Meet a few of our clients
Our business is about helping our clients reach their goals - whatever those might be. Every one of our clients is different and we're proud of the many interesting, intelligent, adventurous people who hire us. Here are just some of the people we are lucky to call our clients and friends.
Don & Carol McClure: Life begins again in a new place
Don and Carol were medical professionals in Colorado who loved wine, especially pinot noir. Now they're the owners of a vineyard and winery near Portland, Oregon, living next to their daughter and granddaughter. Planting and growing grapes and making wine has given them a new lease on life, along with a learning curve and enough challenges to keep them young for a long time.
Wendy Scherrer: More than a survivor
Thousands of wild salmon have a future because of Wendy's work as executive director of the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association in Northwest Washington state. Wendy herself has a future thanks to a successful battle with a rare form of cancer during which she amazed medical professionals by her ability to rally a community around her. "Now everything has new meaning for me," she says. "I try to make everything I do be important."
Houston Smith: Still working fulltime at 75
A certified public accountant in a suburb of Atlanta, Houston teaches financial planning to younger CPAs and teaches clients how to deal with the emotional struggles involving money and how to create more satisfaction in their lives. In his frequent travels to professional meetings, he never flies; he always drives.
Thaddeus and Lois Spratlen: Never give up
Lois laughs when she hears her husband, an emeritus university professor, described as "retired." His schedule is as full as ever. But who is she to point fingers? At 75, she's still on the job as ombudsman at the University of Washington. Sweethearts since their own college days, the Spratlens' prevailed over decades of entrenched racism to forge academic careers that are still far from over.
Lynn and Lana Staheli: Not really "retired"
At age 72, Lynn is officially retired after 40 years as a pediatric surgeon in Seattle. This means he works only 40 or so hours a week, mostly unpaid. Lana, a counselor for 30 years, is writing a series of psychology books. Together they spend about a quarter of their time traveling and working for a global foundation they started that creates and distributes medical publications designed to improve health care around the world.
Joe and Diane Stevens: Happily, actively retired
After a lifetime of careful financial choices, Joe and Diane managed to retire relatively young and now split their lives between a home in California and a New York City apartment. They remain physically active and travel the world, often staying free in interesting houses. For decades, Joe was a workaholic military psychiatrist. Retirement's biggest surprise is how much it agrees with him and Diane, a published author.
Russell Targ Laser physicist, ESP pioneer
Retirement didn't slow down life for Russell, a pioneering laser physicist and author of several books on psychology, spirituality and extra-sensory perception. Retirement just freed him from the burden of a corporate world. Targ doesn't flinch from challenging and interesting questions: Can the future sometimes be known? Does the future somehow determine the past or the present? Can a man whose eyesight isn't good enough to read an eye chart use his special powers to get the state of California to keep renewing his driver's license? Targ believes all the answers are affirmative.
Bob Comyn Retiring in order to get to work
Mountain climber, pilot, airplane mechanic, high-tech entrepreneur, international property developer: Bob Comyn has led a full, busy life. And he's nowhere near the end of his plans.
Most people in their late 50s would aspire to look as relaxed and attractive as Bob and his wife, Bev. Fewer would be eager to implement two of this pair's secrets: Revisit teenage love when you're in middle age; and when you retire, take the time to get busy.
Disclosure: The following criteria were used in selecting the individual(s) listed above: (1) Availability to participate in a phone or face-to-face interview; (2) Geographic diversity; and (3) A compelling human interest story evidencing life change or overcoming enormous personal obstacles. It is not known whether the individual(s) listed approve or disapprove of Merriman Berkman Next, Inc. or the advisory services provided by Merriman Berkman Next, Inc. The list was prepared without regard to performance-based data.
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