Live Your Ultimate Vision

By Eric Vogen

We recently had the opportunity to meet with Eric Vogen during the past KRC Conference. Vogen has over 23 years of investment industry experience and is the investment portfolio manager at Vision Capital & Management, A Registered Investment Advisor. His typical clients are retirees and business owners with over $5 million of investment assets. Eric shares a unique financial mentoring process which encourages his clients to live in PEACE through being Philanthropic, Entrepreneurial, Abundant in their thinking about money, Committed to their callings and Enthusiastic about their lives.

Vogen integrates his Christian faith into his work by facilitating The Vision Wheel counseling course, which invites the Holy Spirit to guide people in completing a vision business plan to overcome obstacles and pick up their cross and follow Jesus. Vogen finds great satisfaction in seeing people being free to move toward God’s visions for their lives, and regularly shares this process with church groups, couples, and college students. (Questions? Contact Eric: [email protected])

Q: How did you enter your profession?

A: As a pastor’s son, I was often asked if I wanted to go into ministry. But I was always driven toward business. By the time I was 10 years old, I had a few paper routes and discussed oil sale and technology stocks with my paper route “clients.” In high school I pursued financial mentors while doing Eagle Scout projects. I put myself through college playing the oboe and learned about music and business from my oboe teacher, who also happened to be an owner of a worldwide jewelry company. Through the CFP program and graduate school, I pursued a finance path.

Q: How did your religious belief merge with your finance business?

A: During my five years with a Wall Street investment firm, I rose from being a broker, to a manager of many representatives, to being promoted to run a high-profile office in Chicago. However, I became disillusioned with the secular business world and found myself in a dark place after not being involved with the Church for quite a few years. One night, I cried out a prayer to God and suddenly saw thousands of arrows shooting up through the skies, piercing Heaven. I woke up the next morning with a lightning bolt of clarity to do three things: 1) Follow the Holy Spirit’s instructions, 2) Propose marriage to my girlfriend, and 3) Get an interview to work for the leading Christian financial service firm.

Q: How did you experience God’s blessing?

A: By following guidance from that one prayer, I feel like the Lord is still blessing me to this day. I started to learn about the Holy Spirit and have seen light come into my life. I was married and my wife became a Christian. She’s been a faithful partner for more than 18 years and is doing great things for God’s kingdom. We have a beautiful daughter and a son on the way. My wife and I went to work for the Christian financial services firm and were blessed with mentors, energy for work, and favor that allowed us to have a solid footing with our own finances. When it comes to God’s financial blessing or provision, we try to guard our hearts in following the Lord with little expectation to receive financial success. It’s important to balance scriptures related to money and God’s favor. People like to quote Malachi, about bringing in the whole tithe and God will, “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” But in Acts 8, there is a challenging story which in it states, that “You cannot buy the gift of God with money”. Giving is a response to the thankfulness in our hearts and following God is an act of worship. If you trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding and in all of your ways acknowledge the Lord, He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6) … and provide all of your needs. Our pastor once said that our ultimate purpose is to know what God wants, and the way to know this is through His word. We should read His Word, say it and then do it to receive God’s blessing.

Q: Is this pastor a spiritual mentor who contributed to your professional growth?

A: My wife and I were fortunate to take part in the Charlotte Leadership Forum from 1998-2000. One of their requirements was to maintain a formal mentor relationship during this time. We asked the top people we respected from a spiritual standpoint, Pastor Herb and Dolores Mirly. We continue a mentor relationship with them to this day. They prayed for us daily for years and taught us practical ways to help people overcome spiritual combats.

Q: What are the most common obstacles you’ve seen people encounter?

A: In dealing with financial issues, people commonly deal with fear, worry, anxiety, regret, greed, coveting, and pride. We try to help people repel these while encouraging courage, peace, and wisdom. However, I think the deepest core obstacle for people may be that they are “not picking up their crosses”.

Just after my father passed away, I had a clear sense that he went to heaven and he was experiencing the joy of meeting Jesus and knowing that He is real … He really is! I also sensed that I should pick up my cross and follow Jesus. Frederick Buechner (famous Pastor & theologian) said that, “The place God calls you to, is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet”. I think this may describe “the cross”.

Q: How can Christians survive world economic hardships?

A: Many people spend their time focused on how their investment can grow to give them a worry-free life and security. We have found this to be an elusive goal, even for people with more than $50 million of assets.

Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14: 27). So, how does one receive this peace? Maybe start with these questions:

1. If I were to match four passions of my heart with four great needs of the world, how much money would I allocate toward this during my lifetime and for future generations?
2. If I were to think of my life from an eternal perspective and my money and talents as being ever abundant from God, how would I allocate my budget for living expenses, debts and reserves?
3. If I were to enthusiastically pursue God’s calling for my life, how much money would I allocate toward this during my lifetime and for future generations?

For example, one of our clients found his calling was mentoring and managing people to support orphans. While he had many resources, he has chosen to live quite simply. He shares a large portion of his time and money with a Christian adoption agency helping to raise money, train leaders, and provide grants for couples who want to adopt orphans but lack the funds to do so. He is making an eternal impact on the lives of the children and the parents who adopt them. He is living in peace!

As far as being specific to the latest crisis, we have been reading the Bible, praying, and listening to thoughts from our Christian investment alliances and our spiritual mentors. Here’s what we’ve heard:

1. Shore Up. In the Bible, Joseph prepared for years before the crisis and as the hardship intensified. Shore up financial and business affairs to emerge as servant leaders in crisis.
2. There will be ways to make it, but the ways may be different. Seek God, stay calm, be at peace and listen for the Holy Spirit for guidance with new paradigms and ways to invest.
3. Seek perspective. Realize that the developed world’s latest “crisis”, pales in comparison to many people groups’ dire situations. Seek a vision of how you perceive this period of time. For instance, Vision Capital’s statement: “We are in the midst of a global communications renaissance, leading to growth opportunities for hundreds of millions of new middle class around the world. This will lead to mind-boggling change and a deep need, at times, for safe places.”

Q: What’s the proper finance allocation and management?

A: Many people do not diversify enough among different types of assets. Choosing investments, which have a low correlation to each other, may reduce volatility. Here’s a key question to ask: Where are my CABS? … What percentage do I have in each of the four basic categories, Cash, Alternatives, Bonds and Stocks. And then, what percentage do I have in each sub-class of these asset classes?

Q: What are some specific ways you have tried to help your clients to grow financially and spiritually?

A: Once someone is following the Lord’s path, wealth can provide an enhancement to one’s life and calling. This is what motivates me to help people with financial growth.

Our firm has four ways to encourages clients to grow financially and spiritually:
1. Investment growth and income, communicated with their tax advisor.
2. Estate asset growth, planned between different generations of their family.
3. Giving growth, coordinated with their investments, insurance, tax advisor, charities, and family.
4. Personal and business growth, encouraged by using The Vision Wheel program.

Q: Is there any unforgettable story among your clients that you can share with us about following one’s giving heart, leading to positive action that benefits oneself and others?

A: We served a woman who received a multi-million dollar settlement due to her husband’s death in a workplace accident. We managed her investments primarily for income with some growth. A few years passed and, in an effort to make a new start, she completed The Vision Wheel. During the program, she shared that she was tired of going to her church. Through discussion, she realized that her dissatisfaction came from the church’s physical environment. She also found that beauty was one of her four passions. Then she connected this passion with an idea of redecorating the church. One thing led to another: flower, carpet and paint.

This simple act led to quite a few levels of positive action:

1. She overcame spiritual combats of discontent and loneliness.
2. She and other church members were refreshed by attending the redecorated church. New members were attracted as well.
3. Her charitable giving had been about $2,000 per year, and she worried a lot about her finances. But after she paid more than $70,000 for the church renovation, she felt abundant with her money and overjoyed with the positive impact she made.

Q: What is your advice to Chinese Christians?

A: My family loves traveling to Asia and Australia and we have developed some great friendships there. My desire is to see Asian people become Christian leaders. In 2007, the United States set a record of over $100 billion of charitable gifts to religious organizations. Other countries were not close to this level. It has been said that the 21st century will be the Asian century for world leadership and commerce. If this proves to be true, Asian-American and Chinese Christians will have an opportunity to prosper and also will have a great responsibility to take on leadership in Christian giving. My prayer for Chinese Christians is that God would reveal truth about relationships with money and how to most effectively follow Jesus Christ.

Eric, Brenda (left) and Iris

Advisory services offered through Vision Capital & Management Corporation. Securities offered through FSC Securities Corporation. A Registered Broker/Dealer. Member FINRA/SIPC. The views expressed are not necessarily the opinion of FSC Securities Corporation, and should not be construed directly or indirectly, as an offer to buy and sell securities mentioned herein. Investing is subject to risks including loss of principal invested. No strategy can assure a profit nor protect against loss. With any investment vehicle, past performance is not a guarantee of future results. There is no guarantee that a diversified portfolio will outperform a non-diversified portfolio in any given market environment. 108 S. Main Street, Suite E, Davidson, North Carolina 28036. Phone (704-894-9639) Fax (704-894-9639) Vision Capital & Management is independent of FSC Securities Corporation.