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With more than 30 years experience in the financial industry, Gerry has the knowledge and integrity to guide his clients through financial strategies and help them achieve their goals.

A graduate of LaSalle University, Gerry taught finance and accounting courses in the university’s MBA program. Gerry became an independent financial professional after decades of assisting corporations improve their cash flow and increase their profitability.

Gerry believes in guiding his clients so they make well-informed financial decisions that continue to benefit them for years to come. Helping to improve the lives of his clients is at the forefront of everything Gerry does and the relationships he shares with them goes above and beyond business. He looks out for his clients financially, while also caring for them as individuals so they can have the reassurance that they’ve made thoughtful financial choices.

Along with these principles, Gerry also has a personal motivation in striving to help improve the financial lives of others.
 

Gerry's Story

I was born in 1953 to a wonderful family that included loving parents, three brothers and one sister. We were a happy, thriving family until we heard the words that no one ever wants to hear—Cancer.

As teens and tweens, my siblings and I didn’t realize how our life was going to be changing. My mother passed away on New Year’s Eve when I was 15. I felt like someone just stuck a knife in my heart, and my life was turned upside down.

My father was older than my mother and never expected to bury his wife. My mother had no life insurance, and my father was faced with the daunting emotional, logistical and financial task of raising his five children—ranging in ages from 11 to 18 years old—alone.

My father worked for PECO and worked a different shift every six days. Imagine grieving the loss of your spouse and now being faced with these questions:

• Who wakes us up for school?
• Who makes breakfast and lunch for us?
• Who is going to greet us at the front door at the end of the school day?
• Who is going to help us with homework?
• Who is going to prepare dinner for us?
• Who is going to clean our clothes and the house?
• Who is going to be there when I need a hug or a good shoulder to cry on?
• Will we never again spend quality time together?

The list went on and on. Within two months, my father asked his sister, our beloved Aunt Mary, to move in with us and help with literally everything. She responded without reservation and became a part of our immediate family.

My father stressed the importance of going to college, but he did not have the savings or income to pay for our college education. I worked a full-time job during the school year plus another full-time job during the summers between semesters in order to minimize college loans. Fortunately, by the end of my senior year, I was debt-free, but also cash poor.

After graduating, I worked in Corporate America for 30 years helping corporations improve cash flow and increase their profitability. I wanted to give back to the educational community that had been so important in my life, so I began teaching accounting and finance in the MBA program at my Alma Mater, LaSalle University.

I realized it was time to share my story and follow my passion of helping others save cash and make an income plan for retirement, so I founded GJO Financial. AT GJO Financial, I help individuals and families prepare for the unexpected by developing a financial strategy that protects their assets and uncovers retirement income needs so they may move toward retirement with confidence that if life takes an unexpected turn, they are ready and protected.

I’d love to share more information with you or your friends and loved ones who might benefit from my story and expertise.