We’ve been celebrating our 20th anniversary in business for the last year. To mark the occasion, we spoke to a few of our longstanding clients to find out what brought them to Sensible Financial® and why they’ve stayed.
Dave and Rachel Lake were looking for a financial planning firm to help them plan for their retirement — a retirement that would enable them to live well and leave something to their two sons and their families. They also wondered if they could afford a major home remodel. It was 2008, and a friend of the Lake family recommended Rick Miller and Sensible Financial.
At the time, Dave was still working as an IT executive. Now, they’re both retired. The couple wanted to know what they could afford, and they had different ideas about that. They knew how much money was coming in, but they wondered how they should be spending and saving now to prepare for their family’s future.
They liked Rick Miller and Rick Fine right away. “One of the earliest conversations we had was about indexed funds. They explained things clearly and backed their assertions up with facts,” said Rachel. “Rick Miller is enormously talented at explaining complex economic concepts. It increased my level of comfort. They also respected our goals — a stress-free retirement, and later, wealth transfer to our kids.”
Dave said, “Since then, both our sons have met with Sensible. They were positive, as well.”
“I liked Sensible’s disciplined, rigorous approach,” said Dave. “They created a detailed plan and then spoke objectively about what our resources were and how reasonable our spending was.”
“They’ve done a lot for us,” said Rachel. “When my mother died, Rick Fine really helped us with the accounts and transfers.”
“For the first few years, we saw Rick and Rick. Now, we deal with Rick Fine and Laura Williams, who we’re really happy with,” said Rachel. “She’s sharp.”
“Everyone there is sharp,” said Dave. “The bottom line is, we trust them.”
“Oh yes,” Rachel agreed. “I know we’re ok even when the market dips. It helps me sleep better at night.”
Dave said, “Rick Miller and Rick Fine called when the market faltered at the start of the COVID crisis. They reassured us that bad news doesn’t alter our plan. Basically, we pay them to worry about our money.”
According to the couple, their Sensible team also helped them find an estate planning attorney and coordinated with the law firm. “That made it go so smoothly,” said Dave. “It was a good experience.”
“In 2008, we were not entirely sure about how to handle our money. Now, we’re confident in the firm and the process,” said Rachel. “We meet annually to review our goals, investments, and finances in general. I also feel comfortable calling them if I have a question.”
At this point the couple began to laugh. When asked why, Rachel said, “That’s the one thing that concerns me. Often, I’ll email Rick Fine with a question at 10pm on a Sunday. I don’t expect him to respond until business hours, but he does! He really needs to stop that.”
This article summarizes a recent interview with a current client of Sensible Financial. Sensible Financial did not compensate the client in any way and is unaware of any conflict of interest.
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash