“A prize fighter in a corner is told, hit where it hurts. Silver and gold.” - U2* Every time Tony and I have met with prospective clients who have come from traditional brokerage channels (literally, every single time) there is an uncomfortable point in the meeting where they are ashamed at the fact that they received no financial plan; no real coherent diversification strategy to minimize risks; no exit strategy as to when they can jump off the hamster wheel and enjoy the fruits of their Read on...
Intelligence is no Match for Ignorance
I remember the first time I helped a colleague of Tony’s switch out of a horrible 403(b). Tony had come to me aghast over what he had seen; an annuity with 4% in fees and longstanding surrender fees. We had no idea that this was not the exception to the rule; nor did we realize that this would become our full-time obsession. Here was an educated, savvy woman who had absolutely no idea how badly she was being ripped off. It turns out that there were many more teachers, just like her, who had Read on...
Matters of the Heart
I learned, at a fairly young age, that life can change as quickly as it takes a heart to beat. It was the day before Thanksgiving, 1973, when my father suffered a heart attack. He was 56 and I was 8. As the sole breadwinner, I am sure all the worries he had about caring for his wife and seven kids (four of whom were minors) were pinging in his head, keeping time with his rapid pulse rate. Thankfully, after several weeks in the hospital, he was allowed to come home in time for Christmas. Read on...
Sexism, Lies and Videotape
I received an interesting call; or should I say my husband, Tony, did. Though I introduced myself as Tony's business partner, there was much reluctance to speak with me. I guess this gentleman thought I was a 'gal Friday.' Finally, he decided to take up his solicitation with me, though it wouldn’t have mattered to whom he spoke with – the answer would have been the same. He tried to sell me on the idea that we should reward our top clients with a trip to some Read on...