Core Values
Faith
While our Catholic Faith informs what we do spiritually, we have a temporal "Faith in the Future." By that we mean, a serious look at history will show advances far beyond the imagination of most and the human condition, due to advances in science, technology, engineering, medicine, communications and economics, continues to improve. We are optimistic trends will continue and accelerate into the future (even if we must continue to beat back pessimism about the future and ignorance of history).
Ethics
The root of "ethics" come from the Greek "ethos." The classical definition of ethos is the combination of Core Values, Decisions, and Behavior. The more modern expression is Leadership (purpose and response to a higher calling), Stewardship (passion and discipline and commitment to judge wisely and objectively to protect others' long term interests), and Governance (process, a procedurally prudent decision-making framework)1
Integrity
The three elements that define Integrity are: Character (what informs us about right and wrong), Courage (the confidence to be decisive and speak up when we witness wrongdoing), and Competence (the skills to analyze, discover, and prioritize).2
"In looking for someone to hire, you look for three qualities:
integrity, intelligence, and energy. But the most important
is integrity, because if they don't have that, the other two
qualities, intelligence and energy, are going to kill you."
- Warren Buffett,
The Tao of Warren Buffett
Family
Our preferred clients are what we refer to as "family stewards:" those whose primary concern is the well-being, in all its manifestations, of their family, as we have with ours.
Order
If there is no order in the universe, it would be impossible to make any rational, coherent plans, particularly long-term plans and especially personal financial plans. Although the future IS unknowable (by any human), we do know that there are laws in the universe. And in finance:
"The principles of finance and the findings of finance
work everywhere, across time and space."
- Robert C. Merton, PhD
Nobel Laureate in
Economic Sciences, 1997
Our mission is to put those principles and findings to work for our clients (rather than having them work against them) in ways that are moral, ethical, and prudent, through a defined, prudent, five-step process, including the emerging disciplines of Behavioral Finance and Behavioral Governance®. Our Core Values inspire that Process.
1,2 For these constructs, as well as for their mentorship over the years, I am indebted to Donald B. Trone and Mary Lou Wattman, two good friends, for their work in LEADERMETRICS®: What key decision-makers need to know when serving in a critical leadership role. Published by 3ethos, Mystic, CT, and elsewhere.