When most people think about investing, they picture a blur of numbers, graphs and technical jargon. Wealth advisor Chris Gardner, ’82, is trying to change that.
In his first book, “A Very Personal Finance Story: Reflections on Family, Love and Money,” Gardner recounts how his views on investing have been shaped by his own life experiences, especially the birth of micro-preemie twin boys in 2016.
“Spending more than five months in the NICU watching our boys fight for their lives, I had many revelations about what’s important in life,” Gardner said. “To my surprise, it also changed my thinking about how we communicate and make decisions about money. I realized that the financial services industry spends an inordinate amount of money and energy trying to answer questions that individual investors aren’t even asking.”
His family’s experience in the Crouse Hospital NICU was especially revealing. He credits the unit’s phenomenal nurses not only with helping him and his wife, Lori, survive their medical and emotional rollercoaster, but also with changing his perspective on how to help people find their way through important and difficult issues. “If they could convey complex medical information to us in a way we could understand when we were so scared and exhausted, I know I can better present technical investment concepts to clients,” Gardner said.
Garner is president of FMF&E Wealth Management, LLC in East Syracuse. He and his family live in Skaneateles. For more information, including an excerpt of the book, visit personalfinancestory.com.
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