When you contact Miser Wealth Partners to help plan your financial future, Glen Kirkorian’s friendly voice will likely be the first one you hear. As our Director of Client Care, he has the important task of listening carefully and initiating the conversation with the team member who specializes in the areas that matter most to you. For Glen, as well as the rest of the team, it’s all about making sure your individual financial needs are being met in the way that offers the best possible benefit.
Glen was born in Panama City Beach, Florida, where he lived until about the age of 10. Then his father, a captain in the United States Air Force, transferred and moved the family across the country to the State of Washington, soon followed by California. It was in the Golden State where Glen would graduate high school and college, start his career, and eventually become a father to two sons.
As far as his career aspirations, Glen chose something that we can safely say is a far cry from the financial planning realm he enjoys today. He completed four years of criminology school and then graduated from the police academy. From there, he went into law enforcement as a criminal investigator, a role he enjoyed for 23 years in Central California. Glen says that chapter in his life definitely helped him hone his impeccable people skills, which continue to serve him to this day.
“Law enforcement isn’t just making arrests,” he said. “It’s also helping people and interacting with a lot of different types of folks all the time. When you get into criminal investigations, you have to be a very good listener. Of course, I talk a lot, too.”
When he retired from law enforcement, Glen felt it was time to stretch his East Coast legs a bit. With a sister and nephew in Knoxville, he decided it was the change of scenery he needed and made the move in 1994. That same year, he became involved in something that you may not consider a former criminal investigator would find of interest – dancing…televised dancing to be exact. Having previous dance experience from his California days, Glen was asked to be part a TV show called Club Dance on The Nashville Network, which was filmed in Knoxville and aired for the majority of the 90s.
“I got invited by the producer of the show through a mutual friend of hers,” Glen said. “I went and danced on the show from 1994 until it ended in January of 1999. Whether it was dancing East Coast style, West Coast style, or Cha-cha, I did all of them.”
When the show ended and it was time to hang up his dancing shoes, Glen switched gears yet again and went on to work in management for KenJo Markets until 2014, followed by working for Knox Area Transit until his second retirement in 2021. But Glen, though very savvy in preparing for his own retirement, is just not the kind of guy to enjoy not having a regular job to do.
“For me, retirement was not all it’s cracked up to be,” he said. “I had worked for so many years and was going stir crazy.”
Enter Derek Miser. The two had met years prior through mutual friends and found they shared a lot of the same values. Knowing Glen’s extensive and colorful background, Derek had him first in mind for an available, client-centric position at Miser Wealth Partners.
“Derek had heard that I had retired and asked me to meet him for breakfast one morning. That’s when he asked me to come work for him because of my experience in customer service and dealing with the public,” Glen said. “I gladly accepted and here I am. I’m here to help our clients, and I love it.”
In becoming immersed in all the capabilities of the experienced professionals at Miser Wealth Partners and reflecting on his own experience of saving for the future, Glen just knew it was the right fit for him.
“You have to plan out your wealth, which is what I did. Derek and his team do that in a way that ensures the government doesn’t get any more than they should,” Glen explains. “Derek himself has come from the ground up. He is a fine person, and he wants to make sure you’re doing the right thing with your money so that the government doesn’t get it. Whatever your specific needs are, we’re going to get you moving in the right direction.”
With his own extensive retirement prep work under his belt along with his expert training on reading people through his decades of criminal investigations, Glen quickly realized and appreciated the proficiency of the team. He’s very excited to be a part of it all in helping clients with their ultimate goals of enjoying their golden years.
“Miser Wealth Partners offers something that’s very unique that other companies can’t offer,” he said. “We are a one-stop shop where clients meet with our team, establish their portfolio, and determine exactly which direction they need to go. This really is a good opportunity for me as far as helping people and finding out how best we can help them really enjoy their golden years. I enjoy talking to people, and if I can help in some way in getting them where they need to be, then I’ll be glad to be a part of that. I’m charged up about it.”
In his spare time, Glen enjoys spending time with his family here in East Tennessee as well as having those fatherly talks over the phone every Sunday with his two adult sons, who still live in California.
Glen divides his time between our Knoxville and Tellico Village offices. Get to know him more by calling us at (865) 281-1616 or clicking here to set up your discovery meeting at one of our convenient locations.
