Can You Relate?

Arlene was terrified. Her husband of 40 years had just died. Besides having to deal with deep and lasting grief, she was now faced with unfamiliar money issues. “Paul took care of everything, even paying the bills,” she cried. “Now what am I supposed to do? I don’t even know how much income I need or how much I can expect to get. I’ve never been interested in investing, and now I’m suddenly supposed to know how to invest all the insurance money and his retirement plans. What am I going to do without him? I don’t even know who to trust, let alone what to ask.”


George read the memo again and underlined the words “restructuring” and “early retirement.” On one hand, he couldn’t wait to get out from behind his desk after thirty-six years of working hard for the company. He was ready to do something different with his life, but he had no idea what that was. Golf and trips sound like fun, but he knew there had to be something more. And what about the money? He had tried to calculate the value of his stock options and early retirement bonus plan. It seemed like a lot of money, but was it enough? “The market’s so fickle,” George thought to himself, “How can anyone figure out whether they have enough money to retire on? And how am I going to manage all that money? I’m an engineer, not a professional investor.”


Bill and Cindy were rethinking the fast track. Both were successful attorneys with all the trappings – BMW’s, private school for the kids, and a full-time nanny/housekeeper. But a sudden illness dramatically changed their thinking. Everything was fine, but they both realized they were not bulletproof. “I feel like our life has been out of control,” Cindy exclaimed to Bill one night. “We spend every dime we make and never see the kids. They’re almost teenagers and I’m not even sure who their friends are anymore. My firm just went through big organizational changes and I’m really not enjoying what I do anymore. I wish there was some way I could cut back my practice and spend more time with the kids, but I’m afraid we can’t afford it. I feel trapped.”


Isn’t it amazing how much our life decisions and our money decisions are interrelated? These fictional characters represent some of the clients we specialize in helping – higher net worth people who need direction in managing their money so they can live lives of purpose without stress.

We call them Peace of Mind Investors™.