Like the military, ‘plan for the unexpected’

When most people think of Veterans Day, often what comes to mind are images of war and battlefields.

Chuck Carrick, however, was one who served during a time of peace.

The partner and managing director at Beacon Pointe Advisors, an RIA headquartered in Newport Beach, California, recalls joining the military immediately following his 1977 high school graduation, and eventually serving as a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“I had a weekend to celebrate graduation from high school, then I remember crawling off a bus, belly to the ground, face in the dirt in Fort Sill, Okla. for basic training and being yelled at by the by the drill sergeants,” he said.

“It was a new life, obviously, from what I experienced in high school.”

It was here when he voluntarily joined the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment – or the Old Guard, one of the most prestigious and oldest still-serving regiment in the US Army, known for its ceremonial duties, including burials at Arlington National Cemetery.

For two years, Carrick served as a casket bearer and flag folder, a responsibility that allowed him to connect with grieving families. Although he served under Vietnam veterans, Carrick is quick to highlight that the experience was incredibly profound.

“Hearing their stories, seeing how diligent they were, how much they honored those in service, and how serious they took things was a really important part of my life,” Carrick said.

“Folding the flag and hearing the Taps, it was certainly an incredible honor, and I think a [critical] responsibility to make sure that you were providing that honor to those people and seeing those families,” he added.

Carrick's military experience took an even more distinguished turn when he applied to become a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

After a grueling six-month training program, during which “80 percent of applicants wash out and 20 percent make it,” Carrick earned the coveted Tomb Guard badge, one of the rarest and least given out awards in the Army.

He joins an elite group with a badge number of just 224, one of the 900 awarded to date. After his active service, Carrick remained in the Reserves and National Guard, undertaking roles in military intelligence and field artillery, eventually achieving 2nd Lieutenant status.

Carrick, center, in uniform as a sentinel.

Despite his military service not involving active combat, the lessons he learned about honor, structure, and preparation would prove invaluable in his transition to the financial services industry.

After all, the groundwork for his next career phase had already been laid by his father, a successful insurance and investment professional at Pilot Life, now known as Lincoln Financial.

Carrick joined the firm where he focused on estate planning and eventually merged his practice with a CPA firm, then with Beacon Pointe in 2021.

Carrick’s clients today are largely high-net-worth individuals, including business owners and medical professionals. 

"Many have been with me for 30 years,” he said. “Helping them achieve their goals and now working with their children as they transition their wealth has been a great experience."

He still values his connections with military veterans, particularly from the Vietnam era, and he enjoys helping them leverage their benefits and navigate retirement planning.

"The GI Bill really helped out to give them a leg up for business, growth, and leadership," he said.

Carrick’s background in the military has also influenced his approach to wealth management, particularly in planning for the unexpected.

“You’re always preparing for potential scenarios,” so the client is ready when they happen, he said.

Carrick uses the same approach with his clients, working through "what if" scenarios, like long-term care, disability, and unexpected life events so they can feel secure, he said.

“I think that gives clients confidence to weather financial storms, weather personal storms, and they can be in the moment, not worrying about everything else,” he said. “It has a tremendous amount of value. It resonates with clients, and they're appreciative of that.”

When you ask Carrick of the memories and experiences that will always resonate with him, he simply replies, “the conversations you had with people.”

“For a young soldier, having those conversations was certainly meaningful, and just the scope of what they had gone through, whether they were somebody who was serving or someone that served in the past, just gave you a certain perspective on life."