Living Out Our “Live Well” Philosophy: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

February 12, 2021

By Principals/Managing Partners, James Zahansky, AWMA® & Laurence Hale, AAMS, CRPS

At Weiss, Hale & Zahansky we pride ourselves on our commitment to living out our strategic Plan Well, Invest Well, Live Well™ process not only for our clients, but for the greater community as well. As we celebrate Black History Month, particularly after the events of the last year, we are reminded that access to the resources required to live well is not equally available to all. As a morally responsible organization, engaged community members, and empathetic individuals, we maintain a commitment to do all we can to help change that.

This month we are taking time at our weekly team meetings to help further educate each other on black history, with each team member presenting on a historically significant black person and their impact on society, our country, and in some cases our own industry. Jim, for example, will be sharing the story of June Middleton, the first female black trader on Wall Street.

While these discussions are educational and meaningful, none of us can do our part to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion if we only pause to think about those issues one month out of the year. Bringing about real change requires ongoing attention, self-reflection, conversation and meaningful action on the part of each and every one of us in our own lives, organizations and communities.

Here at WHZ we strive to do just that. We hold Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team discussions. We seek to learn more by reading and discussing books such as So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo, which wehighly recommend among other important options. And we invest in equality in our community, most recently donating $2,000 on behalf of our clients to allow underserved black children to attend summer camp at the Hale YMCA in Putnam.

The point is that none of us can “Live Well” to its fullest potential without helping each other and helping those that may need more to reach opportunity. This month, and every month, week and day ahead that we serve our clients, we are committed to also serving our community – the whole community – so that we can all Live Well together.

Authored by Principals/Managing Partners, James Zahansky, AWMA® and Laurence Hale, AAMS, CRPS. Securities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. These materials are general in nature and do not address your specific situation. For your specific investment needs, please discuss your individual circumstances with your representative. Weiss, Hale & Zahansky Strategic Wealth Advisors does not provide tax or legal advice, and nothing in the accompanying pages should be construed as specific tax or legal advice. 697 Pomfret Street, Pomfret Center, CT 06259, 860-928-2341. http://www.whzwealth.com.