Elaine Floyd
Chair

Elaine Floyd was born and raised in Oxnard California, a small farming community up the coast from Los Angeles. After receiving a psychology degree from UCLA she worked as a Social Worker in South Central Los Angeles from 1968 to 1972. One marriage, two children and one divorce later, in 1980 she began her career in the financial services industry as a stockbroker for E. F. Hutton in Torrance, California. In 1987 she left the business to become a freelance writer, writing books and articles on all areas of financial planning with a focus on retirement. In 2008 she joined Horsesmouth, a New York-based company that provides training and support services to financial advisors. As the Director of Retirement and Life Planning, Elaine created and currently supports three comprehensive training programs, Savvy Social Security Planning, Savvy Medicare Planning, and Savvy Generational Planning, each designed to help financial advisors educate their clients on these important topics. She is a noted expert on Social Security claiming strategies and has been quoted in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the AARP Bulletin, and other major publications. A non-believer in retirement for herself, she continues to work full-time from her home office in Bellingham.

As a remote worker, Elaine has always had the freedom to move. In 2001 she moved to Bellingham to be near her daughter and grandchildren (who subsequently moved away!) The Bellingham Festival of Music was a compelling factor in her decision to move here: to live in a small(ish), picturesque town where nationally renowned musicians come to play beautiful classical music during the summer seemed like a dream come true. In 2004 she hosted her first musician and has never looked back. The festival is a key part of Elaine’s life, made richer by friendships with orchestra members and festival supporters who are equally impressed by the quality of music played here. In 2018 Elaine took on housing responsibilities, matching musicians with home hosts, and joined the board in the same year. She is now in her second year as chair of the board.

Elaine has two daughters and five grandchildren spread out among Oregon, California, and Washington. In her spare time she plays the piano, makes quilts, and reads books. Her latest book recommendation is The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin. It makes the case that we are all artists and everything we do is a creative act.