The Naperville office is First Command’s third location in Illinois, joining the Chicago suburb of Libertyville and O’Fallon near St. Louis. Texas-based First Command has more than 160 offices in the U.S., Europe and the Pacific Rim.

The Naperville office opening is the product of a national site selection search that began in 2009. We started our search with a clear understanding of the types of consumers we wanted to reach. We focused on successful professionals and middle-income families who have considered or will consider engaging a financial planner. We also looked for high concentrations of people in our target markets. Following this extensive search process, we selected several high-growth metro areas for a closer look. Naperville emerged as the clear winner.

The mission of First Command is to “Coach those who serve in their pursuit of financial security.” When we opened our doors in 1958, our focus was exclusively on our nation’s military. Today our definition of “those who serve” includes many other Americans. One of our primary target markets is federal employees. We understand the special financial circumstances facing federal employees. We know how to integrate their benefits with the other pieces of their financial picture in a comprehensive, personalized plan. This is an important group for us. In fact, one of the reasons we decided to move to the Naperville area is the prevalence of federal employees. We’re equally committed to serving those who serve less dramatically – but no less importantly. Teachers, medical professionals, community volunteers – we serve clients from all walks of life at all stages of life.

The focus of First Command is on changing behaviors. This is our core philosophy, what we inspire in our clients. We are financial coaches, committed to helping our clients improve their fiscal well-being. That’s what we do at First Command, and it sets us apart from the rest of the industry. Too often in the financial services world discussions with consumers focus on investment vehicles, asset classes, rates of return – the tools of the business. Those are important matters, to be sure, but they are not the most important issue. The great problem faced by American wage earners and their families is not that they have put their money in the second best investment product. Rather, they do not properly save, invest, insure or otherwise prepare for financial security in any regular or meaningful way.