W

hen we left him last, our hero, Joe Schmuck Investor, was 

poised to phone an independent advisor (after a kindly 

reminder from wife Jane that if he lost any more of her 

money, Power of Attorney or not, he’d suffer the wrath of 

her brother Brutus; a powerlifter with an ill temper and a steroid habit).

Joe calls Hense R. Ellis II of Insight Investments, LLC, and, after a 30 

minute initial talk, Joe says, “Thank you, and I’ll call back with a date and 

time.” Joe tilts his head, then it hits him: 

An advisor I never met just gave me 30 

minutes for free, spent most of the time asking about my wife, kids, parents—even 

my dog, then insisted that both my wife and I be present at all meetings.

“Honey!” Joe exclaims. “We gotta meet a guy for lunch.”

Meet him they did--more like he met them--at a local Destin golf club.  It 

wasn’t till they’d ordered dessert when this polite advisor asked, “What can I 

tell you about me?” They discussed his Education: all three degrees worth of 

it literally “surrounded” the world of Economics and Investments--kinda like 

police surround a robbery suspect. His experience: investments, government, 

banking, small business and estate management. Been investin in personal 

and family assets since 1981; that’s 35 years. Extensive travel that had yielded 

an obvious global perspective and some handy contacts worldwide. (Joe knew 

no one outside his poker club.) Perspective: broad, international, realistic and 

especially objective. With multiple licenses and “no dog in any hunt”, he’d 

taken lots of steps to insure his independence, remove bias and foster loyalty 

to clients. His goal? To recommend what best suited clients--NOT what fi t a 

narrow business model. 

Afterwards, driving home, Jane asked. “You know what I like most about 

this Hense guy?”

Joe shrugged. He’d learned long ago not to guess his wife’s thoughts. Wiser 

to wait and let them materialize.

“He’s humble, Joe. He has reason to be haughty, but all I sensed was 

humility.”

Joe nods, an act proven to regain his wife’s approval. “Ah, you’re right, 

honey. Maybe it’s because he’s from a small town.”

“Or,” Jane offered, “Maybe he’s seen enough of life to have earned it.”

Joe’s face twisted into confusion. “Huh?” Jane fi nished. “My dad says the 

best humility is 

earned humility.” 

Joe re-nodded. “Maybe that’s why he likes alternatives that don’t drop with 

the stock market.”

Jane added, “Yet, he still presents the negatives of 

every investment 

approach. Did our old advisors 

really do that? But it’s stock market risk that’s 

our main worry.”

Joe amen-ed that one. “Like he said:

 ‘Stocks ain’t cheap, but there’s a lot of 

reasons for ‘em to get that way.’ “

Jane: “ ... and CD rates are just plain ugly.”

Joe: “And just how safe are the banks? That’s who went under last time!”

Jane concluded “think about it. Before we met him, we didn’t know his fi ve 

favorite lower risk plays 

even existed.”

Joe breathed a sigh of relief as he turned into their driveway.

 Maybe, for 

once, he’d failed to disappoint his wife. Maybe, tonight, the Schmuck household 

was in for some long overdue romance. Take that Brutus!

This article does not represent personal investment advice. It provides no promise, guarantee, assurance, or 

even suggestion that any investment plan, product, tactic, approach, or strategy will be suitable or will produce 

positive returns for any investor. Please secure and carefully read the full Insight Investments, LLC Disclaimer 

by calling 850-533-9887, or see it at www.InsightInvestments.org. Hense R. Ellis II is an Investment Advisor 

Representative. Hense and IInsight Investments, LLC is a Florida and Alabama Registered Investment 

Advisor. Hense is also an insurance agent, licensed in Florida and Alabama. Drafted on May 1, 2016, this article 

represents data current on or near that date; thus, please confi rm the same data on the date you read this.

To learn more, see www.InsightInvestments.org or call 850-533-9887.

“Joe Schmuck Investor Makes His Move”

story by

 Hense R. Ellis II  |  

photo by

 Howard Robinson

94    |    DestinMagazine.com

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