From her favorite book to her thoughts about the reverse space, we get the personal and professional facts from Kristen Sieffert, COO of Urban Financial Group, in our monthly edition of The Hot Seat.
You can’t always be No. 1, but you can always do your best while making those around you better.
My favorite vacation was in Costa Rica in 2008. There was no Wi-Fi and I had no cell service. It was the only time I actually disengaged from work for a full week and it was amazing.
My celebrity crush is Alexander Skarsgard.
If I were a professional athlete, I would be a top-ranked golfer. (Unfortunately, I have no golf skills whatsoever.
Favorite movie is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
My favorite website is a tossup between ted.com/talks and anything that has to do with online shopping.
I never
miss an episode of House of Lies.
When I was younger I wanted to be a lawyer, because we don’t have enough of those running around.
Every morning I wake up and wish I had energy to go for a run. Instead I have coffee and get to work.
I can’t go without sunshine. Just add sun and I am a happy camper.
When I was a kid I was a major girlie girl. I would only wear dresses and was obsessed with My Little Ponies.
I’ll never forget finishing dinner in Venice with my husband on our fourth wedding anniversary and walking into St. Mark’s Square to a sea of people. We discovered Elton John was having a concert in the square that evening, and he started with our first dance wedding song, “Your Song.” It was a pretty incredible evening.
My first job was working at What’s the Scoop yogurt shop with my best friend at the time. I am fairly certain we ate more yogurt than we actually sold.
My parents taught me life without problems is like school without classes. You don’t learn your lesson.
My iPod go-to is I am HORRIBLE at loading songs on my iPod! Thank god for the Pandora app. Right now my favorite Pandora station is based on the song “Home” by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros.
My favorite book is The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
I am optimistic about the reverse mortgage industry
because we have a lot of entrepreneurial companies doing some really great things to help continue our growth despite the many setbacks we have all faced.
I entered this industry because of the unique opportunity to enter a niche industry and have the ability at a young age to learn, grow and make a positive impact. (And let’s not forget the fact that one of my closest friends, Kim Smith, offered me the chance to work with her!)
Reverse mortgage professionals can best support the public image of reverse mortgages by continuing to do the right thing for the senior while complying with the rules and regulations that govern our space. It only takes one bad story to tarnish people’s perception of what we do.
I would encourage a family member to consider a reverse mortgage because adjustable rates offer great flexibility to create a financial cushion that can help you prepare for the unexpected. And because they’ve worked hard their entire lives for their assets and they should be able to benefit from them however they choose.
