One value that we try to instill at Grand Wealth is the importance of cross training and empowering our team to step into leadership when the opportunity arrives. This year we added a new benefit and created a sabbatical policy. With Jeff being our first team member to take a sabbatical, we decided to take this opportunity to see how he is feeling. How do you feel about leaving the firm for an extended period of time? I have mixed feelings. It will be uncomfortable not having access to my e-mail or updates on firm activities but I have great confidence that everything will be handled during my time away. We have done a lot of preparation in order to make sure this is as successful as possible. The sabbatical benefit was something that I had thought of years ago and part of the reason why we implemented EOS. The decision to implement EOS helped clear out responsibilities within the Leadership Team, which is now helping our team prepare for my time away. What are you going to be doing during your sabbatical?  My wife, Janet, and I are going on a 20-day trip to Europe with some close friends of ours. We will be traveling on a cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest and then spending some time in Prague. I have always wanted to travel to Europe and going on a cruise is an effortless way to visit multiple places. What are you looking forward to the most? I'm looking forward to experiencing life outside of work. I'm guilty of checking e-mails and staying in the know with what is happening at the firm while on vacation. It's the nature of business and the times we are in. I am excited to experience this extended time away without the anxious feeling of wanting to check my phone every few hours. I look forward to that feeling subduing after a couple days.

One of the many values I hope to instill into our team at Grand Wealth is the importance of intentionally empowering everyone to step into leadership when the moment arrives. To grow as a company and deliver on our mission to help clients achieve more for themselves, their families, and their communities, all of us must be prepared for any situation to ensure our clients’ success. At the end of the day, our clients can count on any member of our team to understand their needs and step up to guide them.

“Retirement is changing.” So begins a recent Grand Rapids Magazine Look+Feel column, “A Shift in Retirement.” As retirees are living longer with less access to traditional pension plans, Steve Starnes, MBA, CFP® notes that financial planning plays an even more important role in the ability to retire as we desire. Plus, there’s lifestyle planning. “Not doing anything [in retirement] is hard for a lot of people,” says Steve, “whether they need the money or not.”