By Mike McKenna
Simplicity, clarity, and adaptability are the foundation for any successful plan.
Whether you are running a large corporation, a small mom-and-pop business, or managing your own personal finances, the simpler, clearer, and more flexible your plan is, the better off you will be.
“Simplicity, clarity, and adaptability” are the three words George Berridge uses to describe the philosophy behind Blue Sands Wealth.
“We believe in intellectual honesty. We collaborate with clients to work within their comfort zone to help grow and protect their wealth,” George said. “We want people to hire us and a year later say, ‘This was a good decision.’”
George’s family permanently swapped the Bay Area for Ketchum a handful of years ago after regularly visiting his brother, Eric, and his family, here in the Wood River Valley for decades. George’s wife, Christina, still owns a clothing boutique, Les Deux Copines, in California, and their two sons are thriving in the local school and youth sports scenes.
“Sun Valley has been in my blood since the first time I saw it,” said George. “Our transition into Ketchum has been great. We all fell in love with the mountains, the town, and the summers. We could not be happier about raising two boys here.”
George brings over 30 years of experience in finance to the Valley, including a spell working locally for Wells Fargo. George’s career spanned from San Francisco to New York, where he worked for global institutions such as Citibank, Deutsche Bank and Nuveen Investments.
George has teamed up with the founder of Blue Sands Wealth, Letitia Berbaum, to open a dedicated office at 160 Second Street in Ketchum. With “boots on the ground,” George aims to share his institutional knowledge with the community he’s now proud to call his own.
“For a small area like ours, I’m an anomaly. Most people who have had careers like mine are either retired or are in big cities,” George said. “I have all this experience and knowledge built up, and now I am here, and I’m not going anywhere. I want to use everything I have learned over the last 30 years to help local people.”
One of the things George likes the most about Blue Sands Wealth is that they are not beholden to “corporate initiatives or short-term thinking. Our independence allows us to craft solutions for each individual client.”
George explained that when he was in the corporate financial world, he would only be considered successful if management was making money. But “now I’m successful if my clients are successful, and that’s a lot more fulfilling,” he said.
Local residents can hear more from George during a free talk on safe banking and smart financial decisions for retirement at The Senior Connection on February 18th.
“I really value making a difference in individuals’ lives, which is hard in a corporate setting,” George said. “I’ve done it all in the financial world, but I’m happy to be here now, helping people in our community.’
Find out more by visiting BlueSandsWealth.com or calling 208-837-3913.
