Estelle Wade is an important part of our family here at The Center. She co-founded our firm along with Dan Boyce and Marilyn Gunther in 1985. While she retired from The Center and her financial planning career in 2002, Estelle has continued to be an important presence in our lives.
This month, Estelle returned to Michigan for a visit. She and her husband, Gene, moved to Scottsdale, Arizona shortly after retiring and have been on the go ever since. It’s hard to keep track of all the wonderful places they’ve visited over the last decade. They’ve also spent time watching their five grandsons grow.
Over the years, we’ve often referred to Estelle’s wisdom, particularly in our weekly Monday planning meeting. She coined the phrase “go-go, slow-go, and no-go” in retirement and was using it 15 or 20 years ago – well before it became a catch-phrase concept for financial media like it is today. Estelle and Gene tell us that her “go-go” retirement years have been terrific.
Estelle continues to be a shining example of the power of compassion and caring when it comes to financial planning. Her wisdom has always been matched by her warm personal connections and that is no different today. For any of you who worked with her over the years, Estelle is still asking about how you’re doing and what you’re up to. This is less about the dollars and cents and more about the issues that you’ve faced over the years. It’s so great to catch up with Estelle to be reminded of the critical importance that relationships have to the overall financial planning process.
To mark Estelle’s special visit, we hosted an evening at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. This was especially appropriate since Gene Wade was principal French horn with the DSO for many years. More than 100 clients and friends of The Center joined us in honoring Estelle. And wouldn’t you know it? Although Estelle had been away from Michigan for twelve years, she knew more people in the room than anyone.
While the faces around here change from time to time, the culture and values cultivated by Estelle and our team partners many years ago continue to prevail. Across the miles we keep in touch with Estelle and Gene, but that can’t replace good old-fashioned hugs that they distributed liberally during their time here.
Estelle Wade is no longer affiliated with Raymond James. C14-01346