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“The older I get,” wrote television legend Fred Rogers, “the more convinced I am that the space between people who are trying their best to understand each other is hallowed ground.” I did not grow up in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, but in a way, I vicariously went there...

Noise is a tenured resident in our modern lives. Whether it’s the whirl of a tumbling dryer, the muted voices of sportscasters calling a game, the hum of an automobile’s engine, or the buzz of the florescent fixtures in our offices, all manner of noise is with us and...

Humans have an uncanny ability to detect whether or not another person is fully present to us. Little things give us away like a furtive glance at the cell phone, a slight rotation of the wrist with a watch, or a peripheral look at the clock on the wall. And then...

Following a presentation I made to a class of new advisors, a member of that class of 75 came to me in the hall with a question about discovery. “Are asking questions about a client’s life story, family, family-of-origin issues around work, money, investments, health,...

Early on in the business, mentors taught us to offer our services to clients in such a way they naturally introduce us to others. Makes sense, doesn’t it?  The reality, however, is not quite that simple or obvious. Client introductions – which I prefer over the word...

On many occasions, I had the privilege of speaking to classes of new advisors with my firm. Reflecting on those presentations, it occurred to me that I would often fail to address the importance of being in a role as an advisor. Embracing our role as financial...

Here’s a simple idea for these last days of 2023. Many readers may not even get this until next year; you’ve already signed off, taking these last days to be with family and enjoy some well-deserved down time. But if you’re at your desk this short week, here’s...

The holiday season is awash in light. Cities and neighborhoods, businesses and homes are festooned with a brightness that, at least for these few weeks, pushes back the longer nights, punching holes in the darkness. For people of Christian faith, the season of Advent...

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday are all behind us. But then again, when Black Friday begins in early November, the shopping season seems more consuming now than ever! How do we maximize the next few weeks when engaging our clients? When I was active in...

An often-overlooked insight into a client’s financial perspective bubbles up when asking about the family’s history.  “Tell me about home; where you grew up, your parents, and a couple of warm memories from your family of origin.”  When you ask that question, notice...

Cats are curious creatures. Winston, our 11 year old Tonkinese, reverts to kitten status when we roll a ball across the floor or toss a toy mouse up in the air. He is innately curious; we activate that curiosity with a ball or toy. We of the human species are, like...

In all candor, on any given day of the week, all of us are at mid-life -- in the midst of the life given us – mindful of what is past but unaware of what may lie ahead coming at us as quickly as taking the next call. In these pre-holiday, mid-October days, what if you...

Years ago, when our oldest turned 15 and secured his learner’s permit, my older attorney sister asked me how much umbrella liability coverage Kathie and I had.  I responded, “None!”  She reminded me that over the course of the next 2 years, our liabilities on the road...

There may be no more difficult and demanding family challenge than caring and providing for a special needs child. Over the last 40 years, I have been with couples in the hospital when they first learned their newborn had Down Syndrome or another cognitive disability....

I remember working closely with a family and their young adult children who, over several months, asked us to take them through our planning process and bring their portfolios under our management.  Small business owners, we learned this family also owned property...

When a client says, “I need to think about it,” “Let me get back to you on that one,” or “I don’t feel good about moving forward,” they may be telling you more than they realize. To be clear, there are times when waiting is not only needed but required. In my...

Summer is the season when many families change. Seniors graduate from high school and college. Children often marry in the summer months. A job change may require relocation.  I remember vividly a conversation I had with my mother 26 years ago when our oldest son...

No one is in the financial services business long before having a conversation with a prospect or client clawing through money problems. Credit card debt, a house-poor mortgage, student loan payments, private school tuition, car payments, and the basic cost of...