Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.
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THE ELKINS FAMILY Life for Troy and LaDonna Elkins revolves around the athletic pursuits of their sons: Troy Jr., a freshman in college; Kalen, a sophomore at Ardrey Kell High School; and Jadon, a fi fth grader at Elon Park Elementary. when my parents were there," he recalls. "I feel like our sons need us there at all costs." This depth of parental commitment extends to ensuring their sons receive a college education. The couple started saving for Troy Jr. when he was only in the fifth grade — no surprise given that LaDonna is a Defined Contribution Plan administrator with 22 years of experience who owns her own TPA (third party administrator) firm, LD Consulting. The company specializes in FALL 2010 handling daily activity and annual reporting for 401(k) and other defined contribution retirement plans. The athletic gene in the family comes from Troy Sr., who is a basketball coach at J.M. Robinson Middle School. He also owns Phenom22 Global Sports, which provides athletics-skills training for youth and an online recruiting tool for college coaches to preview young athletes. Troy Sr. played basketball and ran track at Hastings College in Nebraska, and played semi-pro football in Charlotte. "Starting to put money aside that early for Troy Jr. was a conscious decision," LaDonna says. "Our first priority for our sons has always been academics. Everybody wants a free pass, hoping their child will get a scholarship, but that only foots a portion of the bill" in many cases. The couple is open to any strategies to save on parallel tracks for college education and retirement. "Ultimately you do the best you can with what you have," says Troy Sr. CELEBRATING TEN YEARS 2000-2010 "Sometimes you may struggle, sometimes not. You have to put something aside for a rainy day, but you also have to live." For the Elkins family, living includes downtime at Myrtle Beach. When father and sons want to get away from it all here, they go fishing at Lake Wylie or Ballantyne Corporate Park. "Hixon Pond in Ballantyne Corporate Park is one of our favorite places," says Troy Sr. with a smile. "We just throw our line in. We've been doing it for years." BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE 67