PASCO PROFILES: A STOCKBROKER

Times staff writer

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 16, 2000

TIM HOWELLS, 45, is in full-service financial services. Howells is a certified public accountant and a licensed securities broker and also works in life insurance, retirement and estate planning:

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE PASCO? "When I came up here, 17 years ago, it was one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. There's a lot of opportunity here, and we're still close enough to Pinellas County that I can get down there when I need to . . . I like living on the gulf. It's relatively safe. We are still playing catch-up in building schools and roads, and we do need to get away from the three industries of health care, construction and banking. We don't have the diverse economy we need."

WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST CONCERNS FOR OTHERS IN YOUR PROFESSION? "Where are we going with the tax structure? A lot of people wonder about that. What will our taxes be like, where will the government be heading in collecting taxes and what's the best way to prepare for that?"

WHAT SKILLS ARE NEEDED IN YOUR LINE OF WORK? For handling stocks and financial transactions, all a prospective employee has to do is pass the securities test and find a licensed office to work out of. Howells also is a CPA and has training in a wide range of financial services.

HOW HAS THE BOOMING ECONOMY AFFECTED THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY? "It's opened a lot of eyes, especially in younger people, people in their 40s. They are looking at the older generation and how well they did in the past 10 years, and they want to get there, too. I see a lot of people really interested in saving, in putting the maximum into their 401(k), in getting the maximum out of their company's match. What makes an investment successful is time, not rate of return. It's also created a lot of new challenges for investors. People who didn't think they were going to have to worry about estate planning are now finding they have done very well, and now they have to consider how to pass that on to their heirs."

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY? "As the population ages, you're going to see a lot of these baby boomers becoming "Trust babies.' They've spent all this time saving and preparing for retirement, and their parents have done very well in their investments. Right about the time they get ready to retire and start using their retirement savings, their parents pass away, and leave them a lot more than they expected. Suddenly, they will have to start thinking about how to preserve that wealth and pass it to the next generation."

HOW WILL THE INDUSTRY FARE IN THIS NEW ERA OF ONLINE BANKING AND INVESTING? "There's so much out there, there's still a need for someone to guide you through all the possibilities and coordinate for you. Surveys have shown that an investor will do about 17 percent better over the long haul with someone to assist them. There's not the urge to panic and sell every time there's a downturn. Keeping your money invested for the long run is really what makes it grow, not jumping in and out."

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