I loved to sail when I was young, so one analogy I've used a lot over the years is this: You are the captain, and I am the navigator. When we chart a course together for managing your wealth, we are creating a working plan. It may change. Stormy weather calls for a shift in course. But we work from a plan that addresses what can and should be accomplished. And that plan helps keep a calm and steady approach.

I recall back in the late 90s, as the stock market overheated, I'd get calls from people demanding to get in a "Hot IPO" they'd heard about on the golf course. Helping people speculate has never been my job. I had a client come in and say, "You know, I'm greedy." And I replied, "Well, I'm not." We chart a plan, stick to it, and we don't deviate from it unless there's a significant change in life circumstance.

I've seen plenty of financial advisors make claims about "maximizing" accounts and "beating the market" - to me it's all a bit disingenuous. We don't get caught up in ourselves. It is always about the best interests of the client. End of story. If a person is intent on chasing returns, we are probably not a good fit.

I take more of a holistic approach for my clients. Some face dramatic change in their life - a divorce, a death of a spouse - so often we are creating a life plan, more than simply a wealth-management plan. It's about planning for education, perhaps for a new career. It's about creating the confidence to move forward. What I do is not about beating the S&P 500. I ask, what do you want to do with your life?

I work with all kinds of people - the newly divorced, professionals looking to retire, local business owners. I get to know them all quite well. In the first year, we will meet face-to-face, every quarter. I help my clients stay grounded, help them know how their bills will be paid. I am always looking at the big picture, seeing how the pieces are best going to fit - now and down the road. If there is a common thread to every case, it's that there is always a desire and need of the separating/divorcing spouses for a permanent and durable agreement.

I remember the late, great Johnny Carson standing up, amid all his jokes, and saying with utter seriousness, "Happiness is not about money. I have three ex-wives to prove it." And boy was he right.

We don't always hear from clients on why they hire me. But I have very, very long-term relationships with all of them. Over the last eight years, I've parted ways with a very small percentage of my clients. You can count them on one hand. And I'm proud of that. I think that commitment means something - and that it makes a difference in my clients' lives.