Investing in People

Some people make an impact through their work. Others make an impact simply through the way they treat people. Rick and Lynn Hill have done both.

Many of you know Rick as the co-founder of Hill Investment Group and someone whose vision helped shape our firm into what it is today. Outside of HIG, Rick and Lynn have also spent years quietly supporting organizations that make St. Louis a stronger community.

The Hills have been longtime supporters of Lift for Life Academy, a St. Louis charter school focused on helping students and families through education, support, and opportunity. Last month, they were honored at Lift for Life Academy’s annual Fashion Show for their continued generosity and commitment.

Anyone who knows Rick and Lynn probably isn’t surprised by that recognition. What has always stood out to me about them is that their generosity is both genuine and personal. They care deeply about people, and they believe in showing up consistently over time. Not just a pop-in. In many ways, their support of Lift for Life reflects the same philosophy that has shaped Hill Investment Group for years: Take the Long View.

At HIG, we often talk about long-term thinking in the context of investing, but Rick and Lynn live that idea in a much broader way. They understand that the most meaningful things in life, strong relationships, thriving communities, and lasting change, are built slowly and intentionally over time.

While Rick is well known professionally, Lynn has clearly been an equal partner in their commitment to family, philanthropy, and community. In fact, Rick calls Lynn his “secret weapon.” Together, they have created a life centered around success, generosity, and stewardship.

We are proud to celebrate Rick and Lynn — not only as longtime clients and friends of the firm, but as people who continue to make St. Louis better by taking the long view in the ways that matter most.

If you’re interested in discussing ways to get more involved in your community, let’s talk.

Summer has a way of reminding us what all of this is really for.

A few quiet days on a river. Pool time. A long dinner with friends. Time away without constantly checking markets, headlines, or account balances.

(The photo above is my dad and daughter, Harper, fly fishing together in Mid-Missouri.)

Lisa and I recently celebrated our only child’s high school graduation. Like many parents, it was one of those moments that made you pause. You realize how quickly chapters of life move and how important it is to actually be present for them.

In our experience, one of the most overlooked benefits of good planning and disciplined, evidence-based investing is the ability to zoom out and fully engage with life beyond money.

Not because uncertainty disappears. Markets will always move. Tax laws will change. Life will remain complicated.

But when there’s a real plan in place, when someone is helping coordinate the moving pieces, when important things are being tended to before they become problems, and when your investment approach isn’t dependent on predictions or headlines, something valuable happens:

You gain the freedom to stop carrying your financial life around in your head all the time.

That doesn’t happen accidentally.

Behind the scenes, our team spends an enormous amount of time thinking about taxes, estate planning, cash flow, investment implementation, behavioral coaching, and the hundreds of small decisions that quietly compound over time. Michael Kitces and others have written extensively about this often unseen value of financial advice, particularly the role advisors play not just in improving outcomes, but in helping ensure important things actually get done.

In many ways, the real value of planning is not simply financial optimization. It is creating the conditions that allow people to be more present for the moments that matter most.

We hope this summer gives you some of those moments.

At some point, most people ask themselves if they’re actually okay financially. Not just in a down market, but on a random Thursday.

In reality, this questioning is normal behavior. However, there are some mental strategies available to deal with this that may be incredibly helpful in transforming not just knowing you’re okay from a rational perspective, but genuinely feeling and believing it.

We invite you to join us on May 14, 2026, at Noon CDT, for a live Zoom webinar with Marilyn Wechter, one of the country’s leading financial therapists and wealth counselors, about a framework for knowing where you stand despite the uncertainty going on in life and the world.

This is just another way to help our clients Take the Long View.

Please join us, reserve your spot here.