Storyteller, den mother, cheerleader, writer and fiercely loyal advocate all describe jobs Jackie embraces at Oak Knoll Financial Strategies, where she has worked since October 2011. What these jobs have in common is they are usually done in the background, behind the scenes. Her satisfaction comes from seeing her boss and co-workers do well and the Oak Knoll business shine.

Aside from getting a strange thrill from creating a colorful yet useful Excel spreadsheet, one of her favorite tasks involves writing items for local newspapers and magazines. She proofreads letters and contributes to video scripts touting Oak Knoll specialties.

Jackie is proud of three things in her life: First, raising a son on her own who is a productive, hard-working, tax-paying family man with a great sense of humor and a big heart. Second, she is the author of two romance novels that she believes should be turned into movies. Third, she completed an intense Diakonia™ study program, a two-year process of spiritual formation and theological education.

She also lives with three disappointments: She is a procrastinator extraordinaire. She lacks foot coordination enough to keep her from driving a manual transmission car and dancing. And to the frustration of her piano teacher, her left hand on the keyboard is untrainable.

Thanks to the good work done by financial advisors, retirement is approaching … in a good way. Gone is the fear of living on cat food and sleeping in her car.