While nothing could have prepared us all for the broadscale economic, social and health challenges wrought by the historic COVID-19 pandemic, a few character traits among business leaders went a long way to mitigate the threat. At Winch Financial, our CEO Christina Winch recognized immediately the need to invest in technology to ensure a smooth transition to a work-from-home situation. As a result of her investment, and staff member expertise, every employee maintained his or her workflow right from the start of the state lockdown and continues to enjoy an efficient and safe, hybrid working environment. That type of foresight has been a hallmark of Christina’s in the financial planning industry since 1981. So, today, on National Boss’s Day, we offer flowers and a particularly grateful salute. Thank you for combining an old school commitment to a relationship-based business model with a refreshing eagerness to explore innovations in technology and investment techniques. Thank you for your contagious enthusiasm and the impressive work ethic with which you launched a business that continues to grow and thrive. Thank you for showing us how to treat clients like family. Thank you for the office parties, birthday celebrations and spontaneous lunches. Thank you for supporting a family-friendly work environment with flexibility and understanding. Thank you for being a 40-year pioneer in a male-dominated industry. Thank you for your sense of humor and fun. From all of us at Winch Financial, Happy Boss’s Day to one of the best.
Month: October 2020
October squirrels
We call the large maple outside our house the Squirrel Tree and enjoy sitting on our porch watching them play. As the leaves turn and begin to drop, our neighborhood scurry picks up its pace, cheeks puffed out with an impressive amount of seeds and busy members filling random holes with winter stores. I have often thought about sending an emissary, perhaps a friendly chipmunk or two, into that tree to advocate for a more organized winter plan that would keep those critters out of my flower boxes and still protect them from winter’s ravages. Squirrels habitually dig so many holes and store so many seeds that they forget some of them, which is okay for us humans, who get free shrubs and trees out of the deal. Still, it seems like a dangerous waste of effort for those squirrels. Humans can mimic that behavior when they look up from their busy days and notice winter’s inevitable encroachment. We raise our children, walk our dogs, buy our groceries, clean our houses, build our careers, repair our appliances, launder our clothes, rake our leaves until, one day, we look up and realize our retirement is looming and we may not have enough money to last us the rest of our lives. So, we scurry. We take a reluctant peek at our 401(k), cobble together a budget, consider a timeline and schedule a frantic meeting with a financial advisor. In the past, with pensions providing a reliable safety net and healthy interest rates offering a secure place to grow your savings account, this dash to the finish line approach worked. But, pensions have given way to employer sponsored retirement plans, and interest rates remain indefinitely stuck at historic lows. So, the burden for a successful retirement lands squarely on us and our time to start planning is now. It’s never too early to start retirement planning, but it is sometimes too late…. | Read More »