Strong Fathers Raise Strong Daughters with Brandon Ruttley

Brandon Ruttley married about as well as a man can (I've known his wife since we were 10 years old). He's also the father of three beautiful girls, ages 10,7 & 3.Affectionately known as "Ruttley," or just "Rutt," in recent years he's more than quadrupled his income.Nowadays, we'd call a man of Rutt's calibre a "dude" (we used to call them "studs").And I haven't even mentioned—Ruttley is a former 5'9" walk-on Division I basketball player of a Caucasian persuasion."Walk-ons" have a different mentality from the rest. Ruttley now sells commercial insurance, where I'm told, "he kills it—everyday."Prior to his role in insurance, Ruttley spent seven years in athletics' administration as the #2 at Nicholls State University.His position as Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs at Nicholls State (2010-2016) meant overseeing all fundraising, ticket sales, sponsorships, marketing, football scheduling, and facility planning initiatives for the athletics' programs.When his own plan to become Athletic Director didn't pan out, he wasted no time using connections he'd made over the years to quickly find another opportunity.One thing I admire about Ruttley. He's a master relationship-builder. In fact, he believes, "relationships rule the world," adding, "without strong relationships—we never unlock our full potential."In this episode, he shares his secrets to building strong relationships. Secrets which have helped him become a "Peak Producer" for his management of several large accounts—not just in Louisiana—but all across the country.In this episode, we talk about how he became a fan of the Man Overseas podcast. He explains how the show has helped him to become financially prepared.For example, he's set up Roth IRAs for he & wife, Georgia. He now has 529 plans for his daughters. Enrolled in a 401K plan for himself and setup taxable brokerage accounts—all over the past six months.He also reveals that he'd never read a single book about personal finance before listening to the podcast, but has now read several. (All of this is music to my ears, of course!)We also discuss the book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know by Meg Meeker, M.D., which Brandon generously sent me in the mail last summer.One of the key takeaways from the book is the importance of improving your communication skills. People often think of communication skills as being more articulate or having an extensive vocabulary, but it's so much more than that.The author talks about how you say something is as important as anything you say. She uses this example. Asking your daughter: "I just can't imagine being your age—what's it like being a 13-year old girl right now?"Genius. It's open-ended. It demonstrates empathy and compassion. And most importantly, it's likely to get your daughter talking without feeling threatened.My copy of Strong Fathers, Strong Daugthers has as many highlights as any other book I own. Ruttley and I have a chapter-by-chapter discussion that would benefit any #girldad too busy to read an entire book.There's a reason Ruttley & I have become better friends through the years. It's the elevated quality of our conversations and the desire to get better every day. In this episode, we have a tremendous chat that I'll cherish for a long time. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!