Two of my least favorite things:  running and mud collided on Saturday at the second annual Mudder’s Day Run, a 5k run put on by Harmony Family Center at the newly renovated Camp Montvale in Blount County.  Since Fred and I both serve on the board of Harmony Family Center and were event sponsors we graciously volunteered to help out at the event.  We were strategically placed, Fred at the top of the hill which made up the majority of the first half of the race and me at the half-way point, offering water and encouragement to keep going the distance.  It was a rainy day in East Tennessee at least for the duration of the event which meant we were soaked despite having avoided any actual excessive physical activity.  It’s funny how closely related our job as financial planners is to the job duties we performed during the race.  Most of us find building wealth an uphill struggle, especially early on. We make mistakes, wrong moves, or run out of steam before we really even get started.  Just as Fred was placed at the top of the hill that’s usually where we start our process with clients.  They have somehow managed to reach the top of the hill (successful business, starting position on the team, climbed the corporate ladder, etc.), they haven’t yet finished the race but they’ve at least accumulated enough steam(wealth) to relax a little, preserve what they’ve built and think about reaching the finish line. Just like my job on Saturday, passing out water and words of encouragement we are there to encourage our clients along their way, point them in the right direction, and join them at the finish line to celebrate their success.   And, thankfully no mud or running is involved in that!

Thanks to our staff, Karrie Patterson and Willis Mashburn for enduring the mud and running. To learn more about Camp Montvale and Harmony Family Center please follow the following link: http://harmonyfamilycenter.org/

-Fred Lee