What’s In A Name?

One of the privileges of attending Virginia Tech in the town of Blacksburg, was the grand view of Brush Mountain and close proximity to the outdoors.  Just a turn west on Route 460 could lead to the vast Jefferson National Forest in minutes.  I loved hiking, camping and generally exploring my rural world.

When I moved back to Richmond after college, I longed for the mountains and that peaceful escape that I found within them.  I began searching for land and lucked upon an affordable parcel on Banks Mountain.  I fell in love with Amherst County, its people, and its beautiful share of Blue Ridge Mountains.  

I affectionately named our little piece of heaven, “My Mountain Mama”, though my children simply called it “The Mountain”, like it was the only one and it was all theirs.  We’d spend weekends camping, rock scrambling in the creek and hiking in search of animal tracks.  My children’s favorite activity was to scale the clay hill that had been cut out of the mountainside when building the road.  They loved to crawl up and then slide down, comparing how much red dirt managed to stain their jeans.

I had the opportunity to build a cabin a few years later…our neighbors above us had just built one and hinted the builder conveniently had his equipment nearby.  As excited as I was for running water and electricity, I was turning 30 and not quite ready for a second home financially.  Building a cabin was a huge leap of faith financially and the biggest financial risk I’d taken.

But for my family, it was the greatest investment.  While hard to manage at times, The Mountain became one of the “richest” parts of our lives.  With no cell and internet services or quick access to the outside world, the quality time spent there proved to be priceless.  We played board games, did puzzles, and read books together.  The kids invited their friends for birthday weekends and shared their love for sliding down the hill and building campfires.

Ironically, when I decided to take another financial life risk to start my own firm, I learned that a grant to install high-speed internet infrastructure had been secured for rural Amherst.   This bittersweet moment of suddenly being connected, now meant I could enjoy more time at a place that I love AND earn a living.  

It seemed fitting to name my new business: Banks Mountain Financial.  I hope to ease the tax compliance burden of my clients so they can focus on spending quality time with loved ones in their happy places.