Growing up in the Youngstown, Ohio area, Jim was taught at an early age to appreciate the value of the dollar and a hard day's work. Throughout his college years, he had some wonderful mentors in his life who directed him in the right direction and instilled in him the entrepreneurial spirit. This led him to studying finance and graduating as a CFP candidate from Youngstown State University.

Upon graduating, he began work as a small business consultant, working alongside small business owners to improve their cash flows, profitability, and to help them understand their customers a little better. Several doors opened and he had the opportunity to move to Saint Louis, MO, where he began working as a financial advisor with Edward Jones. Over time as his experience grew, he created his own firm called "Garvin Planning Co." to help independent financial planners better serve their clients.

On a personal note, he grew up in the BSA and obtained his Eagle Scout which laid the foundation for his adventurous character. He is a big outdoorsman and traveler, and often includes his black lab named Daffodil. Jim’s favorite hobbies in the world are skiing, running, and scuba diving. Every free chance he gets to be outside and enjoying nature, he takes! As a virtual financial planner, he cherishes his location independence and is in the process of working through his personal bucket list.