FROM THE ATTORNEY’S PEN

by Michelle Tucker

Sterling & Tucker is now in its 15th year of existence. If we were going to fail as a start up business, it would have happened by now. Instead, we grew slowly but steadily in the direction of our mission - to be prepared to assist you with any hurdle that you encounter in your quest to achieve financial goals and maintain financial stability and security.

As we progress through life, our concerns evolve from raising a family to financing a home, or a business, or an education for someone, then on to comfortable retirement, to providing a legacy for our children or family or charity, protecting our hard earned assets, and finally in some lives, to coping with the horrendous cost of long term care. And of course at each step, we don’t want to pay any taxes! We have been in this business long enough to have assisted clients with most every aspect

Why is this important? Well, of course, it is important because our commitment to you is not just to prepare a plan, but to help you see it through to fruition. Perhaps fruition is not a good choice of words. Many of our plans have to do with planning for a time of crisis in your life - death and disability. Making plans ahead of time will provide comfort to your family at a time of crisis - small consolation for the loss your family feels, but consolation nonetheless. It is satisfying as a professional to have relationships with our clients that have lasted for years.

Our newest undertaking, the financial services business, is only 8 years old. There have been times when we questioned the value of assisting clients in this arena. Success in this business is by far the most complicated. We have persevered in large part because we see the financial devastation that people suffer from making bad decisions. Also, because for clients that have taken our advice, we hear of the peace of mind they get from responsible guidance.

I am happy to report that our financial services business is on solid ground. We have combined our practice with the practice of two other financial services professionals, Diane Ho and Dexter Aoki. Diane and Dexter will be doing the work formerly done by David Smith, who is no longer working with us. We are confident in the work that he did while he was here. Tim Schroth is still working with us, but sadly he is being deployed to Iraq for a year. With great confidence I can say that you are in good hands with Diane and Dexter. The combined experience of Diane and Dexter, coupled with the experience of the many other professionals at Sterling & Tucker, amounts to a resource for our clients not otherwise easily available. We strive for perfection, are conscientious, proud to be of service to you, and humbled by your trust in us. Diane and Dexter have brought another valuable professional with them - their administrative assistant Jennifer Chun. For those of you who have been working with Candice Holmes on financial service matters, she is now officially on maternity leave and when she returns, will be working in the legal department. We have now filled the whole fourth floor, and we believe we have reached a size and maturity that is solid, and a breadth of services that is extraordinary.