I was on a conference call recently when one of the other participants commented that “joie de vivre” is one of the qualities that he enjoys most about the people in Jackson. That comment sent several other participants to their smartphones looking for a definition.
(from Google: joie de vivre = exuberant enjoyment of life).
I had a similar experience when I first came to Jackson. Having spent two decades as a wealth manager, I – like most of my peers – had become accustomed to helping clients maximize investment returns, accumulate assets for retirement, minimize taxes, and mitigate risks. That was my world; that was what I thought was the greatest value I could provide for my clients. I would talk about what matters most to people about money but didn’t really do anything outside of the usual and customary tasks of wealth managers managing investment portfolios. But when my family and I permanently relocated to Jackson, I realized that I had shifted my perspective.
Through a series of events, I came across the work of Lee Brower and Empowered Wealth. Empowered Wealth help me and my family see things through the lens of “True Wealth” – our core values, our contributions to others, our learning and wisdom, and what attracted us to Jackson in the first place, the ”joie de vivre” that characterizes the community.
Money and financial success are important in order to sustain our families’ lifestyles and to provide a sense of security. But when I think about the work that we at The Certior Group now do, I think in terms of helping families optimize their True Wealth. We help people connect and integrate their financial success with their abilities to make a positive difference in their families and the world. And, yes, I’d like to think that we help them in small ways to express their joie de vivre.
