The Future Is Not Set in Stone
A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I attended the Holiday Pops, which included a special rendition of the classic Charles Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol. I’ve heard the story countless times, but this year it landed differently. What stayed with me most was the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
For those unfamiliar with the story, the ghost shows Scrooge a bleak future, including his own lonely death and the indifference of others to it. It’s not a prediction, but a possibility. A glimpse of what might be, and a reminder that the future is shaped by the choices we make today. The message is simple, but powerful: the future is not set in stone.
That idea sits at the heart of how we think about financial planning at SMB.
Planning isn’t about restricting your life or predicting every outcome. It’s about creating clarity, understanding tradeoffs, and making intentional decisions so you can live fully – both now and in the future.
This year has reinforced that belief in a deeply personal way.
2025 has felt like a roller coaster. It started with incredible highs! A trip to the Maldives in January, followed by an unforgettable journey to Peru and climbing Machu Picchu in June. Quite literally, I was standing at one of the highest points in the world. Then came a sharp turn: my mom’s stage 4 cancer diagnosis just a couple weeks after we returned from Peru. The juxtaposition was jarring and grounding.
In the face of uncertainty, I’ve tried to lead with thoughtfulness and intention rather than spiraling over the things that I can’t control. Most importantly, I’ve chosen to remain hopeful about what’s still possible as it relates to her treatments, her time, and the moments we continue to share. It’s not lost on me that this is the same perspective I’ve encouraged clients to adopt over the past two decades when navigating market volatility, bear markets, and periods of uncertainty – only now, it’s personal.
Financial planning doesn’t guarantee outcomes, and it certainly doesn’t prevent hard things from happening. But it does create options, provide flexibility, and allow space to focus on what matters most when life doesn’t go according to plan.
For my parents (who were my very first clients), the planning work we did made it possible for my mom to retire at 59. She has now been retired for six years. She did not wait until “normal retirement age” because she had the clarity and confidence to know that retiring early was possible. I will forever be grateful for that. She didn’t retire only to receive a cancer diagnosis without first experiencing the joy of those early years of retirement.
And she is not the first client to have this experience. I’ve seen thoughtfully built plans tested by health issues, family challenges, or global events like COVID.
Nothing is promised.
These experiences and walking alongside clients through them have shaped not only how I think about planning, but how I show up as an advisor. They have also prepared me, in some way, to walk this journey with my mom.
Early in my career, someone once said to me, “Who would work with you? You don’t even have your own financial experience.” I started my career as a financial advisor straight out of college, so the statement wasn’t entirely wrong. But for a long time, that comment lived quietly in my head and became a piece of negative self-talk I carried with me. Over time, through my own life experiences and by learning with, alongside, and from clients, that narrative faded. I came to understand that meaningful planning isn’t about having a perfectly linear story. It’s about perspective, empathy, and the ability to help people navigate decisions when the path forward isn’t clear.
As we look ahead to 2026, this perspective will continue to shape how we show up for you. You can expect thoughtful, proactive planning that evolves as your life evolves — whether that means revisiting priorities after a career change, navigating care for aging parents, stress-testing your plan during market volatility, or giving you the confidence to say yes to travel, experiences, or early retirement. Our conversations go beyond performance and projections to focus on the real-life decisions in front of you and the tradeoffs that matter most.
My hope in sharing this personal story is that you feel empowered to live fully now, while still planning responsibly for what’s ahead. Because the most meaningful plans don’t just protect your future — they support a life well lived along the way.
Thank you for trusting us with your planning, your goals, and your story. It’s a privilege we never take lightly. Wishing you a wonderful start to 2026!