Dear Bernard,,

Is it better to ask the right question or give the right answer? I know so much of this depends on who is asking or answering.

According to a marketing piece published by Hartford Funds, it was a question that triggered a revolution. As the story goes, in 1973, mobile phones were not cellular but radiophones. They were basically radio transmitters and receivers produced by AT&T.

Motorola wanted to gain access to this market and put engineer Marty Cooper on the project. Marty took time to think and asked, “Why is it that when we want to call and talk to a person, we have to call a place?” The cell phone, which 98% of Americans now use, was the solution—all because Marty asked the right question. (Mobile Fact Sheet, pewresearch.org, 11/24.)

Questions and answer are such a powerful way that we communicate. Yet, so often we fail to really think when we respond. For example: "How are you?" Was your first response in your mind to say fine or good?

Part of our discovery process when we meet a new relationship is to ask questions they may not have considered before. Beyond things like, how much do you need in retirement or how much do you have to save or invest, we prefer non-financial questions.

Some of our favorite questions are these:

• What is important to you about life?
• What keeps you up at night?
• What are you passionate about?
• If money were not an issue how would you live your life?
• Tell me about your family.

These are questions you maybe have never thought of. Do you know many of these answers about your friends? How about yourself?

So next time you throw out the basic "How are you?" think about what you are asking. And if asked, how can we answer with meaning if someone really wants to know?

If you have any questions, have investments that you feel need to be reviewed, or just want to talk, please feel free to give us a call.

As always, thanks for reading.