One of my best friends, who is a top advisor, has a hard time initiating a conversation about insurance with his friends. Because he does not like to be the insurance guy with his friends, despite his expertise and long list of happy clients, he finds it difficult to go there with his friends. One time, he told me a story about his neighbor who was well to do and needed insurance, however my buddy advisor did not want to have this conversation with him, he preferred to keep their relationship social. Unexpectedly, the client died without any coverage and his family was hit with a large estate tax which forced them to have to sell many of their assets and reduced their standard of living. I remember how gutted my buddy was that he had not taken care of one of his close friends. My buddy’s client’s family has since moved out of the neighborhood and his children were pulled from their private schools. I personally take this as an example to always be comfortable with speaking to those around me about what I do and to simply educate them so that they can make an informed decision. After all, the true role of an advisor is to educate.

While the holiday season is a time for celebration and enjoyment, it is also a time when there are many difficult conversations around a table or living room, politics for example is one that perhaps is the most difficult. While no one wants to depart this earth unexpectedly, it does happen, and making sure your loved ones are taken care of is what most people want. So have those conversations with your friends and family, and encourage them to have these tough conversations with themselves. 

Happy Holidays from all of us at Toropoint!