The Hill perspective is well known. It is our motto and our compass: Take the Long View. Many of our clients and friends of the firm also know our culture. We strive to be warm, caring, thoughtful, serious about our work, and human enough to enjoy it together.

As we grow, an important question stays front and center: how do we continue to deepen both our culture and our perspective at the same time, especially as our team is spread across the country?

Occasionally, we’re given a rare gift: the chance to be together in one place. Last month, nearly our entire nationwide team happened to be in St. Louis at the same time. Recognizing how uncommon that is, we chose to be intentional with the moment and invest it in something meaningful.

When author, artist, and former financial advisor Carl Richards was in town for our event, we extended the experience by taking the team to a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition by German artist Anselm Kiefer at the Saint Louis Art Museum. The visit was arranged by my wife, Jeana, who serves in a volunteer leadership role at the museum. Notably, Jeana and Rex Sinquefield, co-founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors, were among the significant underwriters supporting the exhibition.

Together, we spent time immersed in the work of one of the most important living contemporary artists. Kiefer, who recently turned 80, is known for confronting history, destruction, and renewal on a monumental scale. His work takes the long view. From loss comes rebirth. From devastation, renewal. The physical scale of his art reinforces the message. Some things simply cannot be understood without stepping back and taking them in fully.

It is hard not to see the parallel.

Life is not smooth. Markets are not either. Both move in cycles that include setbacks, uncertainty, and moments that test conviction. Yet over time, periods of decline have been followed by recovery. Often the most meaningful progress comes from staying engaged rather than stepping away when things feel uncomfortable.

Clients often tell us that one of the most valuable things we do is help them stay on the ride. Not because there are guarantees. There are not. But because perspective matters. When you zoom out and look across decades rather than days, the long-term story of investing has been one of resilience and growth.

That perspective is deeply embedded in our culture. It shapes how we invest, how we advise, and how we support clients through both calm and turbulent moments.

Hill Investment Group is only 20 years old, but we are grounded in values and relationships that allow us to do our work with care, humility, and conviction. When we have moments to come together as a team, we try to use them intentionally to reinforce who we are and how we think.

We’re grateful to share this journey with you, and we look forward to continuing the ride together.

Happy Holidays.

Carl Richards Always Delivers

While your mail may be delayed, Carl Richards always brings it home.

As Matt shared above, Carl has a rare gift for connecting money and emotion through beautifully simple sketches and memorable stories. At our recent event, he walked us through several concepts that sparked intense, productive conversations. In Carl’s words, the sketches often serve as “conversation grenades”… in a good way. Translation: they jump-start meaningful dialogue and help people have clearer, more honest conversations about money and life.

On November 12, Matt Hall led a live conversation with Carl at the Racquet Club in St. Louis, exploring themes from Carl’s latest book, Your Money: Reimagining Wealth in 101 Simple Sketches.

If you were unable to attend the event in St. Louis, please email us here to request a complimentary, signed copy of Carl’s book, which each attendee received.

If you’re interested in a webinar or in-person event with Carl, email me at buddy@hillinvestmentgroup.com. We’ll do our best to arrange it.

Every once in a while, an event reminds me just how much our work together matters. Our evening with Carl Richards was one of those moments…a room full of people opening up, reflecting, and reconnecting with what’s truly important.

A number of you joined us at the Racquet Club in St. Louis for a conversation that was part money, part meaning, and entirely human. Thank you for being there. And for those who couldn’t join in person, we felt your support from afar.

The energy in the room was palpable. People leaned in, shared openly, and allowed themselves to be moved. Since then, we’ve received thoughtful notes inspired by Carl’s sketches. It’s a reminder that a simple line, drawn with intention, can shift how we see our decisions and ourselves.

In my introduction that evening, I shared a story about meeting a couple on vacation whose wife was “famous to some.” That phrase describes Carl perfectly. He isn’t trying to be famous. He’s trying to be useful. Based on your reactions, he was.

The questions I asked Carl reflect the way we think at Hill Investment Group:

• What’s the story behind the sketches that make the complex simple without being simplistic?
• What feelings sit just below our financial decisions?
• How do we align the values we claim with the choices we make?

Carl reminded us that money is rarely the real topic. It’s a doorway into purpose and clarity.

My biggest takeaway from the evening is this:

At Hill Investment Group, our job is twofold. We help clients make the most of their capital, picking up every penny possible through evidence and disciplined implementation. And we help clients make the most of what matters in their lives through goal setting, accountability, and behavioral coaching.

We’ve been doing this work for 20 years, and we plan to keep doing it for 20 more, for a select group of long-view thinkers.

For those outside St. Louis, we want you to feel part of the experience too.

If you’d like a complimentary copy of Carl’s newest book, just email us and we’ll send one your way.

Here’s to a year ahead defined by gratitude, clearer choices, and deeper alignment between money and what matters most.

Take the Long View,