Skip to main content
Financial Advisors

Hugged Your Financial Advisor Today?

By January 18, 2016No Comments

What can a Financial Advisor learn from a first grader in a bear market? Empathy!

I was a Financial Advisor for over twenty years. I can tell you there are few things worse than the feeling you get when markets begin to tank. You’re reminded that you’re not in control, a fact that brings no comfort in the midst of your slip-sliding circumstances. It just feels terrible.

Blair Walsh is one of the best place kickers in the NFL. In his four year career, the former Georgia Bulldog has missed only one time from 29 yards or less. Well, not until last week.

Last week the 26 year old Walsh hooked the ball wide left, missing a 27 yard “chip shot” with 22 seconds left in the game. A successful kick would have advanced his team in the playoffs, putting them one step closer to the Super Bowl. Walsh managed to keep his composure until he entered the locker room. There he sobbed for fifteen minutes.

His anquish did not go unnoticed. First graders at Northpoint Elementary in Minneapolis have been studying “empathy” this year and how to put it into action. The students rose to the occasion by all writing letters of encouragement to Walsh. Overwhelmed, he responded, “It was very touching to me…I will cherish them forever.” So moved by their acts of compassion, Walsh paid a visit to the school to thank the students personally (link to Walsh’s visit).

Overseeing people’s life savings is a tough job. A report from health.com lists financial advisors as one of the ten professions where workers are most likely to experience major depression in a given year. This is not unlike NFL place kickers. Corrections and bear markets exacerbate the problem. When you look at the stress triggers for advisors, shouldering the responsibility for clients’ financial futures ranks as the top stressor at 83% (source: thinkadvisor.com).

Walsh gave it his best and so do you. And what’s more, there’s a group of first graders out their for you who are ready to give you empathy. They’re called “clients”. They know it’s not your fault. Many of them are not only wondering how you feel, they’re asking you how you feel.

Away from the cameras, Walsh cried. You may be doing the same. But after fifteen minutes he showered, dressed and went on with life – the life of a place kicker. You should do the same. Blair Walsh is looking to next season – a season filled with splitting the “up rights” most of the time, with some occasional “far rights” and “far lefts” some of the time. He’ll suit up again and with the encouragement of his teammates, and perhaps a few first graders, and he’ll win again. So will you.

A mentor of mine once said to me, “Don’t forget in the darkness what you’ve learned in the light.” You chart the course for your clients in the light, and when the darkness comes the demons of doubt rattle your cage. If you’re a little depressed right now that’s a good sign – it means you’re alive! Give yourself some empathy. You’ve made good decisions in the light, with your clients’ best interests in mind. Those decisions are still good. The sun will come up tomorrow and shine on the decisions you made yesterday.

One missed field goal won’t define Blair Walsh’s career any more than one bear market will define yours. Unless you let it. Remember, you’re not in control of the markets, but you are in control of your actions – how you choose to act and react.

Action: Call your favorite “first grader” (i.e., client) and let them cheer you up. Feeling better about yourself will increase your chances of splitting the uprights!


Bill Edmonds is an “Outside-Insider” (an Executive Coach and Consultant), who works with leaders to help them reach their full potential in the areas of organizational and personal development. He spent 24 years with Merrill Lynch until his retirement in 2014, where he led a $100+ million per year revenue wealth management business unit as a Director with the firm.


Have a comment? Share your thoughts about this post here or on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
(click a social media share button below to share you comments)