John Gigliello, CFP®, AIF®, EA, MBA

My Story: A Message from John 

 There are many times over the course of a week or month that I reflect on why I have chosen to do the work that I do.  In Looking back over my life and work career, I have pretty much always wanted to help others; a trait instilled in me by my parents. My dad was an architect who focused his vocation on working with hospitals, religious and various charitable organizations.  My mom was a nurse, who devoted her career and life to helping those in need. However, the desire to help people, especially with their finances, was a direct result of the challenges I faced after my life-altering surgery for a brain tumor.

When diagnosed, I was only 39 years old. Happily married to my wife Rose, we had two beautiful daughters, Julianna and Maria, ages 7 and 4. Thankfully the tumor was benign, but because of its size, it needed to be removed. I endured a 9 1/2-hour surgery and was in pretty tough shape afterwards.  I had total paralysis on the right side of my face, deafness in my right ear (with tinnitus) and headaches that reached 12 on a scale of 10. In addition to my physical health, I was facing challenges mentally as well. It seems that we all take our smiles for granted until it’s no longer there. 

After a few years of adjusting to the "new me," I eventually realized that I had a very unique opportunity in front of me. I had the chance to do something positive with this experience or as they say, "make lemonade out of lemons."  My career up until that point had been in the corporate world, but here was a chance to impact the lives of others in a more  personal setting. I decided to make a go of it as a financial advisor and share my knowledge of personal finance with those in need. 

When I think about all of this, I truly have no regrets. I can't tell you how rewarding it is to help people who are at an intersection in their life, just as I was. I’ve often thought about what I would be doing if I had not chosen this career path.  Well, in addition to wanting to help others, I also love to educate. I enjoy sharing what knowledge I've gained over the years with others who might benefit from it, so perhaps I would have become a high-school teacher or college professor.

In summary, just as I relied on family and friends during my time of need, I want others to rely on me in their time of need as well. There's no reason to go it alone. At Albany Financial Group, I've tried to design my practice around helping, educating and serving others and I am very fortunate to work in a career I truly love.