A former government worker with a master’s degree in public administration, Crane has lived in Kitsap for 30 years, coming to the area to work as the Trident community impact coordinator for Kitsap County. He replaced John Horsley in that position after Horsley was elected county commissioner. Horsley later went on to work in the Clinton administration as an undersecretary of transportation.

Crane ventured into what was then termed stock broking after needing a change from government work. He found the financial planning industry a great way to keep current with world affairs while working with people.

The industry has greatly evolved in the last two decades — for example, Crane’s title is now financial adviser instead of stock broker, and the trend has moved toward fee-based rather than commission-based services to avoid conflict of interest — but this is still a “people business,” which made the job so attractive to him in the first place.

Crane works with a partner, Carmen Pinto, and they always meet with clients together. “The partnership has been wonderful; it’s the best thing I’ve done in this business,” he said.

Crane says it takes integrity to be a good financial planner, and their most important job is to understand the clients’ needs and how to build a diverse portfolio for them.

“When you’ve had bad years in the market, it gets to you,” he said. “You recognize you’re dealing with friends’ personal assets and their future — because clients are friends. For that reason, Carmen and I are conservative.”

Crane said when people ask him what a good investment is, his best answer is, “Spend less money than you make.”

“If you start when you’re young, that’s how you build wealth,” he said. Part of the industry’s evolution is the constant addition of new products — which is not always positive, he said. It’s like going to the supermarket and getting a prepackaged dinner instead of making it yourself from scratch: Some products are good, some are not.

“It’s more important to be in the right sector at the right time, versus the right stock at the right time,” he said. That’s why he needs to keep current with the economy, oil prices, and even politics.

“The price of any stock can change day to day,” he said. “What’s more important is to convince the client not to worry about it — invest for the long term and not let the day to day news worry them.”

Crane has noticed a demographic shift in the client base in the last two decades: He sees fewer government employees and more women investing.

This is actually his first “job” he’s kept longer than three years. At Smith Barney, he is an independent business owner, and he likes that autonomy. “Once you build your business, it’s very rewarding,” he said. “I work for my clients. This job gives you all the freedom in the world.”

Crane has been a very active community member, serving on various boards and founding several of them, including the Kitsap Economic Development Council. He is also currently on the Board of Trustees for Olympic College. Crane, who knows first-hand what it’s like to be unemployed, said creating jobs is a very important aspect for a community. “It comes down to the issue of human dignity,” he said.

His wife, Silverdale attorney Paula Crane, is also very active in the community, but their civic commitments usually don’t intersect. They have raised two children here.

“It was the way I was raised — you give back to the community,” he said. “This community has been good to me.”.