The Gift of Trust

Transitions are always an opportunity for reflection and few transitions are bigger than the one into retirement.  I know this not just from my personal, subjective experience of the moment, but from more than 35 years of helping others prepare for and navigate that transition. Many of you reading this were among those whose journey I touched.  As I take this opportunity to reflect on my own journey, the first word that comes to mind is “gratitude.” Gratitude that I was given the honor to serve, to guide, and to learn from all those wonderful human beings of whom you are one. One of the many things I’ve learned from you is the power of trust and the indescribable feeling of being trusted. There’s a reason that the Scout Law begins with the adjuration to be trustworthy. Trust feels good, trust is useful, it makes collaboration, so critical to the work of financial planning, so much easier. I have felt your trust, I have seen it in action as you shared your life story with me, and I have always cherished the sacred honor of being considered by you worthy of that trust.

That has always been at the core of our beliefs, the foundation of what we call The YeskeBuieWay, that to be trusted demands that you be trustworthy. It’s the foundation for everything else. And it is your trust that has carried me through all the decades of self-discovery that serving you has offered. And it has been such a joy! To be allowed to watch your life and the lives of your family unfold through time: the career pivots, the dream homes, the exquisite vacations, the setbacks, and all the family joys that go with building a life, raising kids, rejoicing in grandkids. I’ve been witness to all of that and so much more because you let me in, you trusted me to be on your team.

To be of service to you has been the privilege of a lifetime and I am a different person, a better one, as a consequence. I hope to retain your trust and your friendship forever, even as I step back from the daily work of monitoring, strategizing, and advising. If I were allowing myself more than the 500 words I’m prepared to inflict on you, I could give so many examples of the life lessons you taught me and the personal insights I’ve gained because of our relationship.  Perhaps I’ll indulge that temptation in a future post.  In the meanwhile, I want to say that I enter this next phase with so much confidence that it will be good and satisfying and worthwhile, in no small part because of the trust and friendship you have granted me in all of our time together.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you!