“I'm the king of a cow! And I'm the king of a mule! 

I'm the king of a house! And, what's more, beyond that

I'm the king of a blueberry bush and a cat!” 

Oh, marvelous me! Since when did $5 million put YOU at the bottom of the pile alongside Mack? We find it comical that five or even ten million dollars in investable assets does not meet the minimum criteria of some financial institutions. Yet that appears to be their view from top of the pile: http://on.wsj.com/2ccnKeY

My two kids and I have a meeting with Dr. Seuss several evenings each week. And while the characters, rhymes and in this case, Mack’s burp, always charm my son and daughter, the underlying messages and metaphors are pretty clever. For those needing a refresh, Yertle the Turtle sees himself as a superior being in the pond. He orders all other subservient turtles to stack higher and higher on top of one another, so that he, Yertle, can sit at the top. The pile inevitably comes crashing down and what’s left, stuck in the slimigunk, brownicle, frogplaster, moogargle mud, is Yertle. 

It appears that the banks bring a similar belief in their superiority and exclusivity.

But we believe there is much to be done for those who live and work in the stack below. Certainly for those who have toiled well, but haven’t quite reached that magical number of $10 million.

If in 1986 we had subscribed to an investment minimum, we would have never earned the trust of our loyal clients who continue to value our counsel. Years ago, some of those clients sat just above the water level, putting everything on the line to build their businesses, their professional practices, their wealth. They never would have met a bank’s minimum. We never required one. Never have, never will.

30 years, $5.5 billion in AUM, a holistic offering (including tax planning), no minimums—nothing too fancy or brag-worthy, other than the mild boast that many of those who started at the bottom 30 years ago are with us still. GW & Wade.

Please contact Jim Da SIlva to learn more about GW & Wade's approach to financial advice: jdasilva@gwwade.com.

The information provided above is general in nature and is not intended to represent specific investment or professional advice. No client or prospective client should assume that the above information serves as the receipt of, or a substitute for, personalized individual advice from GW & Wade, LLC, which can only be provided through a formal advisory relationship. Please see the “Contact Us” section of our website, www.gwwade.com, for information on contacting GW & Wade.