We highlight the work of Morgan Housel a lot. Maybe we do it too often, but he’s just that good. We think he’s the best personal finance writer alive. Read this piece (and stick with it to the end) for a new way to think about what really matters as you measure your investment performance.

Click here for what Morgan calls “Lifestyles”.

Who is that new voice answering the phone at HIG in less than two rings? It’s Anna Farrell, our latest addition to the team. In Anna’s role as Executive Assistant, she is expertly juggling a myriad of tasks, from managing schedules to ordering supplies to welcoming office visitors. Anna allows our team to focus on what they do best: taking care of our clients. 

We asked Anna to share a little bit about herself. You’ll understand immediately why we are so excited to have her on the Hill Investment Group team!

FAMILY MATTERS

My husband Graham and I were married in November 2016.  We have since added two children to our family, Catherine and Conor.  Our dog, Porter, has finally come around to these small humans after learning they always leave behind a trail of food.  We live in the Shaw neighborhood in St. Louis where you can find us at one of our favorite neighborhood establishments, walking in Tower Grove Park, or hanging out in our backyard with friends and neighbors.

TRAVEL

Prior to working at HIG, I gained my customer service and hospitality experience working in the Travel Industry.  I had the privilege of traveling the world in my twenties when I was a Travel Director at Maritz where I managed onsite logistics for incentive travel programs. My love of travel inspired me to start my own business as a Travel Advisor for Smartflyer where I planned and coordinated the endless details of my clients’ trips.  However, two kids and one pandemic later, I am thoroughly enjoying working outside of the travel industry and instead planning my own trips with my husband and kids.  The answer to your question is: Japan, France, and Croatia.  Those are my top three favorite places I’ve been to.

FRIENDS DESCRIBE ME AS:

Funny, an over-thinker (think Larry David but without the drama), determined, and always equipped with a good story.

IDEAL WEEKEND:

I aspire to be someone who can relax on the weekend, but for now, a good mix of crossing things off of my to-do list and spending time with my family and friends works best for me.  We love to frequent the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market, tackle house projects (I’m the visionary, and Graham is the contractor and pro bono laborer), head out for cocktails and a good dinner, or just hang at home and place bets on how many times we will have to put our kids back to bed.  As our children mature and work is a little less stressful (thanks to HIG), we hope to start adding family getaways to the docket, but for now, life at home feels really good.

INSPIRED BY:

My parents.  My dad was the first person in his family to go to college and then went on to put himself through dental school, working the 5 am shifts cleaning up movie theaters.  He has worked tirelessly to create a purposeful and rich life for his family, balancing hard work while simultaneously coaching all of our sports teams, maintaining a perfect lawn, and restoring cars.  It does not go unnoticed that he was able to do all of this with the support of my mom, who stayed home with us.  She also coached our sports teams, ran the school yearbook, took us on amazing trips, and secretly taught me how to drive a stick-shift.  While raising our family, my mom also managed the finances for my dad’s dental practice and, to this day, is one of the techiest people I know.  It has been a pure joy to see my parents transition into their new roles as beloved ‘Mimi and Papa’ to our kids.

LIFE AT HIG:

I bring a unique perspective to HIG since I am a lifelong client and friend of the firm. I have first-hand experience being on the receiving end of the high level of customer service and attention to detail that is central to the firm’s core values.  As a dedicated Monthly Journal reader, when I saw Katie’s position become available, I knew it would be a good fit since I had known everyone for years and I had a good sense of the team’s comradery and their thoughtful approach to serving their clients.  I feel like I have finally found my people – detail-oriented, genuinely nice, family-focused, and just all-around fun.

One of our favorite podcast guests, author Morgan Housel, wrote a piece about “rich” versus “wealthy.” We had to share the quote below that stands out to us.

I want to be rich, because I like nice stuff. But what I value far more is being wealthy, because I think independence is one of the only ways money can make you happier. The trick is realizing that the only way to maintain independence is if your appetite for stuff – including status – can be satiated. The goalpost has to stop moving; the expectations have to remain in check. Otherwise, money has a tendency to be a liability masquerading as an asset, controlling you more than you use it to live a better life.

For the full piece click here.

And if you can’t get enough of Morgan’s writing here’s more.