EDUCATION
Both of our principals, Jason Howell and Doug Tees, are teachers at heart. Jason Howell has been a teacher on the college level at both American University and his alma mater, George Mason University.
Few of our first generation wealth clients grew up learning financial strategies for optimizing wealth. They learned "on the job" of real life and by their grit - and a little luck - earned some financial success. Especially for those clients who are interested in sharing their wealth with family members (including children), their challenge is even greater: guiding their children and assisting other family members without spoiling them.
Good Teachers are Students
Our clients hire us because we are well educated, experienced and have a sense of humor. They keep us because we consider ourselves students as well as teachers. That means we are always learning and sharing what we've learned with our clients. You can see this in our monthly "Letter to Stakeholders" and in the conversations we host with strategic partners.
One foundational piece of our teaching are the 7 (seven) sections of financial planning that we use in our planning process and published in JOY of Financial Planning in 2019. Our clients come to understand these sections as second nature and critical to optimizing their wealth:
- JOY of Harmony: Family Governance
- JOY of Enough: Income, Expenses and Taxes
- JOY of Balance: Cash, Credit and Debt
- JOY of Safety: Risk Management
- JOY of Legacy: Estate Planning & Philanthropy
- JOY of Opportunity: Investing
- JOY of Time: Retiring
We incorporate all 7 (seven) sections to a greater or lesser degree depending on the individual needs and/or interests of our client families. Critically, we join our clients in having conversations and strategies for young or adult children which usually includes opening investment accounts, advising upon debit cards (for minors) and walking through statements.