Protecting Our Second Act | My Member Story

Jack and Treena Vizzard are living retired life to the fullest. Their hearts stay youthful thanks to their large, rambunctious blended family and disarming sunny nature.

The second act begins

Jack and Treena, and their respective spouses, were close friends for decades, raising their families in the same area in Southern California. After Treena and her husband divorced, she moved to Utah to be closer to her children. Soon after, Jack’s wife passed away. They continued to stay in touch and, eventually, Jack moved to Utah too.

After a little courting, their 50-year friendship turned into a beautiful marriage—they officially tied the knot in 2015. Together, the couple shares nine children, 30 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. That’s quite a crowd! Jack often jokes that he’s going to require name tags at family gatherings.

Family is everything

Jack refers to Treena as the matriarch of the family—the grandkids and great-grandkids call her Oma, a name Treena had heard in her travels and always loved. She cherishes family above everything else, claiming “Being where we are today is bigger than any Cinderella story I could have imagined.”

Treena doesn’t take her duties as a grandmother lightly. She believes it’s her job to make sure every member of her family knows she and Jack are there for support, encouragement or just as a sounding board. “Being an Oma is very important to me and I cherish it.”

Protecting their nest egg

When Treena and Jack comingled their retirement savings, they continued to use the same money manager Jack had used in California.

Eventually, they decided to find someone locally who they could work with face to face. They enlisted the counsel of their son-in-law who worked in the financial industry. He immediately recommended Mountain America Investment Services and Ray Nishikawa.

Treena called Ray to set up a meeting. He doesn’t always make house calls, but he knew they were looking for a more personal experience. He has been meeting with them annually at their home ever since.

Going the extra mile

The client experience doesn’t stop there! Treena and Jack were big fans of exceptional deli sandwiches. When Ray asked if there was anything he could do for them ahead of their first meeting, Treena asked if he knew of a good Jewish deli because they hadn’t found one in Utah. Ray mentioned there was one near his house and that he would be happy to bring them lunch.

True to his word, Ray arrived at that first meeting with one corned beef and one pastrami sandwich from Feldman’s Deli. This gesture has become a cherished tradition every time they meet. “Ray is a dear friend first, then he’s our financial advisor,” gushed Treena.

Retired life

Jack and Treena lead a simple yet fulfilling retired life. They are the sweetest couple and, truly, you’ve never seen a couple more in love! They are always within hand-holding distance of each other, and they dedicate much of their time to connecting with family scattered across the map, embracing their roles as Oma and Grandpa Jack through many FaceTime and phone calls.

Their leisurely moments are often spent on the couch, cheering on the LA Dodgers or indulging in reruns of their favorite TV shows. “Our greatest fun is just being next to each other,” shares Treena. Even when her monthly haircut appointment comes around, Jack accompanies her as her personal chauffeur and wingman.

To give you an idea of how important personal relationships are to these two, when our team was getting ready to leave their home after our interview, Treena gave us a hug as we were saying goodbye and said matter-of-factly, “There, now we’re friends.”

Indeed, we are, Treena. Indeed, we are.

Thanks for spreading your amazingness and for trusting us with your Cinderella story!

This statement is a testimonial by a client of the financial professional as of 05/22/2024. The client has not been paid or received any other compensation for making these statements. As a result, the client does not receive any material incentives or benefits for providing the testimonial.