Four years ago this month was when TBF officially launched it’s work as a financial planning firm. In four short (or perhaps long— depending on which day you ask!) years, our firm has grown to care for over 50 households and more than 80 individuals. I could not be more proud of the opportunity to work with each and every person.
As many clients know, one of the first exercises that we do together, before actually doing any financial planning, is a values exercise. We use this time to build awareness about what’s really important in a client’s life. Then later on in the financial planning process, a client can make difficult decisions more easily because of the clarity they’ve gained articulating their values.
First and foremost, I think of us as a helping profession. A foundational principle of our work is being in service to others. This has been meaningful, deeply gratifying work. By helping people with the money in their lives, we see clients live the lives they want to live, even when it seemed impossible.
Stemming from that foundation are four other values that further define our approach, our work, and interactions with clients:
Partnership: Yes, yes, yes we crunch the numbers and scenarios, do some investing, and make sure you are financially protected in all the right places; but beyond that we view our role as partners. The name of the business is “Thinking Big Financial” for a reason: we want to help clients think bigger about what they want to do and actualize that vision. This is the fabric of our relationships and mindset in working with people. We’re a thinking partner, sounding board, and guardian of your vision and value.
We avoid approaching any relationship with “shoulds” and rather ask clients, what do you want? How can we be helpful? When clients have an opportunity to buy a home or have a crisis like a loss of employment, we’re there to help clients think through the options rather than tell them what to do. It’s not always about having solutions, but about helping clients think through the curveballs and decisions life gives us.
Simplicity: There is beauty in simplicity. When it comes to how we communicate and help organize our clients’ financial lives, simplicity is a core value that we always use to guide us. It may come in the form of helping clients to slim down on the number of accounts they have. It may mean having an investment strategy that you actually understand. Or simplicity helps create an easy-to-follow plan each month with your cash flow.
We keep our investment strategy simple and easy to understand. We want clients to know exactly what the strategy is and avoid making it overly complicated. We also avoid using overly technical explanations or jargon in an effort to keep things easy to understand. In our view, complexity is often the enemy of useful and values-driven financial planning.
Open-Heartedness: Researcher Dr. Brené Brown talks about connection as, “. . . the energy that is created between people when they feel seen, heard and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment.” We create a welcoming environment, especially for those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Oftentimes, we hear from clients that being LGBTQ+ focused means they know they’re entering an environment where they don’t have to come out. Even within the LGTBQ+ community, different generations have different perspectives; we work to honor all of them. For non-LGBTQ folks, it signals a progressive environment where they don’t have to wonder what the financial planner is like or if they are of similar mindsets or beliefs. At the end of the day, we want to meaningfully connect with whomever walks through our door.
Wellness: This is an expansive term, but for us it is about being connected to the money in your life in a holistic way. We help clients cultivate an appreciation for what’s important and what’s enough in their life. We help you act intentionally with your resources so your plan and decisions are in alignment with your own values. A holistic approach fosters a sense of empowerment and growth, and generally feeling good about your relationship with your money. When a client feels like they actually know what their financial situation is, they have more clarity about what’s possible. Wellness is about giving clients peace of mind that the money is being managed in a way that is consistent with what they feel comfortable with.
Partnership, simplicity, open-heartedness, and wellness define what TBF sees as service to our community. We ask our clients to identify, articulate, and put into action their values; we hold ourselves to the same standard when it comes to our business. TBF has used these values to guide us for the last four years, and we’ll continue doing so for the next four and beyond.
Jim is a financial advisor and owner of Thinking Big Financial, Inc. Thinking Big Financial is a fee-only registered investment advisor offering financial planning and investment management services. Specializing in working with the LGBTQ Community.
Please read my legal disclaimer here.