One of the most striking images from Tolkien’s stories is of the dragon Smaug curled up on top of his massive treasure hoard. How far did his riches get him? Some real lessons from fantastic fiction.
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What a journey thus far!
I started at the kitchen table. Bought the office building at 228 Main when I could neither afford it nor afford to pass it up. Struggled and juggled for years. Fit a snowbird lifestyle into the middle of it. Survived personal tragedy, a cruel disease that slowly took the life of my high school sweetheart.
And through it all, we grew. More and more people entrusted more and more wealth to our care. More and more teammates helped me hold up my end of the deal.
They say it is not the strongest or the smartest who survive and thrive, but those who adapt and adjust to change.
But then, there are the things that have not changed. We are a team of four advisors—myself, Greg, Caitie, and Billy—along with two full-time service team members, Whitney and Brenda. All of us serve one book of business. Everyone gets access to the same set of services. One story, one philosophy, one book of business.
You may not recognize how different this makes us. (But you also know I’ve never been one to follow the crowd!)
Many financial advisor shops, however, are a collection of sole proprietors, each on the prowl for new business all the time. There may be other four-advisor shops that work more like four separate teams that happen to compete nearby each other—not like teammates who play together, toward the same goal.
We believe we are organized differently—and better.
With a team set-up, any client can call any one of us. Four advisors, two service team members, one team. No matter who picks up the phone, we’re committed to getting you pointed in the right direction.
That’s what the team means to me, today.
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“What do you want to be when you grow up?” A new school year will be starting soon for many, but it’s not just children who feel like they have to have answers to the big questions. New clients will on occasion visit our office with apologies ready: they don’t exactly know what they want or what they might need in the future. And that’s okay. Plans and hunches and visions… It’s all welcome.
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by Caitie Leibman, CEO
As a parent, I’ve noticed a lot of messages out there telling me that “moms are superheroes.” (Seriously, you can get it on t-shirts and coffee mugs and wine glasses and keychains and anything else you can think of.)
There’s this idea that a woman today is someone who can handle anything and get it all done. She’s strong. She’s always ready. She basically needs to be Wonder Woman: fight for what’s right, get the job done, and somehow avoid a wardrobe malfunction!
Whether it’s parenthood or my personal life or my career, I know I don’t need any superhuman expectations piled on me. Regular, everyday expectations are plenty, thank you.
Instead of comparing myself to a superhero, I prefer to think of myself as a superhero in a superhero movie.
I never have to go it alone. If this is a superhero movie, then I get my own stunt double! I get a makeup artist and an assistant and a crew and editors—and we’re all in it together. Same goal. We’re all part of making the story happen. The production only comes together when we each pitch in.
These things are true of my real life, too. I bring my time and talents to work so that I have a chance to use them in service of my clients. I get help from my teammates when I have a question or could benefit from someone else’s strengths. I don’t have to do it all, and neither do my teammates.
Clients, I want you to know that we go to work for you. We want your story to come to life, and we feel lucky to be part of the production process. If it was reasonable to expect everybody to just figure it all out on their own, we wouldn’t be in business—and a lot of life would probably get more stressful, trying to tough things out alone.
Each of us is the star of our own show, but think about how long the credits would be.
Clients, reach out any time. We’re glad to be fighting for you, together.
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Even heroes get knocked down a time or two when fighting their monsters. There may be a couple of bumps in the road, but what good plot doesn’t have some conflict? With our passions in mind, a little bit of perseverance, and a good plan, we all get to be the hero of our own story.
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Even heroes get knocked down a time or two when fighting their monsters. There may be a couple of bumps in the road, but what good plot doesn’t have some conflict? With our passions in mind, a little bit of perseverance, and a good plan, we all get to be the hero of our own story.
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It might help to think about financial goals like a line of dominoes. Only one domino needs to fall at first, and the momentum will build. We don’t have to do it all at once 🙏
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Did you know that the main ingredient to the magic pie is stock ownership? Common stock is more than just a transaction on the computer—it’s an investment, a share of an enterprise that’s out there in the world, trying to do something. Best part about a magic pie? There is plenty to go around.
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“Getting in on the ground floor” may sound enticing. We like to be first, best, and on top of things. But just remember that the view is always better from higher up.
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There may be no “I” in team, but we do think there’s still room for individuality. Teamwork doesn’t get us very far if we lose sight of our values in the process, so it matters whether each player is able to trust her gut. What does megastar Taylor Swift have to teach us about this topic? More, in this week’s video.
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