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VISION & PERSEVERANCE

Lisa London

By Mary MeldrumPhotography by Steve Ragland

“It was always my dream to work for Merrill Lynch on Woodward in Bloomfield Hills,” shares Lisa London. “I remember driving by that building as a young person and thinking, wow, it would be so great if I could work there!”

Now here she is -- Lisa London of “The London Group” – at this very Merrill Lynch office a few decades later as a Senior Vice President – Wealth Management Advisor, and Retirement Benefits Consultant for the firm.

It wasn’t an easy climb from a very humble childhood when there wasn’t much money to cover bills, let alone fund a higher education. Lisa’s personal history is intricately tied with her success in Merrill Lynch. Her story and her message are about holding onto a dream through grit, determination and patience with the time it takes to have it all.

Divorced when Lisa was a baby, her mother struggled as a single parent until Lisa was 14 years old. Growing up in a household with a single mother in the 1960s delivered a powerfully unforgettable memory of how her mom struggled to make a life for her family. In those days, women had few career options and a much lower pay scale in the male-dominated professional world. Lisa’s mom had to work hard to raise her children alone. It didn’t go unnoticed by Lisa that everything fell on her mom. Each difficulty that the family faced, her mother had to overcome alone with little support and meager financial means.

Lisa shared a bedroom with her brother growing up in a small home in Southfield. This time in Lisa’s life solidified her resolve to secure her own future with an education and a career that would support her without having to worry about finances or rely on anyone else.

When Lisa was 14, her mother married a wonderful man who took great care of the entire family. They moved from Southfield to larger home in Farmington Hills where Lisa finally got her own bedroom. Things were much better once her mother married again, and her stepfather was very loving and generous.

With the seed of personal success taking root, Lisa was resolute to carve out a great life for herself. After graduating from high school, Lisa waited tables at night and attended school during the day. Determined to build on her

education, she continued to work, and enrolled in Walsh College of Accountancy and Business.

In 1984, while continuing to attend college full time, Lisa began working as a part-time administrative file clerk for her uncle, who owned a financial planning firm in Southfield. She answered phones and filled in where she could in her uncle’s office, helping out and learning the business.

As she was getting ready to graduate with her finance degree in 1986, her uncle suggested that she get her securities license and invited her to come to work for him full time. So she earned all her licenses and became a registered stock broker.

Since her childhood, Lisa had always wanted to live in a home by a lake. She saw how education and hard work could bring her the life that she desired, and set her sights on making this dream come true. Her tenacity at work

translated into a realization of her dream at the age of 25. She had saved enough money to purchase her first home by herself near Cass Lake in Waterford.

In 1989 Lisa went to work for Smith Barney in Southfield Town Center, and shortly after, in 1990, she became a Certified Financial Planner™. She honed her professional skills for 20 years at Smith Barney, and left in 2009, when she went to work with Merrill Lynch.

Now married 25 years to Jordan London and the mother of two teenagers, Lisa is sincerely grateful for a full and comfortable life. She manages work, family, regular exercise, hobbies and travel. With a strong belief in giving back, Lisa London is also a board member for Temple Bethel, volunteers for Gleaners Food Bank, and works actively in Federation. London beams as she speaks of her 14-year-old daughter, Jessica, who is about to enter high school, and her 18-year-old son, Ben, who is headed to college with a baseball scholarship.

Lisa admires and commends her husband, Jordan, for a lot of her success. He has been her unfailing partner in building a life together with their children and both of their careers.

“I couldn’t have my success without Jordan,” she declares. “He fully shares in the responsibilities, pitching in with the daily tasks of home life and helping the children with their schedules and homework. He is an extremely dedicated father.”

She also credits Jordan for her great appreciation of nature, art, culture and music. Jordan London’s love of nature and hiking in the mountains was contagious for Lisa. Together they planned and saved, and three years ago the dream of owning a second home in the mountains became a reality. They purchased a small mountain home in Durango, Colorado where they retreat with their family as often as possible.

From a childhood of scarcity and financial distress, Lisa London has built abundance in her life. She looks back on her childhood as a big factor in the development of her perseverance and her success. From the perspective of contrast of an early life with struggles, and with the distinct advantage of a better overall social and professional situation for women now, she consciously chose to make her life different from her mother’s.

And when it comes to her mother, Lisa speaks with profound respect and gratitude for all that her mother was able to accomplish for her. She is proud of her strength and tenacity through hard times, a legacy that Lisa has grown into. With

Lisa’s own dedication and constancy, she continues to stretch her professional understanding of her career, while at the same time encourages others not to get discouraged; to do the hard work to make a future for themselves.

Lisa’s career drive is borne from her personal history and memories that touch her heart. It comes from what she witnessed her mother endure, and also from what she herself intentionally navigated to avoid. And now Lisa helps others with this same navigation. It is not what she does – because other professionals have the same successful career in financial planning and wealth management. It is why she does it that is so striking about Lisa London. She is engaged in this process as something she understands from personal experience, and she is eager to share her knowledge with others who need it to grow their wealth and elevate their circumstances. For Lisa, there are no unimportant clients, and Lisa and her associates are there to make sure that each client is empowered with the information they need to weather economic fluctuations and overcome any financial hardships.

The economy has changed dramatically over the years. The cost of living has climbed along at a brisk pace, and while women have made huge strides with equal pay in the workplace since the 1960s, wages overall have diminished for men and women. Where one solid middle class income used to be enough to support an entire family, now two incomes barely cover the bills. Women have to work now.

“A new law school graduate that I know was in the top 5% of her graduating class and she could not get a job,” Lisa conveys. “She finally took a job for $35,000 a year, which is the same salary a new attorney made 15 years ago. Times are very different now.”

Lisa and her team see this shift firsthand. For single parents, this is a very stressful and precarious time as they juggle work, finances and family. While many men now find themselves in this predicament, women continue to be the majority of single parents who struggle with these multiple challenges. It is with great enthusiasm that Lisa talks about how she and her team enjoy focusing their professional efforts on helping these men and women in financial trouble – widows, widowers and young widows, suddenly divorced or disabled, and others who find themselves in less than desirable financial situations. Lisa’s depth of expertise helps clients navigate a wide range of complex financial issues.

Lisa relates that she has taken great care to pull together a powerful team of accomplished financial experts who can tailor a plan for wealth preservation and retirement planning for any client. Dedicated to making their clients’

priorities their own priorities, The London Group attends to corporate and individual clients with a philosophy of service, communication and responsiveness. They provide client education, economic analysis and strategic financial advice for wealth management.

“Everyone deserves a high level of service and attention, and we are committed to providing that. It is our pleasure to provide that.” emphasizes Lisa. “We don’t want anyone to struggle with financial matters that we can help alleviate. We are highly approachable and there are no stupid questions.”

Photography by Steve Ragland: Stylist Jessica KocikHair by Yiannis Karimalis; Makeup by Dawn Baker

Photos shot on location at the home of Yainnis Karimalis

Look one: Black Peplum Top, DVF, $245; NordstromStella and Dot Necklace

Look two: Leather Jacket, Veda, $895; NordstromLook one: Black Peplum Top, DVF, $245; Nordstrom

Look four: Dress, Classiques, $228; Nordstrom, Stella and Dot Necklace, $89