John McFarland, CRPC

After earning two Associates Degrees at BYU-Idaho in technology fields, I began my first career at Intel in Hillsboro, Oregon. The positions I held were challenging and being involved with a world-class organization was a great experience. It was there that I was first introduced to investing through their 401k and Stock Participation program.

However Intel was far from my home in Montana. My wife, Melissa (Schlappy) and I both grew up around Missoula, Montana. When our first child, Katie was born we started feeling a pull towards home and family. When Katie turned one year old, we moved back to Montana.

Life doesn’t go as planned. We made the move, but the computer technician position I had planned on was delayed. So I wired houses with my father-in-law and ran a skidder for my father’s logging outfit until a year later when I decided to enroll in business school. For the next two years I worked full-time, was a full-time student, and became the father of our second child, Isaac. At the University of Montana, I  found an intriguing option called Financial Management. From my first exposure to investing at Intel, I found the stock market fascinating. As I studied financial markets and investing, I decided that my dream job would be to help others with their investments.

I graduated from the University of Montana with High Honors receiving a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. I immediately started working on my licenses to become a financial advisor. I chose to work for Waddell & Reed because of their focus on financial planning. A few months after graduation, armed with my Series 7, Series 66, and insurance licenses, I was ready to start my dream job as a financial advisor.

Since that time, I have obtained the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor^SM designation, which focuses on the pre- and post-retirement needs of individuals. This certification on retirement planning, employer-sponsored plans, insurance planning, and estate planning allows me to transform the retirement planning process into a positive experience.

I love what I do. Three of my professional goals are to improve the lives of my clients through financial planning, spread enthusiasm for investing, and to protect families and loved ones through life and long term care insurance. It has been so rewarding to help my clients develop strategies that can help them transform dreams into realities. 

Away from work, I enjoy playing with my children, playing basketball, dancing, and fishing. I also stay involved with Boy Scouts and youth activities associated with my church. My children are Katie (9), Isaac (6), Andrew (4) and Lizzie (1). 

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