As each generation edges closer to full retirement, planning for a future without full time work becomes vital. But professional financial adviseors suggest that putting money aside for future retirement should start from a young age. Investing that money wisely can be complicated, as can estate and retirement planning. That’s where financial advisers come in.
Rob Burnette has been an investment adviser and professional tax preparer since 2002. But financial planning and management hasn’t always been his professional career.
Rob Burnette retired from a career with the Navy working on nuclear submarines in 1997. With an interest in all things financial, he decided his engineering skills would translate to a business as a financial advisor. He started his own business in 2002 and opened Outlook Financial Center in Troy in 2010. CONTRIBUTED
“I was born in Nebraska, raised in North Carolina,” said Burnette, who now lives in Piqua. “My dad was a marine and I graduated high school in Jacksonville, North Caroline in 1973.”
Burnette was accepted into the naval academy and studied electrical engineering. After graduating, he became trained in naval nuclear submarines. He served in the military for ten years, taught submarine school and had several deployments before moving into navy reserves as a duty officer.
“I retired from the Navy in 1997,” Burnette said. “I was living in Austin, Texas, at the time and became a defense contractor.”
In 2005, he and his wife, Cheryl, moved to Columbus to be closer to family. Since Burnette always had an interest in financial work, he agreed he could do that in any state. The couple lived in Columbus for 10 years, and after Cheryl retired, she wanted to move to Troy, where most of their grandchildren live. In 2010, Burnette’s company, Outlook Financial Center, became his full-time occupation. And in 2015, he moved that business to Troy.
Rob Burnette (Left) with wife Cheryl on vacation in Ireland in 2017. CONTRIBUTED
“My vision initially was to grow an agency with a lot of other advisers,” Burnette said. “But one thing I realized was that I didn’t like being responsible for several hundred people, so I decided to cut it way back to have better work-life balance.”
Today, Burnette’s business has a loyal following and referral base, all of whom understand the value of working with a financial planner. Burnette tells his clients that his goal is to try to make sure their money outlives them.
“I have no idea how this is going to look until I do the work,” Burnette said. “The way they teach engineers to think, it’s a useful skill to transfer to this industry.”
There is some misinformation about financial planners and their value, he said. People often think that if they haven’t accumulated a certain amount of money, financial planners don’t want to speak to them. But Burnette has never set a minimum asset for his customers.
“The more they have, the more I can do,” he said. “If someone is put in my path, I will do my best to serve them.”
Since Burnette offers a full suite of financial services, including tax preparation and insurance and college planning, he can help people throughout their lives. He has four employees, counting himself and his stepdaughter, Lori Gross, who is a licensed adviser and has worked with Burnette for 11 years. Burnette and his team attend tax training two times per year and he takes 40–60 hours of continuing education annually to help him keep up with the changing financial world.
“The beauty of having all these things together is we have practical experience,” Burnette said. “We aren’t attorneys, but we work with estate attorneys. We work with long-term care facilities and even help people with medically fragile children. Mostly, we work to get you where you want to be.”
Burnette’s business has become a family affair, as he also has two of his granddaughters working for him. Jenna Gross handles marketing and Ashton Ruble does administrative work for the business.
Using everything he has learned over the years, Burnette has recently published a book. “The Retirement Periscope” was not designed to offer tips on investments. Instead, it focuses on the why and how of the company. The hope is that it will spur people to act and to think about their retirement and how to get there.
Rob Burnette records a podcast promoting his new book, “The Retirement Periscope,” at the Troy Area Chamber of Commerce. CONTRIBUTED
“We work with generations of family members and it’s important to emphasize that people shouldn’t expect to have what their parents have tomorrow,” Burnette said. “They worked a long time to get that. People should be diligent and start small.”
And when is the best time to start? Burnette said ideally once a young person gets his or her first paycheck and allowance. The second-best time is “today,” he said.
Burnette has a heart for his community and believes that programs like the Future Farmers of American and the Four H Club are important for teaching young people life skills.
“These kids will have several thousand dollars after they sell their animals at auction and are deciding what to do with it,” Burnette said. “If they read my book and it moves them to take action, that’s the greatest compliment I can ever get.”
Rob Burnette speaks at the Troy Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Steak Fry and Auction in August of 2025. His company, Outlook Financial Center, was the presenting sponsor of this event — the chamber’s largest fundraiser of the year. CONTRIBUTED