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APRIL 2020 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net
Commentary | 5
Linscomb & Williams is not an accounting firm. Subsidiary of Cadence Bank. Investment Products: Not insured by FDIC. Not bank guaranteed. May lose value. Not insured by any Federal Government Agency. Not a bank deposit.
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Carol Niemi is a marketing consultant who lives on the Dunwoody-Sandy Springs line and
writes about people whose lives inspire others. Contact her at worthknowingnow@gmail.com.
Almost overnight, our world has changed. But in the midst of our dystopian night
mare, examples of compassion are all around us - proof that that caring for one an
other is in our American DNA.
Here are but a few examples.
In Dunwoody, a group of moms, one of whom is Mayor Lynn Deutsch, have formed
“Lunch-4-Our Bunch” to feed Dunwoody school children who might go hungry while
not in school. Every Tuesday through the end of the month, the moms come together
to make 1,000 bag lunches for distribution on Wednesdays outside at Malachi’s Store
house at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church at 4755 North Peachtree Road in Dunwoody.
Malachi’s Storehouse also accepts donations. You can drop off groceries and pan
try items on Tuesdays, 4:00-7:00 pm, or donate them without leaving home by or
dering them and having them shipped directly to Malachi’s. Details are on Deutsch’s
Faceboolc page. You can also donate money at “Lunch-4-Our Bunch” at gofundme.
com.
Teens in Dunwoody are helping too. Recently, Jackson Moore, a Dunwoody High
School sophomore who runs Rent-a-Teen Dunwoody, received a desperate request to
move an elderly man and his furniture into an assisted living facility before visita
tion was shut down. He and fellow DHS sophomore, Matthew Moss, immediately got
their team together, moved the man and all of his possessions and beat the deadline.
That same day, another Dunwoody resident, Lynn Johnston, a school teacher, post
ed on Nextdoor.com under the simple headline “Here to Help,” volunteering to run er
rands “for anyone who needs help.”
“I wanted to volunteer because I am hearing too much negativity in the media,”
she said. “You can either be part of the problem or part of the solution.”
At press time, her post had received 53 likes and 30 comments from others offer
ing their support.
In pandemic nightmare,
acts of kindness abound
One of those comments was from Chryse Wayman, a healthcare IT consultant,
who started a Nextdoor.com group called Project Dunwoody Food Delivery to enable
neighbors to shop for groceries and necessities and deliver them to people who can’t
leave home.
“Literally, an hour after I created the group,” Wayman said, “more than 50 people
had signed up.”
For those who don’t access social media, where the group is hosted, Wayman plans
to get the word out by creating a digital flyer volunteers can download and print out
for local teens to distribute to neighbors’ mailboxes. To join, go to nextdoor.com, then
to the Groups tab, select Project Dunwoody Food Delivery and request an invitation.
What I saw while writing this article were people fighting fear and anxiety with
kindness. They came from every walk of life - from business and education to the TV
and film industry. One of them, Miles Henley, a film location manager, attracted my
attention with his sense of humor.
“I will put on my bio hazardous chemical warfare suit and pick up and deliver your
supplies to your door step,” he wrote, adding that he had plenty of time to help be
cause his wife was stranded in Vietnam and his profession, TV and film production in
Georgia, had shut down. Of course, I had to hear his story.
During our phone call, I learned his wife had gone to visit her parents in Ho Chi
Minh City, where he said COVID-19 had become rampant. She wanted to come home,
but since the trip required a stopover in Seoul, Korea, with a two-weelc quarantine,
they opted instead for her to go stay with an aunt in the countryside.
While we were discussing the scarcity of everything from hand sanitizer to rub
bing alcohol, neither of which I could find, he said he had an extra bottle of alcohol to
give me. Later that night, there it was, all neatly wrapped, on my doorstep.
A seemingly small gesture, but very much appreciated.
WORTHWHILE CONVERSATIONS
HAZARDOUS TO YOUR WEALTH-
LISTENING TO INEXPERIENCED VOICES
“INEXPERIENCED VOICES?”
The media obsesses over financial credentials, as if finding an advisor with
the right credential ensures credible, well-conceived advice. Credentials are
good, and we have plenty at Linscomb & Williams, including CPAs, JDs, CFA®
charterholders and other advanced designations. List all our credentials for
the entire team -- you have enough letters to equal four alphabets. However,
credentials measure only a threshold level of competence. The soundest
advice draws upon a deep reservoir of actual wealth management experience.
WHERE IS LIMITED “ACTUAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE”
LIKELYTOSHOWUP?
First, firms with less experience gravitate to a "standard prescription" or
template in addressing clients' needs. Tried and true is great. However, only
the experience of seeing the ultimate outcome of recommendations made to
families develops creativity to refine problem-solving so clients get results
that are tailored to their unique goals. Second, experience provides the
advisor with (borrowing the famous book title) "What They DON'T Teach You
at Harvard Business School." Experience refines book theory into practical
execution.
HOW BIG A CHALLENGE IS THIS FOR FAMILIES NEEDING WEALTH ADVICE?
The challenge is multi-dimensional. Many advisors with deep experience
work in firms associated with the big Wall Street banks, and are conflicted
by business models that involve the sale of financial products. They do not
Sam Tortorici, CEO & Director, Cadence Bank, N.A., and President, Cadence
Bancorporation discusses the importance of having a team of experienced
individuals to offer sage advice with MaryJane LeCroy, CFP®, and Bill Kring, CFP®
adhere 100% to the fiduciary legal standard of placing the clients' interests
first. Even in fiduciary firms, experienced investment managers may decide to
market themselves as holistic wealth managers by adding young credentialed
financial planners to their staff. That may be a team, but the experience is
limited to a single area.
PRESUMABLY, LINSCOMB & WILLIAMS IS DIFFERENT...
Our team has plenty of energy from young and mid-career professionals, but
they collaborate with our 49-year veterans in all areas of wealth management.
Imagine how such a combination can redefine the client experience. For the
family looking to redefine their wealth management experience, we are ready
to meet at our convenient local office in Atlanta.
LINSCOMB
WILLIAMS
WEALTH MANAGEMENT SINCE 1971
2727 Paces Ferry Road SE Building Two, Suite 1475
Atlanta, Georgia 30339
770 333 0113 www.linscomb-williams.com
CADENCE„„
Atlanta Wealth dr Pension Team
