry. My father had been in the financial services field for as long as I could remember, and when I finally started listening to his advice in my mid-20s, I knew where I wanted life to take me. It would have been nice if I had listened to dad sooner, I would have saved myself all sorts of headaches and drift as I was trying to figure out my own path in this world, but like I said, I don’t do things easy…it’s not my style!

I have always been an outgoing person; let’s just say that I love an audience, and what better way to be in front of people than to help them with their finances! As soon as I had my first client meeting I was hooked – I knew that I had helping people work their way out of debt, create a retirement plan, or figure out college for their children was exactly what I was born to do! I have been blessed with the opportunity to help others with the least taught kind of education there is for Americans: financial literacy.

I get to be at the forefront of changing lives for the better! I absolutely love it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a huge history buff, so Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is a must for hiking and history. I’d have to make sure we also visit Stone Mountain Park for the fireworks and fun. I’m one of the lucky few whose family is from Atlanta, so this native son has to go downtown and see the Fox Theatre for a step back in time of the lavishness of the late 1920s movie palace and Moorish-style architecture. Then take in the resurgence of Inman Park, Decatur, and Avondale Estates where my parents grew up.

Also, as an avid soccer fan I would be remiss to not stop and catch a match of our hometown heroes, Atlanta United in the Benz! Of course, we’d have to eat peach cobbler at Mary Mac’s Tea Room or the Polaris atop the Hyatt regency for some elegant Southern dining with awesome views. However, no one’s trip to Atlanta is complete without stopping by the world famous Varsity for a chili dog and frosted orange! What’ll ya have?!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Samantha and Matthew came into our lives full time on December 30th, 2015, and we fell in love with them immediately. However, not having been parents before, we had no idea what we were doing. I mean, we had talked about what kind of parents we wanted to be, and we ironed out a rough parenting style we both wanted to have before we were married as most couples do, but nothing really prepares you for the real thing! After two weeks, it was painfully aware that we needed some help with the actual process of fostering. I was in Rotary at the time with Zach Blend who ran Goshen Valley, which helps foster youth of all ages and young adults who age out of care. To say he was a catalyst that changed all four of our lives is an understatement. God put Zach in my life as a mentor and friend to guide us. A foster home division had just been started at Goshen Valley at that time, Goshen Homes, and we were ecstatic at how supportive, welcoming, and inspired the Goshen team were for us. We adopted Samantha and Matthew on June 25th, 2018, and they continue to bring joy (and constant learning!) into our lives. Our family wouldn’t have happened without Goshen Valley. The entire team of amazing folks at Goshen Valley worked tirelessly on Samantha’s and Matthew’s and our behalf. They express Christ’s Christianity on a daily basis.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also give recognition of my parents, Gary and Donna Holcombe for instilling in me the values of living to my highest sense of right, and being a wonderful example of what I wanted to be as a parent. I hope I am at least half the man my father is, and have some modicum of compassion my mother expresses, because they are my role models and who I most want to emulate. Thanks mom and dad!

Website: www.MyHorizonPG.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/hpginc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrettholcombe/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HPGInc