Phil Gose takes a collaborative approach to financial consulting. He meets with a client to understand what his or her goals are. He then coordinates with the client’s attorney, accountant and investment or insurance agents to design a plan that fits.

Gose grew up in Jefferson and received a degree in statistics from Iowa State University in 1995. He then joined National Crop Insurance Services in Overland Park, Kan., where he analyzed crop insurance data. He worked there more than two years while taking graduate school courses in finance management. His newly knowledge helped him land a job as a senior financial analyst for Sprint Corp. in Kansas City. There he examined cost and revenue data from the long-distance network. He stayed with Sprint for more than a year. He liked analyzing the financial information, but Gose said he didn’t enjoy the feel of the big corporation.

“I felt I would have a greater opportunity to succeed in Iowa,” Gose said of his decision to return to his home state and work for Sage Mark Consulting in 1999. “I really enjoyed the people, and I wanted to raise my family in Iowa.” He and his wife, Kristin, have a 5-year-old son, Noah, and a 3-year-old daughter, Mattie.

Returning to Iowa also gave him the opportunity to participate in the Iowa Association of Business and Industry’s 2002-2003 Leadership Institute class. He and his classmates traveled the state learning more about the relationship between businesses and Iowa’s communities.

Gose enjoys his job with Sage Mark. He says it gives him independence, yet he knows he has the resources of a Fortune 500 company backing him. It gives him the freedom to find the best investments or insurance for his customers.

“I see a general trend toward a stronger emphasis on quality comprehensive planning,” he said. “[Financial advisers] have to work hard for clients, to understand what’s important to them. We don’t look at it from just a financial, legal or tax picture. We have to look at the big picture with a cross-disciplinary approach to detect any gaps [in clients’ coverage]. We have to be advocates for our clients.”