Dear Prospective Client, 

The following statements outline the attitudes and commitments we ask for from our clients. Please affirm that you have read and agree to uphold these as best you can. We don’t ask for (or expect) perfection, just a heartfelt effort. In return, we will do our very best to serve you, put your interests first, and help you create and protect the life of your dreams. 

Sincerely, 

Nicholas 

 

1. I acknowledge that I am responsible for my own happiness and my own experience of life. 

2. I realize that the quality of my life has more to do with my own attitudes, actions, and perspective than with the performance of my investments, portfolio, or the stock market at large. My state of mind determines my experience in life more than who is in office, what’s on the news, or events happening around the world. 

3. I acknowledge that money, though useful, is not the answer to the fundamental questions and challenges of human existence. Furthermore, I recognize that attempting to plug these problems with money can nurture a sense of hollow dissatisfaction and even misery. 

4. I understand that equity markets (and all growth assets) are volatile. I realize that investing in these assets may involve substantial short term losses and can still be a good decision in the long run. I expect and accept that the growth segment of my portfolio will see drops of 20% fairly often, 30% sometimes, and occasionally 50-80%. This expectation is based on past events, not hypotheticals. Too, I realize that following severe crashes it sometimes takes a long time for markets to regain their old heights, often 3-5 years, and sometimes 10 years or more. In spite of these periods of pain, investors have earned approximately 10%-11% a year by holding the US stock market index, beating inflation by roughly 5%-6% annualized. Rather than attempting to hop in and out of markets, only earning the “good” returns, I realize that the best long term approach is to have a thoughtful investment plan that fits my circumstances, and to stick to it through thick and thin. 

5. I understand that Pihl Financial Planning and its representatives will do their very best to handle my money with diligence, prudence, and care. They will help me make decisions and recommendations not just to make good financial decisions, but to put my money to the best use in my life. At times, there may be a tension between the “financially optimal” choice and the choice that best serves my life and my values. Though they will offer both options, there may be a tendency to recommend the choice that puts my life ahead of my money. 

6. I understand that there are no guarantees in life, that the assumptions underlying financial calculations and recommendations may not bear out. The most likely outcome does not always happen. 

7. Though I engage skilled and knowledgeable counsel to guide my financial decisions and execute strategies on my behalf, I am the one who is primarily responsible for my finances and must maintain ownership of my situation. I will do my best to make sure that I understand the strategies recommended by Pihl Financial Planning and how they fit my situation before implementing them. 

8. I am response-able. I cannot necessarily choose the circumstances life provides for me, but I can choose how I respond. 

9. I recognize that money has only whatever meaning I give to it. It has no meaning of its own. 

10. I commit to creating an experience of life which includes greater authenticity, joy, love, connection, honesty, and growth. I commit to a process of life that leads me towards being the best version of myself, the person I was meant to be.​