WHO IS CHRISTINE GOODSELL?
It’s an interesting story about how I got into the Employee Benefits world. I had just graduated from college and in a brand-new job with a company that was going bankrupt. They were not able to pay me on a regular basis; my checks bounced all the time, there were bill collectors at our door every day and I didn’t have any health insurance (although they told me I did). I quickly realized that I was not at a stable company and left one Friday afternoon never to return after getting paid cash for several weeks of work. That same day I was going dress shopping with a friend who was getting married. We met up with some old childhood friends and I told them all what happened that day. One of the other bridesmaids was working at a company in Wilton, CT and she said they were hiring. They were a managed care company for Mental Health and Substance Abuse and were growing. I applied, was hired and became a Provider Relations Representative. This was my first introduction into the health care world. I credentialed the providers and explained how the plans we offered worked. I was there for four years and then made a move with my husband to upstate New York. I went to work for an insurance company working as a Provider Relations Representative for a year and then as an Account Executive. I covered all of Central New York’s territory. If any of you have been or lived there you know there is a lot of snowy land to cover. I was in charge of selling plans to companies and executing all of the open enrollment meetings. I quickly learned about myself that I loved building relationships with my company contacts and helping the employees understand their benefits. About 7 years later we moved back to Connecticut and I came to work at Matson Financial Advisors and I have been here for 18 years.
One of the reasons I love working at Matson Financial Advisors is that we strive to go above and beyond for our clients. It is a culture that everyone who is employed here lives. Many of my groups have been with me the full 18 years I have been here and several much longer. I know them and their employees very well and I really value the relationships we have. It’s easy to say we manage Employee Benefits for many companies in the area focusing on medical, dental, life, disability and 401k needs. However, what really keeps us all together is the relationships we have and the trust that has been built over the years. These things in my eyes are the foundation of what makes a job and business successful. To help and serve the community and its members. It brings me back to my early working years and what I found to be the most enjoyable part of my job which is helping others and building relationships.
Since my early days here we have grown and now provide many HR services. We manage Employee Benefits (medical, dental, vision, life, disability, 401k), enrollment meetings, Cobra administration, Employee Handbooks, Employee Benefit Statements and a lot more. I’ve also been very busy in my personal life. I have been married for 27 years and have three beautiful daughters ages 21, 14 and 12. I have been a Girl Scout leader for 16 years and am currently an active member and the Youth Group Advisor at St. Ann’s Church in Danbury. I am regularly driving the girls to practices, games, piano, scouts and more. This past year has been an interesting one as I really stepped out of my box and decided to manage my daughter’s soccer team. I learned a lot about the sport, the team and all the time and energy it takes to put it all together. I love to cook and entertain friends at my home and enjoy my summers by the pool with the family. We have a dog that I absolutely love and is such a big part of our family. I’m going to end this with one interesting fact about me that most people don’t know; I was a fill in my Freshman year for one semester as our team mascot at Western New England College. I was the Golden Bear walking around campus! It still makes me laugh to this day when I think about that.