Foreword to What Matters Most

by Laurence Barton, Ph.D.

President and Chief Executive Officer

The American College

Money is tangible, but it is also emotional in nature. It is necessary for the exchange of goods and services, but is also what divides spouses and families and is often the source of permanent scars among loved ones. It is used to rebuild entire nations and their infrastructure, but it is equally vital to support the poorest among us for food and shelter.

Interestingly enough, many individuals spend more time analyzing the sports scores or their horoscope in the daily newspaper than they invest in monitoring their daily financial health.  A simple change in attitude, and time management, could make such a tremendous differential in the quality of lives for clients—but someone must teach them how to create that behavioral change, and how to maintain that quality diet of factual, unbiased financial information.

Jim Munchbach has written a book that crisply articulates a formula of success that will help clients navigate waters that can often be murky. His message is a powerful one: just as each of us needs to trust the person who administers care to us in meeting our medical, spiritual and relationship needs, so too must we trust those who have a fiduciary responsibility for our money. Getting and keeping that trust requires skills that are mathematical in nature, but they are also grounded in understanding the unique, specific goals of each client, every family owned business and each person we encounter in our careers.

I salute Jim for writing such a helpful book, and encourage you to continue your journey of research into meeting—and exceeding—client dreams.

by Laurence Barton, Ph.D.

President and Chief Executive Officer

The American College