Serving the Route 422,100, 202, and Route 30 Corridors in Montgomery, Chester and Berks Counties.

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APRIL 2018

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Pottstown, PAPermit No. 95

P.O. Box 334Pottstown, PA19464-0334

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GREG KOCH KOCH FINANCIAL

GROUPKOCH INSURANCE

BROKERS

GREG KOCH KOCH FINANCIAL

GROUPKOCH INSURANCE

BROKERS

APRIL 2018 ROUTE 422 BUSINESS ADVISOR 422business.com and 422bizmag.com 6

Greg Koch is not your typical finan-cial advisor or insurance broker.Upon graduating from FleetwoodHigh School in 1976, Koch had plansto study engineering at Penn State,but a severe motorcycle accident andlong period of recovery altered thoseplans. Once fully recovered, Kochwent to work in the retail furnitureindustry, where he built a career,establishing a track record of successin sales management, developingexpertise in his product line, andearning a reputation for outstandingcustomer service, making him aleader in his market.

Although successful at what he was doing,something was missing. Seeking greatercareer fulfillment, Koch boldly decided toshift gears mid-profession and follow his true calling — financial planning. Ever since hisfirst economics class, Koch was fascinated byfinance. As a matter of personal interest, hehad already completed numerous continuingeducation specialty courses to further hisknowledge in financial products and retire-ment planning. Taking the plunge, in 2001 hereceived his Series 66 License and hisInsurance License soon after and startedworking in the financial services field.

“I’ve always wanted to help people live abetter life and have a better retirement thanthey ever thought possible,” Greg Koch says,explaining the decision to change careers. “It’s something that I was always interested in.My parents were divorced when I was young.We didn’t have a lot as a child. I saw how mymom struggled through life and I alwayswanted to make her life better, and other people just like her, live better.”

One of the walls in Koch’s Douglassvillehome office is lined with books on finance-related topics. As an avid reader, he has greatadmiration for books by and about individu-als who use their financial acumen to helpothers. “I look at what people like WarrenBuffet, Bill Gates, and Oprah Winfrey havebeen able to do in their lives,” he said. Theyare some of the richest people in the worldand look how much they give back! I like tosee people who made it and did somethingwith it.”

GREG KOCH – KOCH FINANCIAL GROUP & KOCH INSURANCE BROKERS, LLC

GREG KOCH

Zachary Miller, Insurance Agent

“As financial advisors, our commitment to you issimple: To be honest, transparent and always

look out for your best interest, first and always.”

“At Koch Financial Group, LLC, it is our goal to help our clients create a comprehensive

financial plan that is designed to secure theirfinancial future and ensure peace of mind

for themselves and their loved ones.”

PHOTO BY STYLISH IM

AGES PHOTOGRAPHY

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Over the course of working for severalfinancial services & insurance companiesfor nearly a decade, Koch became increas-ingly dissatisfied with the conflict of inter-est that he saw in the big financial firms.“All the firms that I worked for did not actas a fiduciary. It was all about makingmoney for the firm, not so much aboutmaking money for the client,” he said. “I always thought that was a conflict ofinterest, and that approach was totallyopposite of the way it should be.”

In 2010, Koch decided to strike out onhis own, Koch Financial Advisors &Insurance Broker. Rather than serving corporate goals, the company had a fiduci-ary duty to clients with their best interestsin mind. Today, the firm has grown to astaff of ten.

“My whole goal is to keep as muchmoney in the clients’ pockets as possible,”Koch explains. “That’s why a lot of servicesthat we offer have no fees to them. In mostcases we get paid a commission by the dif-ferent companies our clients elect to dobusiness with. We don’t ask the client foranything more,” he said.

Koch received his Series 65 License andbecame an IAR (Investment AdvisorRepresentative) in 2015. Changing SEC regulations prompted a decision in 2017 tosplit the company into two entities — KochFinancial Group, LLC and Koch InsuranceBrokers, LLC. Although the firms workwith clients of all ages, they specialize inworking with seniors aged 55 and above.

“In a sense, everybody is kind of ourfamily,” Koch says. “We want to help every-body get to their goals, and by taking lessand giving more, we’re able to do that. By doing that, that actually explodes mybusiness. The more we help people, themore we get referrals and the more my business grows,” he said, adding “I don’tworry about the money. If I do my job correctly and I help people, the money willautomatically come to me. I get to work fromhome and do the things that I want to do.

I don’t live lavishly. I’m just a simple guy ina modest home. I want to give it back tofriends, family and other people.”

In addition to Koch’s distinction as afiduciary, Koch Financial Group furtherdistinguishes itself by specializing in thedistribution phase of retirement. He alsospecializes in assets that are not correlatedto the stock market. “It doesn’t matter if thestock market goes up or down or if theeconomy is good or bad,” Koch said.“These assets yield above average returnsno matter what. Some are fixed rate. Someare variable returns.”

Koch Financial Group also serves as aone-stop-shop with its exclusive POD sys-tem (Professionals On Demand), enablingthe firm to offer a comprehensive variety ofservices. “We really have something foreverybody,” Koch said. “Any financial serv-ice that a senior would need, from nowuntil the end of their days. If we don’t offerthat service, we have a network of affiliatesthat we can refer them to that offer thatservice, and they would work directly withthem. One call does it all.”

Continuous learning is a priority forGreg Koch, as is sharing information to helpeducate others about basic financial matters.He contributes a monthly column to Route422 Business Advisor and conducts semi-nars at local venues on estate planning,maximizing your IRA, social security plan-ning, college planning, as well as a variety ofother financial and insurance related topics.

(Continued on page 8)

Helena Erman, Office Manager and Maggie O’Malley, Marketing & Support

Cover photo: Standing (L-R) Helena Erman - officemanager, Maggie O’Malley marketing & support, ZachMiller - insurance agent; Seated Greg Koch - owner &founder, Sue Koch - wife, bookkeeping & payroll.

APRIL 2018 8ROUTE 422 BUSINESS ADVISOR 422business.com and 422bizmag.com

“Our industry changes daily,” Koch saidabout the value of continuing to learn andshare knowledge. “Since I started in thisbusiness, no matter how much you thinkyou know, you are always learning some-thing new every day and there is alwaysmore to learn. My eyes have been openedtremendously over the years.”

Koch clearly enjoys the challenge ofhelping individuals reach their retirementgoals, no matter what their current situa-tion. “Everybody’s situation is different,” hesaid. “People come to us with all kinds ofcomplex problems, and we’re able to helpthem get on the right track to have a betterretirement. In most cases, it’s a little morecomplex of a project and in some cases it’svery simple. It’s just a matter of giving thema little guidance and they’re on the road torecovery. Other people it takes a little bitmore doing and coaching to get them tothat level, and it may take a couple steps ora couple years to get to reach that,” he said.“We want to do whatever we can to do as

much as we can to get them to where theywant to be, to reach their goals in life and inretirement as quickly and as easily as possi-ble, with as little risk as possible.”

Greg Koch seems to have found his truecalling. “You can’t find another job that’smore gratifying than this,” he said. “Thereis nothing more rewarding than helpingsomebody reach the success that they wantto reach and seeing them become happywith their life and everything else, so to me,that’s very, very satisfying.”

Greg and his wife Susan live inDouglassville, PA, and have five childrenand two grandchildren. They support avariety of local and national charities,including St. Jude Hospital, WoundedWarriors, Disabled American Veterans,Reading Symphony Orchestra, and thePhiladelphia Chapter of Cradle to Crayons,among others. Koch Financial Group is amember of the TriCounty Area Chamberof Commerce and Better Business Bureau.

COVER STORY(Continued from page 7)

For additional information, please call 610.370.7268. For a full range of services offered, and to learn more about Koch Financial Group, LLC

please visit: www.KochFinancialGroup.com. For additional information onKoch Insurance Brokers, LLC, please visit: www.KochInsBrokers.com.INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES OFFERED THROUGH IAMS WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC A REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISOR.

KOCH FINANCIAL GROUP LLC AND IAMS WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC ARE NOT AFFILIATED ENTITIES.