By Founder & CEO Scott J. Savage.
What is life but a series of transitions?
As I approach my 40th anniversary as a financial advisor, I can't help but look back on the road I've traveled. You have traveled it with me, perhaps for many years. Have I thanked you lately for that early trust? Well, a thank you may be overdue.
Like so many young professionals, I was eager to build a career 40 years ago and provide for my family by taking care of my growing list of clients. And by "taking care," I mean advising. After all, my title was financial advisor.
Along the way, a few wise mentors taught me to listen first. I took their advice, and with every client, I translated what I heard into investment strategies. How many days and nights did I worry as the market rose and fell and rose again? I spent countless hours rebalancing assets and optimizing investment portfolios as the opportunities presented themselves.
For many years, I thought that my only role was to make sure that clients were compensated for the risks they were taking. It was a high-stakes game I took very seriously, just as we do now. It took years for me to realize how much more there was to this career as a financial advisor and the real value of that role. The time I spent talking with clients, learning about their families and businesses, and helping them navigate the milestones became the most meaningful hours of my day. Especially when we could work through those big and bigger life and business events that come with uncertainty. These meetings became welcome breaks from the unending undulations of the Dow.
As SJS grew, we built a team to manage the investments and all that goes with them. I found myself in the room among very smart people. That allowed me to spend more and more time helping long-time clients I had come to know as they navigated their lives. We had a shared history and earned trust. I steadily listened even more and talked even less as conversations went well beyond seeking to understand financial goals. They moved to deeper conversations about what’s really important in life. I heard countless times, "You’re the only person I can talk to about this." When I say it is my honor, I mean it.
My clients taught me that being an advisor was more about trust than it was about advising. "Adding value," which has always been our company’s mantra, began to manifest through more than just the investment performance. It came through being a trusted advisor.
Life does not stand still, and over the last 10-plus years, "adding value" has transitioned to "adding meaning." Today, when I advise people and institutions, the focus is on family or institutional dynamics, health challenges, life and death, family office issues, philanthropy, and legacy. These are topics that occupy bigger and bigger parts of my day. Many times, the issues are messy and filled with difficult dynamics, ambiguity, and complexity. They are puzzles of intense meaning that ignite a fire in me - a fire to solve, or resolve.
Here I am, 40 years into this career, and I still love my job. It has transitioned from advising about finances to helping people discover and frame their legacy, and, ultimately, what their life is all about. It is an experience that truly goes beyond words.
As I get ready for the next day of my life, I know more transitions are in store. I have a feeling that as I continue to help families and institutions, trust and meaning will remain a part of the mix. So will gratitude.
Thank you for 40 years and your gift of trust.
SJS 20-Year Club: Kirk Ludwig, Kevin Kelly, Meredith Sleet, Scott J. Savage, Jeff Yost.
Important Disclosure Information:
There is no guarantee investment strategies will be successful. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Diversification neither assures a profit nor guarantees against a loss in a declining market.
Advisory services are provided by SJS Investment Services, a registered investment advisor (RIA) with the SEC. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. SJS Investment Services does not provide legal or tax advice. Please consult your legal or tax professionals for specific advice.
Statements contained in this article that are not statements of historical fact are intended to be and are forward looking statements. Forward looking statements include expressed expectations of future events and the assumptions on which the expressed expectations are based. All forward looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on various expectations and assumptions concerning future events and they are subject to numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected.