"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In the last few weeks following the tragic death of George Floyd, we have been thinking and reflecting about what this moment means to us, both as individuals and as leaders of our firm and in our profession. We feel outraged by what we saw on that video and saddened that we have seen this far too many times. Reality has shone a blazing light on the structural inequalities that are ingrained in our society.
Finding our voice during a time that is filled with high emotion and affects us on a deeper level can be a struggle. Confronting how we have accepted so many inequalities in our lives matters. It is important to us. This is something we want to be honest about with our team and our clients without seeming solely reactive or jumping on the bandwagon.
We feel compelled to voice our support for this movement and we want to be a part of the solution. This time feels different. Let’s not squander this moment to tackle systemic racism, as big and seemingly intractable as it is. This is our opportunity to be reflective and intentional with how we at Waypoint can do better and be part of the change.
One of our core values is having a mindset of possibility. There are many ways that we can make a difference and each one counts. Educating ourselves, listening to the other side, voting for leaders who embrace change, peacefully protesting, giving to charitable organizations that are doing the hard work on the ground, and the list goes on.
These current times have brought each of us a greater sense of gratitude for our amazing team at Waypoint and an even deeper appreciation for you, our clients. We care about each of you and those who are important in your lives. You can count on us to continue to invest in our team and our processes to be the very best wealth management firm we can be. You can also trust us to be a part of positive, peaceful, change during these trying times.
We hope that during this time, all of us can see the possibility that we can do this. We can rise to this most important occasion and create a more inclusive and equitable society. As Gandhi’s words remind us, it is time for all of us to be the change we want to see in the world.
– Annette, Chuck and Courtney