Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary. That number sounds ridiculously high to me, because I clearly remember celebrating my parent’s and grandparents’ 50th anniversaries, and we’re getting very close.
It also got me thinking about how rare it is to have any relationship that lasts that long in our lives, especially with all the things in the world that work against it. There are an infinite number of potential problems and outside influences that can cause people to stop trying to get along or end their connection altogether.
For us, the changes we’ve been through have been somewhat mind-boggling. We came from different backgrounds, married when I was 20, and hung on together through college, graduate school, kids, starting a business, working together in the same company, and challenging health issues.
This past August the ‘in sickness and in health’ part of our wedding vows got a real workout. Gregg went to the hospital for outpatient surgery early in the month, returned for 5 days due to an infection, was discharged, and then was back the next day with blood clots in his lungs and a stressed-out heart. After a second surgery he was using a walker just to make it a few steps around the floor – quite a shock for a guy doing 75-pound goblet squats in the gym two weeks earlier.
Throughout the entire experience we kept hearing from nurses, doctors, and aides that our close relationship made such a difference in his recovery. He still has work ahead to get his full strength back, but he is improving by leaps and bounds.
Here at TAAG I believe the relationships we develop with our clients are no less important.
Last week I met with someone we’ve worked with for over 22 years. He showed me the original proposal we prepared for him, talked about why he chose us, and we reminisced about all the financial challenges and opportunities we had worked on together. Over the years he has shared many confidences and concerns, and he knows he can count on me and the other members of our team here at TAAG to take good care of him and his family. It’s one less thing in a complicated, stressful world that he has to worry about.
It’s difficult to open up and trust in others, especially if you’ve had an unpleasant experience in the past. But when you take the time to find someone who deserves your faith and trust, the payback can be priceless.
Clients who allow us to get to know them, who share their concerns and are open about their finances, help us do a better job for them. We can support them in difficult times, help them with tough decisions, and provide ideas to take advantage of financial opportunities that come their way over their lifetimes.
We sometimes tell people coming to see us for the first time that if they give us 30 years, we can prove we’re great advisors. We’re only half kidding, because the benefits that come from receiving fiduciary advice and counsel becomes more and more evident over time. Individuals and families who have been working with TAAG for 10, 20 and 30 years or more know that to be true.
Volatile financial markets will come along, financial challenges may arise, and your confidence may be shaken from time to time. But having a relationship with someone you know you can trust and rely on can get you through it all. Like my husband and I, we’re in it with you for the long haul.