It isn’t difficult for Carl Beck to find inspiration in his work. When he sits across the table from someone putting their trust in him to solidify their retirement plans, he knows he is in the right profession. 

“When I can help someone who has worked hard for years to make an honest living, it gives me a lot of satisfaction,” Carl says. “Often, they’re worried about making everything last for their retirement, and it means a lot to me that I can help them piece everything together and work to meet their goals. It’s a big responsibility, but I always feel like my help is appreciated.”

Carl received his undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and then earned a law degree from the University of Georgia. He was practicing labor and employment law in Greenville, South Carolina in 2001, when Bob Harris, the founder of Harris Financial Group, convinced him to join his firm. He thought Carl’s legal background would help him analyze and identify opportunities in the retirement and pension benefits of the firm’s clients, who were largely unionized telecommunications employees.

Carl embraced the nature of the work from the outset. As a lawyer, he had often spent eight hours a day in the law library, doing research and preparing legal briefs. In his new profession, his clients were people, rather than companies, and he could work directly with them to help them pursue their goals. Bob Harris’ emphasis on collaborating with clients – instead of attempting to direct them – clicked with Carl, and he found he was able to combine his love of researching complex issues, such as retirement benefits, with his desire to make a difference in his clients’ lives.

When I open a file or look on my screen at a client’s account, and I see that someone we’ve been working with for years is doing well with their retirement and is right on course with where they’re supposed to be, that to me is a very powerful thing.

Within the firm, Carl specializes in overseeing the short-term distributions that clients receive on a regular basis. In that position, he makes sure clients receive the steady income from their investments that they count on. He also closely monitors client’s accounts to make certain they are performing efficiently and do not need to be adjusted to better meet a client’s needs. 

“It’s a very personalized approach,” he says. 

Carl believes in the Harris Financial Group approach, which prizes clear, responsive communications, teamwork, and a long-term view on investments. He says the proof is in the success of the clients the firm helps day after day.

“When I open a file or look on my screen at a client’s account, and I see that someone we’ve been working with for years is doing well with their retirement and is right on course with where they’re supposed to be, that to me is a very powerful thing,” Carl says.

Key to the firm’s success is the shared devotion of the staff to its clients’ success, Carl says.

“With the team that we’ve put together, not only do we have different backgrounds that blend really well together – a tax background and a legal background and a benefits background and a Social Security background – but it’s also the effort that we bring for our clients,” Carl says. “It would be very hard to find another group of people who want to see their clients succeed as much as we do.”

In 2011, Carl moved to Roanoke with his family. From that vantage point, he can meet with the firm’s clients based in the southwest part of the state and provide them with a sustained personal connection to the firm.

“It’s been a great fit for my family, the firm and our clients,” Carl says.

In his free time, Carl is a dedicated sports fan and is actively involved as a youth sports coach. He and his wife, Sarah Boxley, have two children. He also volunteers for local organizations, including the SPCA and his church.

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