Too often we paint someone with a broad brush as to their contributions to the world solely based on the group in which they are a member. For example, medical doctors may specialize in a field that allows them to focus on a specific area of the human body. These physicians are capable of providing you general advice and medical care but may also provide you greater, more detailed, information pertaining to a particular illness such as kidney ailments or cancer of the brain.
Wealth advisors are individuals who may specialize in certain areas of financial matters that a particular segment of the population needs. For example, many wealth advisors focus on corporate executives and their unique compensation opportunities. Other advisors may focus more on the intricacies of Social Security Benefits and less about long-term market investments.
To be certain, your life is more complex than simply working with numbers to reach your lifetime goals and dreams. It is vital that you consider the qualitative factors in your life as much, if not more so, than you do the quantitative factors. My case in point is the life of a lady we will call “Jane”. By all outward appearances, Jane had all that was needed to sustain her the remainder of her life and leave a legacy for her children to expand their wealth. A couple of years after her husband’s passing, we asked Jane if we could meet to discuss the important matters in her life. She assumed we were talking about her accounts and showed up with her Financial Organizer we provided when initiating the relationship.
Immediately, we recognized that Jane had not understood what we wished to discuss with her. After explaining the importance of happiness in her life, we asked her a few simple questions to initiate this subject. “What is one thing that happened recently that made you smile and one thing that was difficult?” She looked up at me and began to create a big smile on her face. She exuberantly stated, “I had the best time recently volunteering as a cancer patient attendee!” I asked her, “What of that process made you so happy?” She responded in a way that made me realize she had found a new purpose in life. “When John was dying, I had no one that understood, truly understood, what I was going through at that time in my life. By helping these terminally ill individuals live a more fulfilling life and knowing that someone understands the palette of emotions they are experiencing, helped me heal and find happiness again.”
We continued to discuss this wonderful opportunity for Jane to serve and offered her some qualitative advice. “Why don’t you establish a self-help group or lead others in the process of caring for terminally ill individuals that provides dignity, understanding and compassion?” This new form of serving her fellow man gave Jane the emotional support she needed to truly live again after the loss of her husband.
As wealth advisors that specialize in retirement planning, we place a significant amount of importance on helping clients understand, and navigate, the maze of life after the loss of someone special. We are proud of our technical competence and expertise. More importantly, we are most humbled that our clients know that we are here as a resource for more than numbers.
As humans, we are all different in some way. However, we all need emotional support, in addition to financial advice, to truly live a rewarding life. It is not all about the numbers unless you are talking about the lives you touched in deep, emotional moments that helped them see life in a better way.
