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The most powerful words in English are, “Tell me a story”. - Pat Conroy

Someone asked me recently to share my philosophy - essentially my “pitch” as a financial planner. And, as typical as that question is, I was struck by how awkward I felt at that moment. It was as if I had regressed to my first job interview. The best I could come up with was “I’m a real people person”, which is not always true; it depends on the day. I’ve been in financial services for three decades and I take so much for granted. Putting words down on a page that captures my “pitch” is daunting. But, hey, I’ve picked up some nuggets along the way, so let me share my story with you.

My mission is to empower and educate myself and others to become our best selves. What does this have to do with money? Pretty much everything. What I have observed, however, is that financial services does a poor job at centering the human in the story - money is always in the spotlight. If you have ever felt awkward or confused or annoyed about something financial, my guess is part of that reaction is based on money taking center stage.

I believe money is a supporting player - YOU are the star of the show.

When we flip the script in this way, all sorts of myths and assumptions start to dissolve.  As an example, there is a company called DALBAR that for years has published research about the business practices and performance of investment companies. One highly publicized report, The Qualitative Analysis of Investor Behavior, has been issued annually since 1984. In a nutshell, the research purports to show how bad individual investors are at staying invested in the capital markets. There are charts and graphs that show how individual investors only receive a fraction of the return of the market over the long-term. The narrative around this research is “Oh, goodness, individual investors are so irrational! They need a professional advisor because individual investors run away when the market is down and only invest when the market is up!” Good thing there are financial advisors who can help these dumdums figure it out.

But here’s the problem with this narrative - it provides no room at all for goals, objectives, and accomplishments at the individual level. In “DALBAR World”, everyone is an investor for 10, 20, 30 years - because investors are measured against the mutual fund’s performance, not the investor’s own goals! In “DALBAR World”, investing is the end, not a means to an end. Hang on, though: what if you reached your goal in March 2022 and liquidated your investment account because you were ready to make a home purchase? What if your child is heading off to college so you paid tuition? That’s not dumb - that’s mission accomplished! It’s high time the industry stopped focusing on markets and return and investments and got serious about people first..

Let me also state the obvious - as a financial planner, my compensation comes from clients who are willing to pay for my advice, so it may seem strange that I would take on a company that validates a need for professional advice. I absolutely believe in the tremendous value financial professionals add for clients - my argument is that the value comes from personalized, tailored advice that tracks to a client’s goals and aspirations, not an aggregate mutual fund benchmark.

You are the star, not the money.

My vision is to recenter humans in the financial narrative. So, how do I strive to do this? Well, let’s start with my planning chops. Not to brag, but I am a kick-ass planner. A former client once told me she “loved my brain”. A 40-year financial services veteran has gone on the record that I am the best planner he has ever worked with. Is this a big deal? Not to me. This is table stakes.

More importantly, I know who I am. I know what is enough for me. My highest values are family, curiosity, and trust. My goals are to spend time with the people I love, doing what I love, and making a positive impact in the world.

I hit the lottery with my family of origin. I am the daughter of an English teacher and a scientist - the analytical and the poetic live in my heart. My parents, siblings and extended family are good people and I love to be around them. This is a tremendous gift. 

My curiosity helps make me a great planner. I find myself asking “what if” and “why” about everything. Very few ideas are too “out there” in my book, but I don’t believe in unnecessary risk. Regardless of how wild an idea is, it still needs to be vetted (science!) This means that I have some unorthodox ideas about money - one that you’ll hear more about if you stick around is how “retirement” is a myth, perpetuated by investment companies in order to charge fees on assets for decades. More on that later, but again, if you’ve ever felt inadequate because “they” say you aren’t “on track”, well, it’s intentional, and we need to dismantle the “money at the center” framework.

Finally, trust. What is trust? Brené Brown defines trust as “choosing to make something important to you vulnerable to the actions of someone else.”

This definition resonates with me, and not just because Brené Brown is the patron saint of women of a certain age. It speaks to the leap of courage and faith people take in partnering with a financial planner. Trust is fundamental in all relationships - so much of our day to day lives rely on trust in others, in infrastructure, in nature. Trust also requires balance. I trust, but I also verify. I’ve been described as a “raised eyebrow”, and I like that characterization. It means that I observe and analyze. I believe in doing the work, but at some point letting go and trusting - in people and in the universe.

Recently, I have reflected on faith and have finally understood how and why so many scientists can hold both science and faith in their hearts. Faith is feeling and believing there is more out there, things unseen, which cannot be proved or validated. Faith is the lead dog on the scientific discovery sled - some phenomena will be proved, some won’t, but faith is, and should be, constant. 

There is so much I have to share - experience, wisdom, humor, horror stories - and I am excited to embark on this new chapter of my professional life. Brava Financial is not for everyone, for sure, but for those who feel a connection to my “pitch”, welcome. I am so glad you are here.

Kelly