Paddy Aidan

Meet Paddy Aidan, a five-year client of the Wiser Financial Group and instructor of art at Western Michigan University's Gwen Frostic School of Art.

A Kalamazoo native, Paddy is a graduate of Kalamazoo Central High School and Western Michigan University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in painting.

She has since lived in many places, but eventually returned to Kalamazoo to be closer to family.

"I don't think you are born anywhere by accident," she said, speaking fondly of Kalamazoo.

In addition to teaching foundation art courses at her alma mater, Paddy also works with the Education for the Arts program through Kalamazoo RESA. As a teaching artist, she provides instruction in kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms.

She also offers her years of art, color, and design experience, working as a color consultant and interior decorator to private and corporate clients.

"I knit together a lot of jobs," Paddy admits, "but they are all really good things to do."

Paddy's interactions with Wiser Financial Group began when she was hired to help design the company's renovated office space.

"I helped them with their renovation and we also worked on cultivating and updating their art collection," she said.

Over the course of the year-long process, Paddy said she got to know the Wiser team personally and appreciated their attitude toward the community, including intentionally sourcing pieces from a local artist for display in their newly designed space, and decided to become a Wiser client as a result.

"The Wiser team has given me a lot of support and professional validation," Paddy said.

It is that same sense of community and integrity that Paddy is aiming for as she looks toward creating a community outreach puppet theatre. Her goal is to provide an artistic way for community members of all ages to interact and engage on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.

Paddy is also active in the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.

As one of southwest Michigan's oldest and largest independent financial services organizations, The Wiser Financial Group is both highly skilled and trusted in the community—often serving families for generations. The professionals at WFG have decades of experience in financial planning. Our team includes Certified Financial Planners® (CFP®), Chartered Life Underwriters (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultants (ChFC), Certified Public Accountants (CPA), attorneys, and financial advisors.