I ask everyone I meet with to email me a digital picture of their family.  If they don't oblige, I politely ask them to let me take their picture.  Strange?

First consider the nature of my work:  as a solo investment adviser and financial planner, my work is memory-intensive, requiring me to analyze and remember financial details about many different people.  I keep good notes but it's amazing the power that a picture has in bringing details of past conversations back to life.

Second, If I'm not careful, I can easily forget that the cases I'm working on are connected to real people.

Three of whom have cancer (one recently diagnosed, another battling it after several years, another in remission) and one with Parkinson's.  One couple is going through a divorce and another looking at the possibility.  Two widows are coping with grief and life on their own.

Two young couples are celebrating the birth of children, one small business owner is creating a better life for himself, his family, and his employees.  Several corporate and non-profit executives are leading huge enterprises.  These are just a few examples.

These people and many more need my best work and my prayers.  Pictures help me do that.

So here's a picture of me and my family.  Don't be surprised if I ask you for one.