Forrest W. Morrow III

Founder, Advisor, Coach

“To make a meaningful and impactful difference in the lives of others
by empowering them to use their wealth to live life with passion and purpose
is what inspires me each day.”

When done properly, wealth management is a deeply personal business that allows individuals and families to use their wealth to live a life of impact and significance.  So instead of sharing my resume, my qualifications, a list of places I’ve worked or my degrees and licenses, I want to use this opportunity to open up and share who I am just as my clients do with me.  If you’d like access to my resume, please visit my LinkedIn page.

My hope is that by reading this you will get a sense of the person I am and why I care so deeply about helping make a difference in the lives of others.

The Early Years

I was born in 1960 and raised in West Boylston, Massachusetts. I graduated from W.B. High School in 1978 where I was a multi-sport letterman, two time conference champion in the pole vault, and graduated among the top of my class.

I was raised primarily by my mother who taught me so many great lessons in life, unconditional love and sacrifice being among the top. She worked 7am- 11pm, 5 nights a week and attended school on the weekend. Serving others as a nurse, she finally realized her dream of owning her own nursing home. I learned early on that dedication and hard work was the recipe for accomplishing goals, and to never let others dictate what you can or cannot do.

At the age of 11, I learned to get myself to school, make my own dinner, wash my laundry, finish my homework, and prepare for the rest of the week. During the week I would only see my mom from 11:30pm to 1:00 am. We’d watch Jonny Carson together as we discussed our days. My first (w-2) job was at the age of 13 where I was a night cook in a nursing home that specialized in psychiatric patients. Needless to say, I got an early education on many fronts.

My mother worked hard every day and provided an incredible environment for me to grow up in surrounded, by love, security and unwavering support. She taught me the value of hard work, of giving back and helping others, of education, teamwork, and pursuing your dreams. These are just a few of the core values she instilled in me that influence the person I am today.

My Career Begins

I graduated college in 1982 from the University of Southern California and started my career at Pepsi-Cola. Despite being new, I quickly became the number one sales rep in the division. When I was told that I would not be able to vacation in the summer because I did not have seniority, I quickly realized a career change was in order.

In 1983 I began a career as a financial advisor with the Tax and Financial group in Newport Beach, later becoming an associate partner. During my 32 years there, I was able to build a substantial practice serving hundreds of businesses and professionals that included prominent figures and families in Orange County.

In an effort to expand my entrepreneurial drive, I discovered there was a need for elderly housing. In 1986 I began buying multi-level single family residences with the goal of providing rooms for them rather than being institutionalized in nursing homes. I remember the anguish of my mother as she rehabilitated patient after patient and hearing the child / grandchild request that it would be best if they just stayed where they were. In response, I formed what would now be termed a REIT investing in “Assisted Living” housing.

As I continued my career as a financial advisor, it became increasingly difficult to provide the type of services my clients deserved. The needs and the desires of a Broker Dealer are not necessarily in line with those of the client. Despite the numerous threats, I continued doing what I felt was in the best interest of the client. As I dug deeper, and began analyzing what was being marketed, I realized that things are not necessarily as they appear, and there had to be a better way. While I was doing what was best for my clients, I became increasingly uncomfortable working in an environment that was primarily focused on what was best for the Broker Dealer over that of the client. The search for a better solution has given birth to Evidence Based Investing, LLC

Evidence Based Investing is Born

My vision for Evidence Based Investing began 7 years earlier through my work with a coach. We discovered that most advisers specialized in a specific area of planning – insurance, annuities or investments. Within each of these areas there were sub-specialties. There were more product sales people versus true advisers. Many were just selling mutual funds or doing a financial plan just to sell a product such as an annuity, a hot mutual fund or variable life insurance. What was most concerning, is that the advisors rarely invested in the same way they recommend to clients. There is a good reason why the industry has suffered from a poor reputation, and why people are hesitant to engage in the process.

Rarely did I come across a client who had everything in place. Most had a hodgepodge of different products and were nowhere close to where they wanted to be. Many made substantial incomes but had no idea where it all went. Even the wealthy didn’t have peace of mind in knowing what they were doing and why. Investments were all over the board with no plan or cohesive process for tracking its progress. The amount of risk taken in their portfolios were well out of proportion to the returns they realized. Emotions ruled the decision process and that also included the advisors. There was no trusted advisor coordinating all their financial affairs.

I noticed an obvious gap in the market and an opportunity to truly help make a difference in the lives of others. I started Evidence Based Investing LLC with the mission of helping people grow and protect their wealth through prudent investing, and to discover their true purpose for money. I strongly believe that one’s legacy in life is far greater than the amount of assets that are accumulated over a lifetime. It is our financial wealth that provides us freedom. Freedom to provide our loved ones with opportunity, support of organizations we care about, and the ability to live the kind of life that is meaningful to us. To this end, Evidence Based Investing specializes in coaching successful professionals and business owners to grow, protect, and utilize their wealth in purposeful ways: supporting, inspiring, educating, and bequeathing financial freedom to loved ones.

If you’ve read this far I just want to say thank you. If you’d like to learn more about our services or how we can help, please give us a call or send us an email.