The Ultimate Decision-Making Tool

The most powerful decision-making tool your clients will ever use doesn’t come from you. It comes from them.

When clients clarify their Values, Purpose, and Roles — what we call their Personal Vision — they create a framework that makes life’s hardest decisions clearer.

I’ve seen it in my own life. 

A few years ago, Total Family wasn’t on the financial footing we wanted. I made a bad hire — a senior team member with a salary larger than anyone else in the company, including me. The business couldn’t sustain it.

As I thought about how to share the news with my team, I considered “spinning” it. But then I looked at my Values. One word jumped off the page: authenticity. 

That value made the decision obvious — tell the truth. Admit the mistake. Commit to doing better.

[A screen capture within Total Family’s FamilyOS. Personal Vision view, with Life Phase (top left), Roles (left middle), Purpose (top right), and Values (bottom right)]

Purpose is equally as powerful. Mine is simple: leave it better than you found it. That phrase rings in my head daily. I hear it when I’m about to walk past a piece of trash or leave a hotel room. 

And it applies to people, too. Are people better off for working at Total Family? 

Are we leaving them better than we found them?

A Purpose Statement, when done right, doesn’t just sound good on a page. It shapes decisions — big and small.

And finally, my Roles gave me clarity. My three non-negotiables are:

• My work at Total Family

• Being a parent

• Being a husband

If I fail in any of those three areas, nothing else would make up for it. Everything else takes a back seat. That clarity makes tradeoffs easier.

If I fail in any of those three areas, nothing else would make up for it. Everything else takes a back seat. That clarity makes tradeoffs easier.

Values. Purpose. Roles.
Together, they form a compass that never leaves your clients’ side.

Whether they’re deciding how to raise their kids, what causes to support, or how to steward their wealth, this framework helps them choose with confidence.

As an advisor, helping clients build this clarity by giving them this tool is one of the most powerful gifts you can offer.

It doesn’t just guide their financial life.
It guides their whole life.
And they’ll always remember who helped them discover it.