Living on Hilton Head Island, we have become intimately familiar with the turtle.  They nest along our beaches in the summer and although I have not yet witnessed it firsthand, I have been fortunate to see the tracks of several mother turtles emerging from the Atlantic Ocean to lay their eggs on the shore.  This year there are 5114 reported nests along the South Carolina shoreline, each of which have an average of 110 eggs.  When the hatchlings emerge from the nest, they begin to make their way into the ocean, avoiding the obstacles and predators that are in their path.  The challenges are so numerous, that only 1 in 1000 baby turtles survives to adulthood.  Those that survive migrate hundreds or even thousands of miles from their birthplace to find a safe feeding ground.  When they are mature (around age 30) they return to the same beach from which they hatched to nest and begin the process again.  Sea Turtles can commonly live to be 100 years or more, returning to our beaches to nest year after year.

The life of the turtle struck me as an apt metaphor for our business.  Like the old Aesop’s fable, the tortoise and the hare, we have always been the slow and steady choice that methodically advances to the finish line.  Turtles, by virtue of their deliberate actions, are symbols of patience, endurance, and longevity.  Like the turtle, we help our clients methodically work toward their goals always seeking ways to mitigate risks.  We focus on the long-term and are patient financial stewards.

Over the years we have helped hundreds of people achieve their financial goals through planning-based investment management.  We don’t take short-cuts; we get to know our clients so that we can help them accomplish their objectives such as college funding, vacation home purchase or retirement.  We have found that the slow and steady approach leads us to recommend taking the least amount of risk that will enable clients to meet their target.  Like the turtles who return year after year, we are a constant force providing perspective to our clients in good times and bad.  Flashy and fast financial advisors often garner the attention, but we have found that slow and steady guidance wins the race.

– Pat Sokolowski