By Allen Giese, CLU®, ChFC®, ChSNC®
2026 marks my 35th anniversary as a financial advisor. As I look back over the past three and a half decades, one unmistakable pattern rises above everything else:
Change.
Change has been the one constant. Markets change. Tax laws change. Political leadership changes. Technologies change. Companies evolve, merge, and sometimes disappear altogether. Even the goals and priorities of our clients shift as life unfolds. Nothing stays the same for long.
And the lesson I’ve learned—sometimes the hard way—is this: Success doesn’t come from resisting change. It comes from learning to embrace it.
Markets—A Living, Breathing Organism
When I began my career in the early 1990s, the investment landscape looked very different. We were coming out of the savings-and-loan crisis. The internet didn’t yet exist as we know it. Portfolio statements were mailed and not available online.
Since then, we’ve lived through the dot-com bubble imploding, the 2008 financial crisis, historically low interest rates, a global pandemic, rapid inflation, AI emergence, and more geopolitical shocks than I can count. Each one of those felt unprecedented—and in many ways, they were.
But markets always adapted, every single time. Economies adjusted. Innovation continued, and businesses evolved to meet those challenges. From my vantage point, the investors who struggled the most were often those who tried to freeze time so things would “go back to the way they were.” The investors who fared best were those who stayed disciplined and adaptable, embraced change, and remained forward-looking.
Politics and Policy: The Rules Keep Moving
Over these 35 years, I’ve seen tax codes rewritten multiple times. Estate exemptions rise and fall. Retirement rules expand and contract. Healthcare systems transform. Each election cycle has brought uncertainty, and each legislative session brings potential change.
It can feel unsettling, especially when policy decisions directly affect your upcoming retirement, your business, or your family’s future. But one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is this: Planning isn’t about predicting the future. It’s about preparing for multiple futures.
At Northstar, we don’t build strategies based on who we think will win an election or which party will dominate Congress. We build plans that are resilient across political environments. Adaptability is not a reaction—it’s a design principle.
Technology: Disruption Is Inevitable
When I started in this industry, research meant thick binders and faxing the home office. Trades were placed by phone. Financial planning software was primitive. Today, we live in a world of real-time data, algorithmic trading, powerful planning software, AI-driven analysis, secure client portals, and digital collaboration.
Technology has dramatically improved efficiency and access, but it has also increased complexity and noise. The firms that have struggled were those that resisted modernization. The firms that thrived have invested early and significantly in technology, have learned continuously, and above all, stayed curious.
That mindset—curiosity over complacency—has been a key part of our culture at Northstar.
Companies: Growth Requires Evolution
Businesses that last as long as Northstar do not remain static. Over the decades, we have grown, refined our process multiple times, expanded our team, deepened our planning capabilities, and strengthened our infrastructure. Each evolution required letting go of something familiar. Every growth phase involved discomfort. Systems change. Roles shift. Expectations rise. But the alternative—staying stagnant—is far riskier.
Change has not weakened our company. It has sharpened it.
Clients: Life Never Stands Still
Perhaps the most meaningful changes I’ve witnessed have been in the lives of our clients. I’ve had the privilege of working with individuals and families through career transitions, business sales, marriages and divorces, the birth of children and grandchildren, retirement, and loss and legacy.
Financial plans are not static. They are living frameworks that must adjust as life unfolds. The families who thrive financially are rarely those who try to avoid life’s changes. They are the ones who anticipate that change is coming and plan with flexibility in mind.
The Personal Lesson
If I’m being honest, embracing change hasn’t always been easy. There have been times when it felt downright uncomfortable. When regulatory shifts felt burdensome. When new technology felt disruptive rather than helpful. And yes, when those who resisted change did all they could to stop it.
But over time, I’ve come to view change differently. Change is not an obstacle you navigate around. It is a terrain itself. When you accept that reality, your mindset shifts from resistance to readiness. You begin asking better questions:
How do we position ourselves for change?
Are there risks we need to manage differently?
Are new opportunities emerging?
Should we re-examine our assumptions?
That shift in perspective has been one of the greatest contributors to my own professional growth and to Northstar’s resilience and longevity.
The Risk of Clinging to “The Way It Has Always Been”
In investing, there’s a concept known as “anchoring,” the tendency to fixate on past conditions as if they should define the future. We see this beyond financial markets as well. People anchor to a prior political era, a previous interest rate environment, a former business model, and a “simpler” time.
But the world does not revert to our comfort zone. The future belongs to those who adapt thoughtfully, not those who cling nostalgically.
If you are reading this as a client of Northstar Financial Planners, here is what I want you to know: Our commitment is not to predict every change. If you know us at all, then you know we believe that is impossible. Our commitment is to help you navigate change intelligently. Which means we’ll continue building diversified portfolios and designing flexible retirement strategies. We’ll continue to stress-test your plans under multiple economic scenarios. We’ll continue to stay current on legislative developments, and we’ll continue to refine our process.
It also means maintaining a long-term perspective when short-term noise reaches new, unheard-of decibel levels.
A Final Reflection
Thirty-five years ago, I could not have predicted where this industry would go. I certainly could not have predicted the challenges along the way. But I did make one decision early on that has served me well. I chose to remain a student. To stay curious and to never stop evolving. To adapt and to view change not as a threat, but as an opportunity to improve.
As we move forward together, markets will continue to fluctuate, and political landscapes will shift. Technologies will advance, and new challenges will emerge. Through it all, the principles remain the same:
Change is constant. Growth is optional. At Northstar, we choose growth.
Thank you for your trust. It has and will continue to be an honor to face change alongside you.