Sometimes you can’t shake a story because it keeps getting replayed in different forms. You might remember a piece in the NYT written a couple of years ago about a woman who stumbled upon gross misuse of her parent’s retirement money. Her parents’ brokers were mishandling the money for years, to their benefit – one stock had even been sold eight times in the same day, racking up enormous trading fees. It sounds shocking, but unfortunately, it’s an old story that bears repeating. Why? Sometimes we need reminding – employing a fiduciary advisor matters. “Fiduciary” means your advisor is legally bound to work in your best interest. Ask if your broker, or your parent’s broker, is held to this standard. Do you have a fiduciary advisor like Hill Investment Group?

Recently, my family and I quietly celebrated my 75^th birthday. We didn’t make a big to-do over it. That’s not my style. (Except for the party we had on my 70th. Oh, what a night.)

Will I retire soon? I hope not.

Maybe I’m trying to catch up with St. Louisan  Oliver “Ollie” Langenberg, an A.G. Edwards (Wells Fargo) broker, local philanthropist and all-around good guy who passed away in 2012. He was just shy of his 100^th birthday and, as Wells Fargo’s oldest active advisor, he was happily plying his trade right up until quitting time.

That said, friends and clients of Hill Investment Group may wonder why I’m still here. The simple answer is, I love the people and the work. I have always enjoyed reading books and articles about investments – at least the kind that enhance my understanding of our evidence-based strategies. I find it rewarding when I can apply my interests and experience to advise clients on how to pursue their own personal and financial goals. I also find it invigorating to spend time with my younger co-workers, serving as an in-house mentor.

Besides all of this, I am grateful for what I no longer have to do. These days, I’m retired from much of the planning and operations that no longer demand my unique abilities; I’ve happily turned these over to others who relish these important, ongoing roles. Instead, as chairman of our Investment Policy Committee, I am free to focus more deeply on new evidence-based investment strategies and solutions we may want to employ, exploring whether they might improve on our clients’ investment experience.

Why am I still here? Because I am still in a great place!

I attended the CFA Society of Houston’s Rice Wealth Management Symposium entitled “Putting Investors First” this month, where I heard Sharon Carson of J.P. Morgan discuss her Guide to Retirement. Investors often struggle with understanding which aspects of their retirement and investment planning they can actually control. Sharon shared this graphic, which clearly depicts the four areas of planning where you have some measure of control—and the two where you have none.