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In 2015, Forbes published an article by Robert Laura titled “When Couples Argue About Retirement” which grabbed my attention. Laura noted the one, often overlooked part of a couple’s retirement plan: managing their relationship when work is in the rearview mirror....

Carey sat in my office to discuss an investment in his retirement. During our time together, I suggested a long-term strategy with incremental short-term steps. “I’ve been thinking a lot,” he said, “about a question you asked me months ago.” I leaned in a bit as he...

Advisors today have many clients who are single, widowed, or divorced. The numbers are telling: single adults in the United States now comprise slightly more than half the adult population and growing. For younger adults, being single poses unique challenges. Under 40...

We humans live by story. Stories, like tributaries meandering into a larger river, flow and feed who we are and what matters most to us. And yes, more so now than ever before, voices heard and overheard, posts, blogs, and sound bites trickle ideas into our...

What we know about a prospect or client is the heart and soul of CRM software. You may use Salesforce or another similar platform to manage client data. These platforms’ robust technologies create a process that uses what is known about a client to drive marketing,...

Several years ago, I was in conversation with an older clergyman who had served the same church for over 25 years. I asked, “How have you sustained a ministry at one church for those many years?” Without hesitation, he answered: “I’ve always had some project, some new...

The holiday season is upon us. Thanksgiving is now a blurred memory. Hanukkah begins in a few days, and yes, there are less than two weeks to Christmas. With the coming of the seasons’ festivities, good words like family, cheer, love, joy, festivity, lights,...

Thanksgiving is over and—you guessed it! —the month of months is about to begin. It normally takes a bit of coaxing, but Kathie and I eventually get “Santa’s List” from our grandchildren’s parents. Those lists look very different from what we once scribbled on...

Thanksgiving is ten days away. As turkey day nears, we with our clients will journey through a host of uniquely November events that include things like football, family reunions, meal preparations, and for people of faith, spiritual experiences, that usher in the...

I don’t know about you, but November 1st flips a switch every year that says “sweaters, the holidays, family, end-of-the-year, and busy!” Before we find ourselves in the tightening grip of all of that, maybe we need a break?! Today may be a “half-time” day to head to...

Following a presentation to new advisors, I heard a question you may be asking. “Are questions about a client’s life story, their family, work, health, and fears going too far?” Put another way, can we ask questions that are too personal? The “too personal” question...

When our advice goes in the wrong direction, what do we do? How do we respond? Why even bring this up? A few weeks back, a financial professional and good friend reached out to me asking me to address this very issue, perhaps more common than we care to admit. How do...

If you want to make an impact in the lives of your clients, weave stories into your conversation. In my experience, the best source for those stories is remembering and sharing turning point moments from your own life. All financial professionals go through some...

Maybe the most nagging issue we face as professionals is aligning what we want people to think about us with what we know about ourselves. This struggle or tension might best be illustrated by the photograph of the little duck calmly cruising a pond, head focused,...

“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...

The agenda set for a client meeting may be predictable: Has anything changed since we last met? Review the recent quarter or the past 6-12 months. Re-visit the asset allocation. Any recommended changes?  “Good to visit with you. See you next week at the symphony...

As many of you know, I am a polio survivor. When that insult showed up at 13 months of age, my life changed, and that of my family. I was one of the lucky ones; only my left leg bears witness to its after-effects. Not even imagined at that moment, polio’s...

Forty-seven years ago today (July 12th), two green and starry-eyed, very young adults married each other in a beautiful church in West Palm Beach, FL. With family and friends gathered, all wondered if we would make it. I say with an impish twinkle in my eye, “Kathie...