Reflecting on Keen Wealth’s 2019 Open House
Each year, we invite our clients and friends of the firm to an Open House at our headquarters. This year, we hosted over 400 guests! With all the storms recently in the Midwest, we were grateful to have enjoyed an almost perfect weather day for the event.
.As has become a bit of a tradition, we served Jack Stack barbeque with a special burnt ends demonstration, enjoyed a wonderful jazz band, snacked on Sheridan’s frozen custard, and crowded into photo booths. We sprinkled in some games to make for a wonderful amount of fun, fellowship, camaraderie and good times. We are so grateful that our friends and clients would spend an afternoon and evening with us to bring in the Summer.
My peers often ask why I commit to events such as our Open House and Holiday Breakfast, as well as all of our educational events. They wonder about my blog, podcast and webinars as well. My answer is multifaceted, but first and foremost, we want to communicate clearly and be available for our clients. We want to bring value to them and be available to them as much as they would like us to be.
When we started these events many years ago, they were much smaller, but the feedback has been consistent: “Please keep doing them!” Our clients love to come and see us and celebrate with friends. Retirees love to reconnect with friends they knew during their working years. Many of our clients have also formed lasting relationships with other Keen Wealth clients they’ve met while attending these events. In fact, I’ve learned that many folks have our summer and December events on their calendars well ahead of time and really look forward to them.
I often write about the enormous sociological and psychological aspect of retirement. In fact, I was just discussing our Open House with a retired client who told me, “I don't miss work, but I do miss the people.” That’s why we recommend folks maintain their social networks to help cope with those challenges. As the community has grown at Keen Wealth, we’ve learned that our events provide that social venue for many of our friends and clients.
Interestingly, when I share these thoughts with my peers, many say they are afraid to have all their clients in one location comparing notes. We are just the opposite. We love to have our clients together to enjoy that sense of community. After all, many of our clients were friends before they referred each other to Keen Wealth!
I want to thank my team for allowing me to confidently delegate the task of running an event like this and having it come off so well. A lot of work goes into these events and I certainly cannot do it without them.
Frankly, I look at these events and all the educational work and communication that we do as investments back into our clients. I do not look at these things as expenses or obligations; rather, I feel I’m sincerely privileged to be involved in a community such as this.
As a fun fact, many of you will remember that I received a lot of heat (no pun intended) over my firm dress code when my team and I were in business attire during an 85° barbecue. Trust me, I didn’t hear the end of it, and rightfully so. I succumbed, so we had our fun casual attire on for our event again this year, and that will be the policy going forward. But I won’t be changing out of my suit during the work week – there’s nothing casual to me about the privilege, honor, and commitment we have managing our clients’ life savings.
Thanks to all of those who took the time to attend the event. It means the world to me. And for those that were unable to join us, we hope to see you at a future event.
As I write and discuss regularly on my blog and podcast, yes, we must get clients’ numbers right. However, there is so much more to financial planning. Our clients have given us the awesome responsibility of managing the retirement money they have worked so diligently to save so that they can live their best possible life. It’s not just about the numbers, it’s personal, and we will never forget that.
About Bill
Bill Keen is a CHARTERED RETIREMENT PLANNING COUNSELOR℠ and independent financial advisor with more than 25 years of industry experience. As the founder and CEO of Keen Wealth Advisors, a registered investment advisory firm, he specializes in providing personalized retirement planning designed to help people thrive before and during their retirement years. With a passion for educating others, Bill regularly blogs about retirement planning, hosts the podcast Keen on Retirement, and has contributed to U.S. News and World Report, Reuters, Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch, Yahoo Finance, and other publications. Based in Overland Park, Kansas, Bill and his team work with clients throughout the greater Kansas City area and across the nation. To learn more, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit www.keenwealthadvisors.com.
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