Estate planning, the stock market, and the potential downside of wealth, with John M. Jennings

Money solves many problems, but it doesn’t solve *all* of them. And in some cases, wealth can actually create some new problems. Here to talk about that dynamic — and how people can get ahead of those issues by proactively managing their wealth — is someone who’s helped dozens of families do exactly that over the last couple of decades.

 

John M. Jennings is president and chief strategist of St. Louis Trust & Family Office, a $15 billion wealth management firm. His book, “The Uncertainty Solution”, is an engaging dive into investing philosophy and best practices as well as an authoritative, accessible guide for anyone who feels inundated with financial news and data. 

 

Listen to the full episode for more on the “unsexy” task of figuring out cash flow, why having large amounts of wealth can come with its own unanticipated problems, John’s insights into investment, and a lot more.

 

Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Learn: 

 

• More info about what John’s organization does, and what differentiates them from other competitors

• The power of “ridiculous customization”, plus why John’s company starts with the “unsexy” things (like cash flow) before anything else related to investment

• Why having major wealth isn’t always “puppies and butterflies”

• More about the intricacies of estate (and other types of) tax, and when a family or business owner should seek advice in order to minimize how much they pay in taxes

• Some of the biggest insights from John’s book, “The Uncertainty Solution” — and why it’s not actually just an investment book

• Why John didn’t buy Amazon stock — and what that says about the overall stock market

• What John prioritizes when it comes to his physical and mental health, and why those habits help him perform his best

• Why John’s measure of success in his personal life is related to naptime

• More about the journey it took for John to finally write his book despite a lot of self-doubt 

• Several of John’s top book recommendations

 

Resources Mentioned in This Episode: 

• John’s website and blog

• St. Louis Trust & Family Office website

• “The Uncertainty Solution: How to Invest with Confidence in the Face of the Unknown” by John M. Jennings

• “The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing” by Michael J. Mauboussin

• “The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

• “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman

• “Winning the Loser’s Game: Timeless Strategies for Successful Investing” by Charles Ellis

• “Scale: The Universal Laws of Life, Growth, and Death in Organisms, Cities, and Companies” by Geoffrey West 

• Buy a copy of “Lost at CEO: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Strategy” by Carl J. Cox 

• 40 Strategy

• Contact 40 Strategy

• Carl J. Cox on LinkedIn