Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to the Missouri Banker’s Blog! My goal is to provide an entertaining destination to discussion current financial and political events and ideas. I will probably through in my thoughts about my personal life and sports addictions along the way (especially my Missouri Tigers…MIZZOU RAH!).

Before I begin, you probably want to know a little bit about me and why I want to take some of my free time to tell you my thoughts.

My name is Sam Giroux and I am Loan Officer for Boone County National Bank (BCNB) in central Missouri. While the headquarters for BCNB is located in the town of Columbia, my branch is located in Hallsville, MO—about 10 minutes north of Columbia. BCNB is the regional bank leader for Boone County and parts of Cooper County to the west with over $1 Billion in average assets. We hold a market share of about 35% which is quite impressive given the large about of financial institutions in the market. Our philosophy is to provide every customer with Legendary Customer Service which is based on a 14 item list of Legendary Service Standards. I have been with BCNB for over 8 years and I am very proud to be part of this exceptional team.

On a personal level, I have been married to the love of my life for 5 years (we have been together for almost 10). We have 2 beautiful daughters, Elly (almost 3) and Beth (6 months). They keep us on our toes with their high level of activity and make sure we sleep well at night. I will admit that they have me wrapped around their fingers with their lovely smiles and convenient moments of affection. I am completely out numbered!

I am 28 years old and enjoy following politics and financial news. I am proud to announce that I am a former Republican yes man that has seen the light of the Libertarian Party. Don’t get me wrong, I vote for the person, not the party. Yet, Libertarian ideals encourage this behavior. I am a strong supporter of Bob Barr and think that the American public has been fooled by the false promises of both the Republican and Democratic Parties. They stump on the aspect of change when in fact that is the last thing on their mind. Keep reading while I go into more detail on many of my thoughts regarding this topic! I am an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal and watcher of CNBC. Our entire lives are either directly or indirectly affected by economics, that we must continue to watch the markets and understand how they work.

Still, there is a large place in my life for faith. I am a member of the Columbia United Church of Christ. Yes, the denomination of Obama. Don’t believe rev. Wright, the United Church of Christ is a church of acceptance of all of God’s creatures. We are all God’s creatures and who are we to judge each other. If God does not approve of your behavior, trust me that he will let you know in the end. As long as you are not infringing on others’ rights, I have no place telling you have to live your life. I will love you as I love God.

I will this post now and I hope you continue to visit as I touch on politics and financial issues in the coming days and weeks.

God bless.