Our clients know we support them and their families in meaningful ways. This includes articulating long-term investment plans, helping refine estate strategies, and thinking creatively about charitable giving.

While mission statements are common in businesses and nonprofits, they’re far less common in family life. Yet as families become more complex, people live longer, and communication becomes more open, many are taking the long view and creating multi-generational plans that reflect not just what they want to happen with their wealth, but why. A family mission statement can bring clarity, connection, and shared purpose, often helping to avoid conflict now and in the future.

A recent Wall Street Journal article shares examples and great stories about how a family mission statement may make sense for your family. In the words of James Harold Webb, a serial entrepreneur quoted in the article and the patriarch of a 16-person blended family,

“Life is a gift that cannot be wasted. Family is the essence of that life and, as a family, we will work hard. We will play hard. We will live in the pursuit of knowledge. We will love our family unconditionally. We will give more than we take to ensure a better world.”

With the holidays approaching and families gathering, it’s a natural time to raise the topic. If this sounds appealing to you, and you’d like our help in preparing for that discussion or have us involved with future discussions, we’d love to help. Please reach out to me at buddy@hillinvestmentgroup.com or directly to your advisor.

Celebrate and make the most of this time together!

If you’re traveling this Thanksgiving and want something both smart and calming to listen to, we have a great pick. Investing 101 – It’s a short, clear episode from the Rational Reminder podcast, which highlights the same evidence-based investing principles we believe in.

In the episode, hosts Ben Felix, Dan Bortolotti, and Ben Wilson revisit the research-backed ideas that support a disciplined investing experience: owning markets instead of trying to time them, staying globally diversified, keeping costs low, and maintaining focus amid market noise.

We’re sharing it because even the most experienced long-view investors benefit from revisiting these fundamentals, especially during a season that’s often busy and hectic, yet ultimately about gratitude and perspective.

Pop in your headphones, take a walk, or queue it up on your flight home, and share it with a friend. It’s 40 minutes well spent.

As this season of gathering kicks off, if someone you care about could benefit from our approach, give us a call or email us here.

Listen here

When Rick Hill officially retired in 2023, our team set out to celebrate his incredible legacy with the Rick Hill Award. As you may recall from an earlier post, I was honored to be the first recipient.

This annual award recognizes the team member who best embodies our firm’s values throughout the year. In 2025, we’ve been watching for the quiet, consistent moments when teammates go above and beyond, and we’d love your help in identifying those who deserve this honor.

If you’ve had a meaningful interaction with a member of our team that reflects Rick’s spirit and our firm’s values, please email Matt Hall directly. Just share their name and a brief example of why you’re nominating them. Your insight helps us recognize the teammates who make our firm extraordinary.

Nominations close January 31, 2026.
We’ll share this year’s winner in the February 2026 issue.

Nominate a Team Member

Corporate values are often empty statements on walls or stickers on laptops. Ours aren’t. We try to live them quietly and consistently, not plaster them everywhere. Below are the six values that guide our work every day.

EVIDENCE-BASED INVESTING EVANGELISTS
We don’t choose gunslingers and gurus to manage the real wealth of clients or our own. We favor evidence-based investment approaches that are designed to be disciplined, diversified, and repeatable over time.

MAKING FRIENDS IS OUR BUSINESS
Inspired by the old Anheuser-Busch mantra, relationships are at the heart of what we do. Sometimes, friends become clients, and often, clients develop genuine connections with our team. “There will be neither frustration nor failure where there is friendship.”

CHEERS AND THE FOUR SEASONS
Hill Investment Group is a place where we truly know our clients. We know what they like to drink and the preferences that make them who they are. We see clients and serve them in a manner befitting a familiar yet high-end experience. We value hospitality, reliability, and excellence.

PATIENCE AND DISCIPLINE
The rewards of the long view are only possible when we help our clients stay focused on what truly matters.

CANDOR
We value the truth (no spin) and commit to sharing it with one another and our clients, especially when it’s hard.

FUN GOES WITH BUSINESS
We take our work seriously and have fun in the process! We celebrate our wins and recognize life and work milestones at every chance.