Year-End Reflection Through a Three-Year Lens

As this year comes to a close and the holidays approach, I find myself spending more time than usual reflecting. On the advisory teams we serve. On our own team at ClientWise. On the future of advice.

ClientWise is wrapping up its twentieth year in business. That matters not because of the number itself, but because it feels like the close of one chapter and the beginning of another.

What stands out most to me is this. I am more optimistic about ClientWise and the wealth management profession than ever before.

Demand for advice continues to grow. Technology is finally delivering real operational leverage. The strongest firms are building teams with intent and developing the next generation of leaders. Leadership depth has shifted from a nice-to-have to a true differentiator. It’s become the competitive edge for the best in our business.

At the same time, the amount of wealth transitioning over the next decade remains extraordinary. Tiburon Strategic Advisors’ research reinforces what many leaders already see firsthand. The U.S. wealth management business remains among the most attractive professional services markets in the world. Even after decades of growth, we are still early in the long run.

That long view matters more than ever.

Short cycles create reactive decisions

Here is one lesson that continues to hold up for me, especially during year-end reflection.

When leaders think in short cycles, decisions become reactive. The focus narrows to the next month, the next quarter, or the next year. Trade-offs feel harder. Priorities blur.

When leaders extend the time horizon, clarity improves. Trade-offs become clearer. Decisions align more naturally with what matters.

Some of the advisory firms we work with think far ahead. One has articulated a one-hundred-year vision. Another recently shared a fifty-year view of the future of advice. That kind of thinking is admirable. It is also hard to sustain when the pace of change is accelerating and technology is advancing faster than most people can model.

This leads to a more practical discipline.

Think in three-year cycles

Three years is long enough to matter and close enough to remain grounded.

Start personally. Add three years to your age. Where are you? What are you doing? What have you learned? What are you investing your time and energy into? Who are you becoming? What does your calendar actually prove?

Then apply the same lens to your business.

Over a three-year arc, what seeds must you plant next year so that year two execution is cleaner and year three results are visible and real?

This time horizon reflects reality. Growth is not linear. Leadership rarely moves in straight lines.

In any given year, strong leaders are doing three things at once. They are resetting what no longer works. They are executing what is already underway. And they are beginning to see the payoff from decisions made one or two years earlier.

That overlap is what makes leadership hard.

You do not get to pull over and park the car while you reflect. You change the tires while racing down the road. Resets are about direction and focus, not inactivity.

That mindset alone changes how leaders plan, make decisions, and lead.

Five coaching questions for year-end reflection

If you can carve out a few intentional quiet moments over the next couple of weeks, these five coaching questions are worth your time.

1. Looking out several years, who must you become as a leader for the results you want to be possible?
2. If you view 2026 as a reset, 2027 as execution, and 2028 as visible impact, what three moves must you make now to set that arc in motion?
3. What are you willing to stop tolerating or stop doing because it works against the future you want to build?
4. Where do you need to invest earlier than feels comfortable so that compounding has a chance to work?
5. Who deserves a genuine high five before year-end, and what specifically are you grateful for in how they showed up in your life and work?

Strong leadership plays the long game. When the time horizon expands, the next step becomes clearer.

Twenty years in, I am grateful to the advisory teams who have trusted us with their businesses and futures, and to the ClientWise team whose commitment and judgment make our impact possible. I am more energized about what comes next than ever.

As the year wraps up, enjoy the holidays. Take stock of the wins, and step into the year ahead with intention and clarity.

About ClientWise LLC
ClientWise is a leading business and executive coaching firm serving financial professionals. We help advisors, managers, and executives grow revenue, build high-performing teams, and achieve measurable business results. Our certified coaches, members of the International Coach Federation (ICF), provide customized, action-oriented solutions tailored to each client’s goals and challenges.

With deep expertise in the financial industry, ClientWise empowers firms to enhance performance, improve client engagement, and develop next-generation leadership. Our mission is simple: help financial professionals get clear, get focused, and get results.

Questions Financial Advisors Often Ask