What's in store for you:

1. Photo From My Life
2. Financial Thought: Products vs. Service
3. Life Thought: Memorial Day
4. Good Sh*t: Kettlebells

Photo From My Life:

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Financial Thought:

Products Aren't the Product: The wealth management industry loves products. Structured notes. Private credit. Tax-loss harvesting software. Alternative investments. Direct indexing. Proprietary models. The list never ends.

And to be fair, some of these tools matter. Good advisors should understand them and use them in the right situation.

But I think our industry dramatically overestimates how much clients actually care about the financial products themselves.

Most clients don’t hire advisors because of products. They hire advisors because they want a trusted partner.

Clients call me because:

1. They’re nervous about a home purchase
2. They just exercised stock options and don’t know what to do next
3. They're buying a business and need help thinking through the best way to fund it.
4. They feel uncomfortable talking about money with friends and family

The interesting challenge I face as I work to grow my business is that this type of value is really hard to communicate to prospects.

You can sell products easily. Everyone wants to know more about tax optimization, box spread lending, etc.

But it’s much harder to market that “we make people feel more comfortable about their financial life.”

I think this is true in a lot of industries. Businesses obsess over product features because they’re tangible and measurable. Service and value are harder to quantify.

While this may be an obvious realization for those in the industry for 20+ years, I continue to enjoy these small discoveries and how they improve my business and service to clients.

Life Thought:

Memorial Day: One of the best ways we can honor the men and women who died serving our country is simply by telling their stories.

One story worth knowing is Staff Sergeant Ruben Rivers and the 761st Tank Battalion. This battalion, known as Patton's Panthers, was one of the first Black armored units to see combat in World War II.

In November 1944, near Guebling, France, Rivers’ tank hit a mine. His leg was badly wounded and bone was exposed. Medics tried to evacuate him and give him morphine, but he refused. He reportedly told his commander, “You’re going to need me.”

Instead of leaving, Rivers took command of another tank and kept fighting for days. When German anti-tank fire pinned down his company, he radioed back: “I see ‘em. We’ll fight ‘em.” Rivers and another tank opened fire to cover the retreat of the rest of the unit. His tank was hit and he was killed in action.

He was recommended for the Medal of Honor and eventually received it more than 50 years later in 1997.

I don't know if I agree with all wars. But I am constantly impressed by people willing to put their life on the line to protect our country.

Good Sh*t:

Kettlebells:

I’ve always struggled with consistency at the gym. Not because I don’t enjoy working out, but because life gets busy and it’s hard for me to justify a full 60-90 minute gym session multiple times a week. Between work, family, and everything else, the friction of actually getting to the gym was enough for me to skip workouts more often than I’d like to admit.

So, in April, I bought two kettlebells. 35lbs and 50lbs.

I've been doing 3-4 workouts a week that are usually only about 20 minutes long.

Also, shoutout to Mike for originally putting kettlebells on my radar and convincing me to give them a try.

Disclaimer: VDB Wealth is a registered investment adviser. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

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