I love chocolate cake. Even the best cake without frosting can be a little dry.
Think of your wealth as a cake you have baked; a recipe of investment strategies, hard work, and luck that has lead to your financial success. Perhaps you have come into wealth suddenly, through a business venture or inheritance, or you have created your wealth over time, through careful planning.
Either way, you rely on your advisor to help you make the right investment and financial decisions with your money; how long to leave it in the oven and when to let it cool off. For me, a solid financial strategy is the foundational layer of comprehensive wealth planning.
I’ve often been surprised, however, how many of our clients react when they come into my office and I ask them to reflect upon what has meaning for them in their lives besides their wealth.
Most have not had the opportunity to engage in deep introspection about their personal aspirations and values outside of their roles as CEOs and business leaders. It is not always possible to talk openly about cares, concerns, fears, or even dreams.
Who do you turn to to work out your personal questions, concerns and life goals?
I consider this confidential conversation the second layer of the wealth mana gement cake.
This “fierce conversation” as author Susan Scott calls it, is a crucial and sacred part of my role.
Not the place that most financial advisors, nor their clients, are always comfortable venturing.
Aspirations, fears, ideal outcomes, life transitions are also messy and can be emotional. Sometimes a life transition caused by career change, health issues, divorce, or children can force these conversations to the surface.
It’s not that leaders never think about these deeper issues, but I’m amazed how often I hear clients say to me, “I don’t talk about this type of stuff enough and it sure is valuable to share out loud. You asked good questions that prompted me to think.”
Wealth clarity and confidence comes from having perspective on your relationship with money and how it influences your life.
Much of the financial services industry wants to talk about traditional wealth management topics because they are primarily quantitative and exact. I am interested in the integration, rather than the segregation, of values and life priorities with the responsibilities of wealth.
And so we go for the ganache–that rich core of understanding and trust that creates a powerful and effective relationship.
We strategize together to determine what would a more meaningful life look like?
And I ask you:
- What are your greatest assets? Friends and family? Community? Health and wellness? Career? Spirituality?
- How do you integrate these assets into your overall wealth management plan?
- How are your external goals in alignment with your internal values?
- Are you making a meaningful contribution to bettering the world? Are you living your highest purpose?
Once you begin to discern what you value most in your life, you can set a course toward achieving a holistic kind of personal excellence, a fulfilling and meaningful path that money alone cannot buy…and that’s simply the icing on the cake.
A Guide to Maximizing Your Return on Life and Money 
The Wealth Creator’s Playbook is the must-read, go-to guide for individuals who are chasing financial success and all the richness of a deeply fulfilling life.