Member Spotlight: Hugo Carvajal

Dec 5, 2022 | Articles, Member Spotlight

Hugo Carvajal has been a member of LeTip since October of 2008 and we are proud to say he is one of LeTip’s Platinum Badge members. He holds the Financial Advisor category for the LeTip of Clifton, NJ chapter. Hugo Started in 2008 as a financial advisor with MassMutual – NJ/NYC, after graduating from Boston University.  He belongs to an elite group of financial advisors within the MassMutual organization called The College Funding Coach® that focuses on college funding strategies and retirement income planning.  One of life’s biggest challenges for parents is being able to put their kids through college without going broke for retirement.  Hugo help people solve this problem.  More information can be found on www.thecollegefundingcoach.org.  

We asked Hugo how LeTip helped him in his business. He said, “From day one LeTip has been an integral part of growing my business.  I have always had the thought of helping others first and LeTip has always been my conduit to bringing people together to grow their business.  In return, I develop strong relationships, which is important in my business.  Some of the people in my LeTip chapter have become some of my best friends and family.

Seeing how Hugo is a long time LeTip member and Platinum Badge holder, we wondered if he had any advice for new members in LeTip. Hugo stated that he had a few pieces of advice. “Give it time. Don’t quit after 3-6 months of not seeing results. It takes time to develop trust and build relationships.” He went on to say, “YOU have to work LeTip. LeTip does not work for you.  What I mean by that is that you have to take the initiative outside of the normal meetings to get to know the members OUTSIDE of the meetings.  Seek to help others first.  Learn from them what is the best tip for them and truly go out of your way to help others. Everything will come back in return.” He concluded with, “Have the mindset of “no tip is too small” some of my best tips have come from members that thought it was not a big enough tip for me.” We also asked Hugo for advice on bringing guests to a chapter. He said, “My number one belief is to follow your dollar!  If I am spending money on services, on a daily basis, I feel I have the right to invite that person to a meeting.  If they don’t come, I find another service provider.” Read this paragraph again, because Hugo gave out some very sound advice for not only our new members, but for all of our LeTip family!

Since Hugo is a financial advisor, we weren’t going to miss the opportunity to ask him for some key tips for end of year planning:
“Here are my top tips:
1.  Get an inventory of your revenue and expenses for year-end and start planning what changes need to happen for the new year. 
2. Speak to your tax advisor to take advantage of any year-end tax deductions. Are you fully maximizing those deductions?  Do you have to make changes to your qualified plans?  Can you implement a tax-qualified plan to increase your deductions? 
3.  We are seeing the effects of inflation and possibly a recession.  Have you looked at where you stand financially with your emergency reserves?  Are you maximizing the efficiency of your money?  Have you reviewed your strategy if we encounter a recession and the impact to your business?”
Thank you, Hugo! As we close out 2022, are you working on end-of-year planning? Do you see any changes you will look to make in 2023?

Happy Holidays to our LeTip family and here’s to a happy & prosperous new year!