Our Beliefs

Bring Tweezers, No One Plans to Get a Splinter

Our founder, Craig Willeke, is that guy who always has a bandage or a pair of tweezers when someone needs it. He’s prepared for just about any situation, and that’s why our firm was founded on the principle of proactive planning. You can’t foresee everything your future might hold, but you can prepare for many scenarios. We don’t believe in unnecessary worry, but if you get a splinter—well, you’ll be pretty grateful for those tweezers, won’t you?

If You’re Going to Fall, Make Sure the Landing is Soft

Of course, we’ll do everything we can as your financial advisor to make sure you don’t fall, but life happens. People lose their jobs, pandemics create strange economic climates, and even exciting surprises like a new baby can take your financial plan for an unexpected turn. So while we’ll help you prepare as best we can, we also believe you should build a safety net to prepare you for a more comfortable future. Not everything is in your control, and since we all fall at some point, it’s important to have a cushion so the fall doesn’t hurt as bad. 

Trust Numbers More Than Feelings

Pairing 20 years of financial advising with a background in psychology, we’ve noticed some patterns in human behavior. One thing we know is that people tend to overestimate risk during tough times and underestimate it in good times. When the market crashes, it can be tempting to panic and make a knee-jerk reaction about your assets. When the economy is soaring, people want to throw caution to the wind. But we evaluate each circumstance based on actual risk assessments and market analyses so we can ensure we’re helping you make the right decisions—not just the ones that feel good.

Our Brains Can Play Tricks on Us

We often see two cognitive biases when people make financial decisions. One of those is Availability Bias where we tend to overestimate the probability of an event occurring because we’ve witnessed it before. For instance, you might assume you’ll make a ton on a certain stock because the last stock you felt good about was a success.

The other is Confirmation Bias, which is where we notice evidence that confirms a belief we already have and ignore evidence to the contrary. For instance, if you already believe saving for retirement can wait until later in life, you’ll notice the colleague who struck it rich in his 50s and ignore the aunt who still has to work in her 70s. It’s human nature to have these biases, and we’ll help you see past them.

Efficiency is More Powerful than Capacity 

Finances are a little bit like Jiu Jitsu—the winner isn’t always the strongest guy with the biggest muscles, but the one who knows how to effectively leverage his strength and technique. In financial planning, it’s not about having the most money, but being strategic with investments and effective in protecting your assets so you get the most benefit from your earnings. Our plans our designed to help you work with what you have. We’re not concerned with the number in your bank account—if you’re willing to listen, learn, and leverage your resources, we’re ready to help you.