What has inspired you to stay at Bernstein for as long as you have?
Simple. The people.
Throughout my group, the office and the firm I am surrounded by extremely high-quality professionals. Working with great people makes coming to work a joy. Bernstein, as a firm, overflows with extraordinarily smart talent, all of whom possess the highest ethical standard. Throughout my many years at Bernstein, I’ve come to quickly know and trust my teammates, which is unusual in our industry. The firm has a great collegial culture, demonstrated by our team of experts located across the country who are always excited to help and just a phone call away. Bernstein’s strong communication skills and teamwork spirit benefits clients because we have fun working on their behalf.
What’s the best way for people to put their wealth in perspective?
Two thoughts come to mind in terms of how to put one’s wealth in perspective:
1) Ask yourself, what do you want money to do for you beyond covering spending needs?
Many clients haven’t fully thought this through. They want to grow their money and make sure they always have enough. Yet, once the basics are covered the question becomes, what is the purpose in surplus assets? We help clients discover the right avenues for their assets to bring additional meaning to their lives and the people or causes they care about most.
2) It’s not what you make, but what you keep.
Portfolio returns must be evaluated not only by the returns generated within various assets, but how much is consumed by taxes. Oftentimes there may be investments that generate a lower gross return, yet have a higher after-tax return relative to a tax-inefficient investment. In other circumstances, we help clients figure out the specific investment vehicles to defer taxes for their tax-inefficient investments.
What passions do you pursue outside of work?
In my spare time, I enjoy exploring the great outdoors alongside my favorite travel companions, my wife and children. Taking camping trips to state and national parks is one of our favorite ways to spend time in nature together. Most recently, we’ve visited some beautiful state parks in Eastern Oklahoma, spent time at Yosemite National Park and traveled to Denali, the tallest mountain peak in the States. While spending time outdoors, which relaxes me especially during stressful times, I love taking in nature’s beauty, hiking and observing wildlife. In addition to family trips, I am the committee chair in my son’s Boy Scout Troop and participate in many of the Troop adventures as well. As a leader in Scouts, I love witnessing the development of young and dependent boys into accomplished, independent young men.