Hans Overturf: The Swiss American
Greetings, my name is Hans Overturf, and I work as a financial planner for Raymond James Financial in Arcata, California, a small town where I currently reside with my wife Maria Overturf and our five children. Although many people incorrectly assume I am simply a businessman, I am a great many things beyond my professional title, including a helicopter pilot, a yoga enthusiast, and an avid runner; however, at my core, I am a Swiss-American. I plan a trip back to the land of my birth every year, and I always include our family. Although my wife and I have raised our growing Overturf family nestled among the Northern California redwoods, our children are no strangers to their parents’ birthplaces or homeland: Switzerland.
I was born in Switzerland on October 26, 1973 in the canton of Zurich, the country’s financial and cultural center. While still in primary school, I became deeply interested in business and always made time apart from my studies and sports practices to read the business section of my local newspaper. My unusual pastime enabled me to expand my natural affinity for business to finance and economics as well, and after years of studying, I was able to demonstrate considerable proficiency in all three. The more I learned the more I began to dream of founding my own financial planning and services firm from which I would assist others in managing their finances and investing their assets, and one day, I knew it would come true.
In 1989, I began working as an apprentice for the Zurich postal service, where my excellent memory for facts and figures coupled with my hard work and familiarity with business practices and finances put my career on the fast-track. I became Junior Postmaster within a very short period and received my first exposure to the financial services industry on the job. Although I always knew financial planning would be my career of choice, I underwent the basic military training most young men do in Switzerland and then opted to remain in the armed forces for two years, during which time I was promoted to First Lieutenant. As an officer, I was responsible for commanding a platoon of 43 soldiers. Upon my honorable discharge from the Swiss military, my wife and I chose to immigrate to the United States. A lifelong running enthusiast and nature lover, I was immediately attracted to the matchless beauty and wide-open spaces of the West Coast. The abundant and awe-inspiring Northern California redwood forests, national parks, and nature trails were exactly the kind of places I wanted to further develop my passion and talent for running, and after I was accepted to Humboldt State University’s College of Professional Studies in Arcata, California, the little town just north of Eureka became the perfect place to put down roots in this great land.
The Hans Overturf family immigrated to the United States in 1996, and I began classes at Humboldt State almost immediately following the move. I participated in the University’s track team and business economics competitions, for which I was honored with a Varsity Letter from the College of the Redwoods’ track team and an Academic Achievement Award from Humboldt State. In addition, a team of fellow Economics students and I competed in the 36th International Collegiate Business Policy Competition, for which I emerged as the individual winner in the Stock Market Competition. In the spring of 2000, I was fortunate enough to graduate among the top scholars of my University as Summa Cum Laude and was awarded a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. My graduation marked the beginning of new chapter in the life of Hans Overturf and helped me to realize how far I had come since I had received my first taste of the financial services industry back in Switzerland as a Junior Postmaster.
Hans Overturf and Morgan Stanley
Following my college graduation, Morgan Stanley recruited me to become the financial advisor to its Eureka, California office, and I joined the Morgan Stanley team and its training program, where I was distinguished as one of their most talented trainees. I graduated second in my class of 200 other financial planners, and I was consequently named a Morgan Stanley Rising Star and awarded the Morgan Stanley National Director’s Award. Despite my success with Morgan Stanley, I still longed to venture out on my own and build my own financial services firm that would assist growing families like my own in consolidating debt, managing finances, and planning for college expenses and retirement. Due to my affiliation with Raymond James Financial Services, I was able to make my lifelong dream come true. I now work as one of Raymond James’ premier financial planners and manage a gateway office in San Francisco, as well as several other financial projects across the country. Through my cutting edge financial consultancy firm, I am finally able to manage and grow individuals’ wealth in uncommon ways.
Since my youth, I have devoted the majority of my time to increasing my knowledge of business, economics, and financial matters, and today, I am proud to utilize my financial planning skills and past experiences to aid others in finding the best possible solutions to their financial quandaries. I am a Certified Financial Planner, and I hold various licenses and certifications in the State of California, where I currently reside and work as a financial planner, and I use my garnered expertise to assist others with their financial services needs. Unfortunately, the economy’s recent downward trend has put my services in higher demand, as many families have found it increasingly difficult to maintain financial stability; however, the current economic situation has given me ample opportunity to put all of my economic ingenuity to work for my clients, which is all I ever hoped for in a career: to use what I love and what I am good at to come to the aid of others.
Hans Overturf: Swiss Roots
Although I am no longer a resident or citizen of Switzerland, having built a new life in the country that opened its arms to me, I have remained closely connected to my Swiss roots because I feel very passionate about my homeland. I love spending time traveling around the lush, culturally diverse country that is Switzerland, and I try to make at least one yearly visit back home, with my wife and our children frequently accompanying me. In addition to the country, I have very strong ties with several Swiss-American organizations. I am an active participant in the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce and a strong supporter of the Swiss-California Foundation, which strives to improve relations between Switzerland and the United States by increasing each country’s understanding and awareness of the other’s culture and customs. Despite the fact I have only been a US resident for about a dozen years, I am proud to be a part of this land and to have raised my children here, as proud as I am of my own homeland. Both countries have such rich heritages and eclectic cultures that I, Hans Overturf, gladly call myself a Swiss-American.
About Switzerland
Switzerland as a nation is a fairly small country land-wise, but seventy percent of that land is covered by mountain ranges. This is one of the main reasons why I have grown up loving to run mountain trails.The mountain ranges spanning most of Switzerland are the famous Alps. Actually, it is interesting to note that the Alps are actually a collection of mountain ranges. The highest peak in Switzerland is called Dufourspitze, which resides on Monte Rosa in the Pennine mountain range. Another beautiful feature of Swiss geography is Lac Léman, which is also known as Lake Geneva. I consider it one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
Switzerland is truly a multicultural country. Its residents speak multiple languages, among them French, German, Italian and a local language called Romansh. In fact, the country holds German, French, and Italian as the official languages of Switzerland. I find the reason for this learning of multiple languages is that the Swiss as a people are very closely connected with the heart of Europe, and are very accepting of other cultures.
The capitol city of Switzerland is Bern, but also of note are Zürich and the financial center Basel. Basel is actually the largest city in the country, although many people who are not from Switzerland do not know much about it. Geneva is a city rich in manufacturing, and is the center of the famous Swiss watchmaking industry. I actually like to spend a good deal of time in Geneva whenever I visit the country.
Culturally, the Swiss are a people blended from the three language groups, German, French and Italian. There has been a great deal of cross-pollination in the language of the Swiss, and a great many influences from the other cultures in their art and literature dating back to the Middle Ages. During that time Switzerland was a center of art for all of Europe, being the center of the Carolingian movement.
Watchmaking: The most famous tradition in Switzerland is the making of watching. This was introduced during the 16th century by the Hugenots, a group of French protestants feel religious persecution. Some say that the manufacture of watches began in the Jura mountain villages, others say it started in Geneva and spread to the Jura area afterward. It’s been said that in the 1700s around 20,000 people in Geneva were making watches, producing about 85,000 of them a year, and another 50,000 were being made in Neuchâtel in the Jura mountains. The craftsmen of the era also made music boxes and mechanical toys, many of them viewable in Swiss museums today.
Chocolate: Besides it’s tradition of watchmaking, the Swiss are also known for their chocolate. The chocolate industry produces some of the best candy in the world, spearheaded by the famous Toblerone company, said to have fashioned their pyramid of chocolate shape after the famous Matterhorn. The Swiss as a people eat ten and a half kilos of chocolate every year. That is about one chocolate bar per person per day. If you are a conscript in the Swiss army you receive chocolate for free, and it is wrapped in foil imprinted with the Swiss flag. Various companies produce chocolate and have been since 1819, the most prolific being Nestlé.
Chocolate is a cultural phenomenon in Switzerland, and is also seasonal. In autumn the chocolatiers will produce chocolate mushrooms and chestnuts, while in the spring they will sell Easter bunnies. Each region makes their own chocolates: Jura makes chocolate watches (the watchmaking industry began there), Bern makes bears (as a tribute to the bear slaying of their first resident), and Geneva produces little chocolate cauldrons of marzipan vegetables called marmites for the Escalade festival in December.