It’s funny to think about the old stereotype of the bean-counting accountant. You know, the old-school CPA, the super-nerd who is wound up tight like a top. On a cross-country flight recently I stumbled upon Ghostbusters, the classic science-fiction comedy from the 80s. For the first time in many years I’m watching Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, and Harold Ramis, as they start their ghost-catching company in a haunted New York City. And don’t forget Rick Moranis. In his ill-fitting suit and his tie, with his dark-framed glasses and his screwed-down hair, he plays the neurotic accountant.
As a CPA, this character cracks me up.
Of course, I too am a digit head.
But I like to think the comparison ends there.
Money is a serious subject. It worries people. Some worry about it constantly, and let it get the best of them. If anything, I want to put my clients at ease. I don’t know if it helps that I choose not to overdress. But more than appearance, I think it helps that I’ve developed the skills of a financial planner. A good financial planner will remember there’s a world outside of all the numbers, that there are people with different values and different priorities. It’s still a good idea to have a digit head overseeing your financial situation. But it’s the financial planner who charts the course, and keeps perspective, and who might even catch a ghost or two.
PODCAST OF THIS TOPIC! Click one of the links below to listen to Stu discuss this topic with morning guy Win Damon on wnbp 1450 am on your radio dial or listen live online at wnbp.com every Tuesday morning at 8:30.
Listen to this episode here if you are an Apple Computer user
13 December 2011