Life can be challenging. Each year, many in our community face unexpected opportunities, challenges, and grief. It can be daunting, but it’s comforting to know you have support from people willing to walk the path with you. 

Alex and Claire recently scheduled an appointment with an advisor following the tragic and unexpected loss of Claire’s parents. As they processed their loss, they asked OneAscent Wealth advisor Holden Gully for help navigating logistical hurdles of an unexpected inheritance and planning their investments.

Alex and Claire first encountered OneAscent Wealth at a Values-Based Investing Workshop in early 2020. 

“The Values-Based Investing Workshop was eye-opening. It brought to mind questions we had never thought of before, specifically regarding my 401K,” said Alex. “During that workshop, we learned more about OneAscent Wealth’s approach and what motivates them. We recognized a blind spot in our investments because we had no idea what companies our mutual funds were invested in and how it made an impact.”

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As 2020 unfolded, Alex and Claire put investment planning on the back burner temporarily. But when they received the inheritance, Claire felt confident that OneAscent Wealth could help. 

“When we received an inheritance from my parents, we immediately thought about OneAscent. My parents already had a financial advisor, but we wanted to find someone who would understand our faith and how that would impact how we wanted to steward this money. We also wanted someone who could help us use this inheritance wisely and reinvest.”

Claire also liked the opportunity to have input and insight that the OneAscent Wealth process provides. 

“We wanted to have input on these decisions. Before working with OneAscent Wealth, we never had much insight into our accounts and rarely heard from our advisor. We want to invest in areas that mean something to us. We want to be part of the process so we can be wise with our money and be able to give back. That was one of the driving forces in our relationship with OneAscent Wealth.”

Alex noticed how different the OneAscent Wealth process is from their very first meeting with Holden. 

“Holden really got to know us in that first meeting. He wanted to know how we thought and felt about money. We shared our situation, and he was very intentional in asking about everything from our kids to our financial goals and the things that were important to us. He asked us about our previous experience with financial advisors and what we wanted to come out of our time with OneAscent. It felt like more than just a business relationship. He took the time to get to know us personally.”

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“We went through a tool called Honest Conversations,” said Claire. “We were given fifteen cards with various phrases, from things like ‘spending time with family’ and ‘leaving a legacy’ to ‘work is optional’ and ‘minimize taxes.’ We each chose our top five cards out of the stack. We had to do this individually and couldn’t share our answers with each other until we both had time to process and decide.”

Alex was a little nervous, but the exercise ended up affirming that he and Claire were on the same page.

“This tool helped us to see if our financial goals were aligned, and it helped Holden talk through these concepts with us to see the ‘why’ behind our answers. He asked us why we chose our top five cards, what each card means to us, and what needs to happen to make progress towards our desired outcome. As we talked through our choices, we learned a lot about what we value and what we can do about it. For example, we would love to have a vacation home. As we talked, we expressed our desire to have a place of rest for our family, an opportunity to serve others, and a space to build deeper relationships with the people around us.”

Alex and Claire met with Holden a second time to review his analysis and results from their initial consultation.

“Holden took the information we shared about our finances and the goals and visions we had for our family and future and presented a financial strategy that reflected all of them. He helped us see how our motivations and dreams that have been on the backburner could guide planning our finances and help us develop a concrete plan of action,” said Claire.

“He showed us our Financial Scorecard based on their financial software,” said Alex. “OneAscent ran a thousand simulations exploring how various approaches aligned with our financial goals at different risk levels and market trends. They accounted for all of our long-term desires, not just our expected retirement age. Holden helped us see what it would take to reach our goals even if we considered purchasing property, taking an international trip, or other similar opportunities.”

Claire felt like Holden and the OneAscent team really understood their situation and cared about their well-being. 

“We never felt like Holden was only concerned about profit, for themselves or us. Our previous experiences with financial planning felt like we were encouraged to take on the maximum risk for the maximum rewards. With OneAscent Wealth, we really felt like it was about getting to know us, finding a strategy that fit more than just a numbers goal, and walking with us every step of the way.”

Alex appreciated OneAscent’s personal approach during such a sensitive time. 

“Investing the inheritance was a big part in connecting with OneAscent Wealth, but throughout this process, they’ve done so much more for us. There was so much we didn’t know about the estate transfer process. Holden walked us through every step, frequently reminding us of things to watch out for along the way. This proactive communication, expertise, and quick response time made our relationship with OneAscent such a pleasant experience.”

Holden also helped Alex and Claire update their will. 

“We’ve been able to look at our financial strategy as a whole and fill in the gaps in areas we haven’t thought about recently,” said Alex. “We’ve been very blessed to have this team walk through this with us. This whole experience never felt rushed, insincere, or even money-centric. Their knowledge, expertise, and care for us as a client has been evident every step of the way.”

Claire summed up the entire experience. 

“We really appreciated the personal approach during such a sensitive time. We were hurting, but we also had a million time-sensitive tasks we needed to do. OneAscent Wealth took the stress out of the financial side of things and made us feel like we have a friend and a partner to help guide us no matter what life throws at us.”

We would like to thank Alex and Claire for sharing their story. As a team, we are always talking about ways we can improve customer service and client engagement, and it feels good to receive such positive feedback. We are grateful for their kind and open-hearted feedback. 

Do you need help planning your investments or navigating life’s unexpected trials? Let us know how we can help. Contact us to schedule a conversation with an advisor today!