The Power of Moments: Creating Meaningful Experiences in Life and Wealth
At SJS Investment Services, we believe the client experience is about more than numbers on a page. Our mission is to empower you to build better lives. Recently, our internal SJS Book Club explored The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath, a book that examines why certain experiences stand out — and how we can intentionally create more of them for our clients, colleagues, and communities.
At SJS Investment Services, we believe the client experience is about more than numbers on a page. Our mission is to empower you to build better lives. Recently, our internal SJS Book Club explored The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip and Dan Heath, a book that examines why certain experiences stand out — and how we can intentionally create more of them for our clients, colleagues, and communities.
Defining Moments Do Not Happen by Accident
The Heath brothers highlight that defining moments — the ones we remember long after they occur — rarely happen by chance. They are built. According to the authors, powerful moments often share four key elements:
Elevation: Experiences that are uplifting beyond the everyday routine.
Insight: A sudden realization or new understanding – an “aha” moment.
Pride: Recognition of effort, achievement, or growth.
Connection: Deepening relationships and things we both care about.
These principles apply as much to our personal lives as they do our professional and client relationships.
Creating Impactful Moments at SJS
The discussions within our SJS Book Club reinforced how closely these ideas align with the work we do. Each relationship represents an opportunity to create defining moments that bring clarity, confidence, and peace of mind.
We strive to design SJS Moments for our clients including:
Moments of Elevation: Celebrating progress when you achieve long-term goals, such as selling a business or reaching retirement readiness.
Moments of Insight: Helping you see the complete financial picture with clarity, turning uncertainty into understanding.
Moments of Pride: Recognizing the discipline and decision-making that build lasting wealth and secure legacies.
Moments of Connection: Building trust and long-term relationships grounded in shared purpose and transparency.
Why Meaningful Moments Matter
The essence of The Power of Moments is simple yet profound: how people feel during an experience determines how they remember it. For SJS, that insight is especially relevant. Every client interaction — from a planning conversation to a portfolio review to talking about the family dog — has the potential to create a lasting impression.
By being intentional about those experiences, we aim to ensure you feel supported, informed, and confident at every stage of your financial journey.
Building a Culture of Learning and Connection
Our book club discussions reflect our commitment to continual learning and improvement for the benefit of our clients and our team. As we deepen our understanding of what makes certain experiences special to who we serve, we strengthen our ability to create a meaningful, lasting impact through our work.
At SJS Investment Services, we do not just manage wealth — we help build moments that matter.
If you’d like to learn more about creating meaningful moments in your life, we encourage you to read the The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath.
Important Disclosure Information & Sources:
The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact. Chip Heath & Dan Heath, 2017, Simon & Schuster.
There is no guarantee investment strategies will be successful. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Diversification neither assures a profit nor guarantees against a loss in a declining market.
Advisory services are provided by SJS Investment Services, a registered investment advisor (RIA) with the SEC. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
SJS Book Club: The Good Life
Our purpose at SJS is to empower you to build a better life. What a better life–a good life–means varies from person-to-person. While our focus is on finances and investments, our purpose extends far beyond money.
To more deeply understand what a better life entails, the SJS Book Club recently read The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz.
By Katie Cristofoli and Bobby Adusumilli
Our purpose at SJS is to empower you to build a better life. What a better life–a good life–means varies from person-to-person. While our focus is on finances and investments, our purpose extends far beyond money.
To more deeply understand what a better life entails, the SJS Book Club recently read The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz. The Good Life summarizes findings from the ongoing Harvard Study of Adult Development, which has followed hundreds of people in the US for over 80+ years. The study combines physical exams, health metrics, psychological evaluations, and brain imaging (among other data points) throughout the participants' lives.
We believe this book beautifully combines academic research, philosophical and religious teachings, and relatable experiences on topics ranging from family, health, and work.
Here are a few insights that will stick with us:
“Good relationships keep us healthier and happier. Period.”: The book emphasizes that the single biggest factor in improving our long-term health and happiness is cultivating warm relationships. These relationships span across our family, friends, work colleagues, and communities. The better our relationships, the greater joy we typically experience over time, the healthier we will likely be, and the more protected we can feel and resilient we may be in our toughest moments.
Life–even a good life–is complicated, requires hard work, and is never perfect: Strong relationships take constant effort and intentionality–they don’t just happen. Loneliness is very harmful to our physical and mental health, and quick fixes (particularly in our world of constant technology and distractions) almost never suffice. Feuds with others take a terrible toll on us, and finding a way to forgive–even if that means not continuing a relationship–is essential. We can’t avoid the hardships in life or outrun our fate, but the more we nurture our positive relationships, the better chance we have to get through tough times and to thrive.
Money can be helpful but not sufficient for a better life: Across various surveys, younger adults tend to say that becoming rich is one of their top goals in life. We commonly see this with our interns and younger clients. We try to teach them ways to earn money, save, and invest smartly. In our experience, you can develop these traits and habits in nearly any occupation. When younger people ask us for career advice, we emphasize that it takes time and experience across multiple roles to find what you are most excited about; we also echo the sentiment of Maya Angelou: “Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.”
Giving helps us be part of something bigger than ourselves: Early on in life isn’t the only time that we can evolve. Life presents a series of opportunities for new, formative experiences. Giving–whether it is time, energy, knowledge, resources–is one of the best ways that we can change for the better. Especially when giving our time or attention, we are essentially giving our lives, which is the most valuable possession we can offer. It is important to have a balance and not over-extend yourself, but generally, as the authors write, “The more you give to others, the greater your abundance.”
We encourage you to check out The Good Life website and watch the “What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness” TED video from Robert Waldinger.