Thirty-nine years ago, I walked in as VAM's very first employee. I've watched this firm grow from an idea into something much bigger than any one of us… and that's exactly the point I want to make.
If you think of us as a 100-year firm — and that's how we think of ourselves — then it was never about one person. Not the people who came before us, not me, and not any single client sitting across the desk today. It's about the generations of families we haven't met yet, and the future advisors who will carry this work forward long after we're gone.
Important, not just urgent
It's easy to get pulled toward whatever feels urgent — the next meeting, the next deadline, the next fire to put out. But building something that lasts means making room for what's important, even when it isn't urgent. Succession planning is a perfect example: rarely the loudest item on the to-do list, but one of the most important.
At VAM, that means being intentional about our leadership team's succession plan, thoughtful about how we bring on and develop younger advisors, and clear-eyed about generational roles and responsibilities — who's building the relationships today, and who's being prepared to carry them tomorrow.
The same is true for the families we work with
I see this play out constantly with the business owners and families we advise. A business owner isn't just thinking about this year's numbers — they're thinking about how to pass something meaningful to the next generation, whether that's family members or the key employees who've helped build the company alongside them.
Families are doing the same kind of thinking, whether they realize it or not. Parents planning for kids. Grandparents planning for grandkids. Sometimes even for family members who haven't been born yet. That's not premature — it's exactly the kind of long-term thinking that makes a real difference decades down the road.
Why I find this exciting, not heavy
It would be easy to think of all this as somber. I don't see it that way. I think it's genuinely exciting to be part of an organization that will have an impact stretching years and generations beyond any of us individually. Very few things in life let you build something that outlasts you in a good way — this is one of them.
What holds it all together
None of this works without the principles we've built the firm on: loyalty, integrity, accountability, and growth. Those aren't words on a wall for us. They're the reason clients have trusted us with their families' futures for decades, and they're what will let the next generation of advisors do the same for decades more.
These 39 years have been a blast, and I have no plans of slowing down, but here’s the reality. If we're truly building a 100-year firm, none of us sitting here today — myself included — will be around to see it hit that milestone.
That's not a sad thought to me. It's the whole point. It was never about us. It's about building something worth handing off — to the next advisor, the next generation of a family, and the people who haven't even shown up yet. THAT’S LEAVING A LEGACY!
— Steve