Chapter 10

Scott walked into the advertising agency’s office and told the receptionist who he was and what he was there to do. She made a phone call and in less than a minute a young lady who said she was an assistant in the HR department came to show him where this seminar was being conducted. She said the people attending the seminar were on break right now and asked if Scott needed anything. Only the equipment necessary to do his power point presentation was his response.

He waved off anyone introducing him and said he would handle that. About ten minutes later she asked the twenty-six people there to take a seat.

Scott started by saying who he was and what he intended to cover in his presentation. After mentioning his education and what he presently does, he started by talking about investing and risk and continued to the other topics. He could see the people there were paying attention to what he was saying and were taking notes. There were a few questions asked and answered with Scott asking that they hold all questions till the end.

At about halfway through his presentation he noticed Donna enter the room and take a seat. This was the first time he had seen her wearing a skirt. He couldn’t help but notice her nice legs, small hips, and flat stomach. He tried to put her presence out of his mind as he continued his talk.

While he wasn’t pushing his services as a financial adviser, he tried to show the need for one by mentioning all of the types of investments available you could invest in and the need for diversification. He mentioned to the attendees they could do the investing on their own or employ the services of an adviser who would guide them through the maze of investment options.

Noticing the time on the clock, he could see he was getting to the end of his allotted time. With that being the case he talked about estate planning by mentioning the number of ways the title can be passed. Besides joint ownership or beneficiary designation, he recommended doing it by having a living trust as opposed to only a will. He explained why that was and why you would want your heirs to avoid the hassle of probate because of what that involves. If they don’t have a living trust, pour-over will, and a living will, he suggested they see an attorney who could draft these items for them.

He opened up the floor for questions and received the expected ones that he had no problems answering.

Scott ended his presentation by thanking them for their attention and reminding them they needed to increase the value of their investments to protect themselves from inflation. He was surprised to receive applause when he was done. Several people came up to him and ask him for his business card.

As the people were leaving Donna came up to talk to him. That she looked good in a long-sleeve black silk blouse and the light gray skirt was an understatement. Besides her extremely good looks, how she conducted herself showed why she was an executive vice president.

“I enjoyed hearing your presentation and I think so did the attendees. It seemed you covered all the bases and you didn’t push yourself as an advisor. I would bet some of these attendees will be contacting you wanting you to be their financial adviser.”

“Thanks for saying that. I just covered the basics and tried to give them the knowledge that they need to invest and to be careful in what they invest in. They also need to prepare for the inevitable. Are you ready to go and pick up Jason?”

“Give me ten minutes and I will be back. My assistant gave me a lift in today because I knew you would be here so my car is at home.”

On the drive to her home, Donna said she lives in a house. Saying while it would be more convenient to live in a condo close to the office, Jason was the reason she was living in a house. Her home was located close to his school and he could walk to it. High School was going to be a different story but there was bussing available he could use.

Jason with a big smile on his face said he had done his homework and was ready to go. The smile on Jason’s face became even bigger when Scott handed him a CD that was a computer flight simulator program. He mentioned he had met a young boy who touted this program and Scott thought Jason might enjoy it as well.

Donna said she was going to change but Scott asked her not to change saying he thought she looked pretty terrific now. He noticed the smile on her face when he said that. Since it had been a while since Scott had been dining in Austin he asked her to pick out the restaurant.

Donna directed Scott to Ricky’s which was a family-style restaurant that specialized in pizza. Dishes of peanuts on the tables with shells on the floor, picnic tables or booths, choice of inside or outside dining, and pour your soda were some of its features. Jason said this was his favorite restaurant. They placed their order for the large Supreme pizza.

The conversation went along the expected lines with Jason being asked about school and Donna and Scott being asked about work. Jason also asked about fishing. Scott had their attention when he told them about his trip to California, what he had done and what he had seen. It was a nice time and Scott in a way thought this dining and conversation was like it would be if they were a family.

For dessert, they had two scoops of ice cream with chocolate syrup.

After the meal, Scott drove them back to Donna’s house. He told them he was heading back to Belton. He asked them when they come to visit their grandmother, to give him a call if the weather was nice and if they wanted they could go fishing. Although he didn’t care to go fishing on the weekend, he said he would make an exception for them.