| This May-long weekend is a special one - it marks the 10 year anniversary of breaking my neck.
Most of you know how this happened but if you don’t, you can read about it here in an article that the Wealth Professional Magazine once published about my journey to becoming an advisor.
But rather than talk about me, I want to talk about you and the significance that these sorts of milestones have in our lives. Milestones take on many shapes and sizes and imbed lasting impressions on our lives because they generally only happen once – and it’s these onetime occurrences that shape what ‘Wealth Management’ really means...
Vicariously through my clients I’ve started a business, sold a business, raised capital for an idea, retired, gotten married, gotten divorced, had a child, settled an estate, acted as a POA, donated a large gift to charity, lost a loved one, received an inheritance, established a trust, etc. And it’s these ‘firsts’ that come along in our lives that require the most advice because you personally haven’t gone through it before and because you don’t know what you don’t know. Now, imagine an advisor who thinks proactively and helps you plan for these things before they happen? That’s what my team and I are all about, going above and beyond the investment advice.
So, while breaking my neck wasn’t ideal at the time, it taught me some very valuable life lessons. Most importantly, it gifted me an incredible perspective on life in where I am constantly grateful for the ‘basic’ yet vital things in my life – like being able to walk, being healthy, living in a great country and having amazing family, friends and clients.
In addition to this positive perspective, I also learned that I am not invincible. None of us are. My entire plan and world changed in one awkward tumble – and this is why planning for the unexpected is an essential aspect of your overall ‘risk management’ plan, aka insurance and credit. I always say to my clients, “you must apply for credit and insurance before you need it” (because trying to get approved after you need it is next to impossible)...
If you’re unsure about your insurance coverage (more specifically your living benefits coverage because you are more likely to become disabled that you are to pass away) it’s certainly a conversation worth having before it’s too late because take it from me, when I broke my neck, I didn’t think twice about my income, my expenses or my portfolio – my only focus was to get better – and that’s what I did. Because I had the right coverage (disability insurance) and support (amazing family & friends), I was so determined with that focus to get better that I was walking again within 2 months of the surgery with my neck brace in the trash.
So, cheers to life and its many milestones; we look forward to helping you strategically plan for the good ones, the bad ones and the fun ones. Oh, and yes, that’s my postop x-ray in the photo above.
With so much going on and information coming at us from every angle, it's sometimes hard to keep your finger on the pulse of what's happening. In an effort to keep you in-the-know and provide you with some conversation nuggets for the long weekend, I've compiled the following hit list to fill your conversation pipeline.
Now you are in-the-know with Word on the Street.
Enjoy the long weekend, D.
|