Five Questions with Daniel Maupin

Daniel joined the Rather & Kittrell Wealth Management team in January 2020 and works alongside Senior Advisors to assist individuals and families navigate their path to accomplishing financial goals. Daniel graduated summa cum laude from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Finance and a concentration in personal financial planning. Born and raised in Kentucky, Daniel enjoys golfing, fishing, and watching sports. He also enjoys backcountry camping and getting to know the East Tennessee area.

What led you to the financial planning industry?

From a young age, I was able to watch parents come in and out of my dad’s office and see the gratification on their faces after their visit. Soon I began to realize the true underlying purpose of his practice was simple: use your personal skill set to help the lives of other people. Fast forward several years and this theme of helping and problem solving all harmonized after my first year in college when I took my first personal financial planning course. The rest is now history and I get to go to work everyday doing what I feel uses my skill set to simply help the lives of other people.

You are a Western Kentucky grad with a Bachelor’s of Science in Finance and a concentration in personal financial planning. What is a Hilltopper/Big Red exactly?

For starters, WKU sits on a big hill that students get to trudge up every day hence the name Hilltoppers. Big Red is our award‐winning mascot that has rocked the world of sports since 1979. What is it you ask? A symbol of the hill our campus sits atop? A friendly dinosaur? A big red blob? The world may never know but the long standing admiration lives on. GO TOPS!

You are new to the Knoxville area. What have you found out about this area that surprised you?

One thing that surprised me was the small town feel in a big city (coming from the perspective of someone who grew up in rural Kentucky). Moving down to Knoxville was made much easier by the people in the community. I also wasn’t expecting to be so close to water and the Great Smoky Mountains. I looked at a map for several weeks leading up to the big move date, and it never dawned on me that East Tennessee has so much to offer.

Best financial advice you’ve been given?

The best financial advice given to me was from my mom and dad: “Never spend what you don’t have.” From the age of 8 to 80, it will always have a meaningful application to anyone’s money‐driven decisions.

Your bio says you like to fish. Tell me your best fish story.

I watched the Bassmasters almost every Saturday growing up. Eventually, I talked my dad into entering us into our first (and last) local fishing tournament. It was an evening/night tournament and we put a lot of time and effort into preparing for the 6 hours we would have on the water. With all that being said, we ended up losing by 0.007 ounces. In other words, about 4 drops of water.