Steven A. Laraway, J.D., CPA®, CFP®, ChFC®
FOUNDER/SECRETARY“Find a job you enjoy doing and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Mark Twain
Retirement transition. The reins of the business passed on to the next generation January 1, 2020, my interest in Laraway Financial Advisors transitioned to Chris Wayne and James Schmitz, advisors and partners who have been with the company since 2014.
I remain involved, albeit less so, as secretary of the firm and as a member of the Investment Committee and still attend monthly meetings, some via teleconference. I still review financial plans and portfolios and assist with investment decisions. I also continue to mentor our staff and continue some direct client involvement as necessary.
One of the greatest privileges in my life has been to serve you, celebrating the good times––births, graduations, weddings, retirements––and giving guidance during difficult times––times of diminished health and death. It has been most rewarding to be a part of your life.
THANK YOU for the faith you have put in me and our firm throughout the years. Laraway Financial Advisors has always understood that the only reason we have been this successful is because you selected us to serve you.
My wife Peggy and I plan to remain active in Saint Cloud and winter somewhere warm (of course!). We look forward to travelling and spending more time with our children and grandkids.
View Full BioAnother side of Steve:
As a young man in New Ulm, Steve mowed lawns. However, his dream job is general manager of a sports franchise–not surprisingly, the Twins or Vikings. A “sports junkie” of all sports, Steve’s attended nine Final Fours, two Ryder Cups, and five U.S. Opens. He’s also collected 30 autographed baseballs, including Harmon Killebrew and Ernie Banks, and a nearly complete 1965 Tops set of 598 (minus five) baseball cards.
Inspired by the bucket list he’d created at age 25, Steve took a Swirl wine class in 2010 from certified wine educator and sommelier Kent Benson, built a state-of-the-art wine cellar, and began amassing his 400-bottle wine collection. Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are favorites.
Steve and his wife Peggy also enjoy “Up North” trips to outdoor rock concerts at Moondance Jam in Walker, and weekends at the lake near Remer are always memorable, especially when Steve concocts his signature BBQ ribs and brisket for family. The couple has four grown children and four grandchildren.
The couple loves to travel–when they can synchronize schedules; Peggy is a busy hospital nurse. One memorable trip to England, Scotland and Ireland prompted an interest in Steve’s English and Irish ancestry.
Something no one knows about Steve . . . when he was 27, Steve performed CPR on a woman who’d stopped breathing in a St. Paul restaurant near the bank where he worked. Steve had completed CPR training only one week prior to the emergency!