(An audio version of this letter can now be found as Episode 20 of The Unlimited Podcast by Ginsler Wealth. Use the link provided or find us on your favourite podcast app.)
To Ginsler Wealth’s Clients:
Back in 1998 during my last year in the Ivey Business School’s HBA program, I organized a large event for the school, which I thought went off very well. A few days after the event was over, I got called in to see Lawrence Tapp, the Dean of the school. Nervously, I made my way to his office where he sat me down and said: “Brian, job not just done…but well done.” Phew. I’ve never forgotten that phrase.
Fast forward 25 years, a few weeks ago I was at Pearson airport at 6am for an early flight with my son. Prior to the flight, we sat down and ordered breakfast off the iPad ordering system. My friends who know me well will know that I like all my food well done…well done eggs, well done potatoes, well done toast, well…you get the picture. (And yes, I am a pain at restaurants).
A few minutes after ordering, I realized that I hadn’t specified my “well done” preferences electronically so I walked to the open kitchen area where the chef was cooking. Remember, this is 6am and I’m sure catering to my particularities was likely not high on his list of things to care about. When I called to him and asked about making everything well done, he didn’t look very pleased to speak to me and said that the food was already ready.
The food as delivered was not well done but I figured I’d make the best of it. After the first bite, to my surprise, I heard the chef call to me from the kitchen area and ask if everything was ok or if I’d like it cooked a bit more. Since he was asking, I let him cook it a bit more and when it was returned to me the chef smiled as he watched me take the second bites with delight.
The chef got the job “done” originally. He delivered what I ordered, and he could have moved on. But he didn’t. He ensured my meal was cooked to my liking and in doing so he got the job not just done…but well done. I thanked him verbally and gave him a tip in excess of the entire cost of the meal.
I explained to my son that there is a magic in exceeding expectations.
I use this same “well done” phrase with our growing but small team at Ginsler Wealth. If we are going to provide you with great service and value, we have to exceed your expectations.
How are we doing on this front? I would like to hear from you.
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This past quarter, in addition to managing your portfolios, we have been very busy taking care of your other wealth management needs. This included updating tax and holding structures, updating wills, and introducing tax effective insurance solutions – all with the expert external partners we work with. For families that utilize our full family office services, we also rolled out technology that enables us to organize and manage all your critical financial documents, accessible at all times via a desktop and mobile app.
By the examples below, I’m encouraged that we are on the right path to delivering our services done well:
- This past quarter, five different families asked me to be an executor of their wills. (Unfortunately, due to potential conflict of interests, we can’t do this, but we will always be available to support the appointed executors.)
- In our specific desire to find a forum to allow you to hear from the investment managers we work with, along with other topics, last year we launched The Unlimited Podcast. In January, we learned that the podcast was ranked by Spotify in the Top 20% of Most Followed and Most Shared podcasts globally in 2022.[1]
And just recently, we were notified by Wealth Professional, a publisher focused solely on the Canadian wealth management industry, that Ginsler Wealth has been named an Excellence Awardee and finalist for The Avenue Living Asset Management Award for Portfolio/Discretionary Manager of the Year. While we care far less about what our industry thinks than what you think, we are proud to have garnered this recognition early in our journey.
Our ability to achieve the above – for your benefit – emanates from our deliberate decision to operate Ginsler Wealth as a fully independent wealth management firm. We only answer to one group: our clients. We decide what content to share with you via our podcast; we decide the level of breadth and depth of financial advice to provide; and we have no constraints on the investments that we can consider for your portfolios. I believe the latter enabled us to do a good job protecting your capital throughout 2022.[2]
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Speaking of investments, you no doubt are aware of the continued volatility and instability in some areas of the financial system, most notably the unbelievably swift collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”). SVB was the largest bank failure since the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. Interestingly, equity and bond markets are positive both since the start of the year and since the day before SVB’s failure. This is a good reminder that while there is always plenty to worry about day-to-day, the markets are forward looking and in the long-run, push through the short-term noise. By now you should not be surprised to hear that while we may have taken some action in your portfolios over the past quarter, we have not made any dramatic changes during this time.
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At a time when some of our independent peers are either being bought or…um…given away to a big bank, we remain undistracted and resolutely focused on getting the job well done for the most important people in this relationship – all of you.
Thank you for your trust, support, and confidence. We are available 24/7 should you need us.
Sincerely,
Brian Ginsler
President & CEO
[1] Source: Spotify. Year-end statistical summary. January 10, 2022.
[2] Reminder that our clients have varying risk tolerance and goals & objectives. All Ginsler Wealth portfolios are customized for each client and therefore all portfolios will have a different performance experience as a result.
