Dimensional Fund Advisors asked seven Women and Wealth Community members how they are advising clients through this pandemic. Here’s what Treehouse Wealth Advisors’ Diane Bourdo had to say:
“This is a time when we can really connect, build on established trust, and provide meaningful reassurance. Because this event is threatening to both health and wealth, we need to be very aware of the powerful undercurrent of fear and panic, even for the most steady and stoic among us.
We must approach each client interaction with our full humanity — which is one of the best outcomes of this crisis. We are relating to clients as fellow threatened human beings. They don’t expect us to predict the future, and they understand the importance of following a strategy, having a long-term perspective, and staying disciplined. Our clients who experienced the 2008–2009 crisis with us have the benefit of having gone through this drill (or a version of it) already.
So far, two of our clients could not be calmed and wanted to take action. I walked through their investment objectives to remind them of their long-term plan and pointed out aspects of their financial strength. That helped bring them back to center. In these situations, we want to show clients patience and not judge their fears.”
Read more insights in the article “Empathy and Expertise: How Financial Advisors Are Helping Clients During COVID-19” here.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with 13 offices around the world, Dimensional is a global investment firm guided by deep convictions about the power of capital markets. Dimensional is a leader in applying advanced financial science to equity and fixed income investment strategies. By employing a rigorous and systematic investment approach, Dimensional seeks to capture what the market offers in all its dimensions.
For more than 35 years, Dimensional has translated research into real-world investment solutions for clients. Their clients include financial advisors, pension funds, retirement plans, college savings plans, insurance companies, endowments and foundations, and sovereign wealth funds.
