Words We Live By — 30 Years of KWB-isms
Kerry always says that if he can walk away from a conference with one good idea, the whole experience is worth it. And he always walks away with at least one good idea. No matter whether these KWB-isms are pure Kerry or wisdom gleaned from someone Kerry crossed paths with — these are words KWB lives by. Each KWB-ism cited here is paired with one of our core values — because our KWB-isms and our KWB core values go hand-in-hand.
"Whoever you travel with will determine your destination."
Kerry says this about clients, about team members, and about the firm's partners. The people around you shape where you end up — whether you're building a business, planning for retirement, or developing a team. At KWB, we are intentional about who we bring into our world, because we believe the right relationships don't just make the journey better — they change where you arrive.
Core value: Purposeful Leadership
"It's time."
Three decades ago, Kerry picked up the phone and said two words to Lisa that changed everything. It wasn't a long speech. It wasn't a detailed plan. It was clarity — the kind that only comes after years of preparation, patience, and knowing exactly what you believe. KWB was born from that moment. And the willingness to act decisively when the time is right has been part of our culture ever since.
Core value: Purposeful Leadership
"Not all growth is good growth."
In an industry that often measures success by how fast a firm grows, KWB has always asked a different question: are we growing in a way that makes us better? Expansion that strains culture, dilutes service, or compromises values isn't growth — it's just noise. This phrase has guided every hiring decision, every new client relationship, and every strategic choice the firm has made over thirty years.
"Strong relationships are compounding relationships."
Kerry borrowed the language of investing and applied it to something more fundamental: people. The clients who have been with KWB for decades didn't stay because of market performance alone. They stayed because the relationship kept getting richer — more trust, more understanding, more history. That compounding effect is what KWB has been building, one conversation at a time, for thirty years.
Core value: Approachable Professionalism
"If my company cannot be great without me,
it is not yet a great company."
From the beginning, Kerry's goal was not to build a practice that depended on him. It was to build a firm — one with systems, culture, and a team strong enough to deliver on its promises regardless of who was in the room. Thirty years later, with 21 professionals and a next generation of leadership in place, this is definitely a KWB-ism that has become a reality.
Core value: Purposeful Leadership
"Ask because you want to know. Listen because you want to grow."
This one defines how KWB approaches every client relationship and every team conversation. It's easy to ask questions you already know the answers to — harder to ask them because you genuinely want to understand. Kerry has pointed his compass here for over thirty years, and it's shaped a culture where listening is valued as a professional skill, not just a courtesy.
Core value: Approachable Professionalism
"Play to win — not to avoid losing."
Kerry uses this one when he sees individuals or organizations getting conservative at exactly the wrong moment — protecting a lead instead of extending it. At KWB, this applies to how we think about growth, how we serve clients, and how we approach every moment. Staying on offense doesn't mean being reckless. It means never letting fear of losing the drive of decisions that should be driven by vision.
Core value: Purposeful Leadership
"Good is the enemy of great."
It would be easy to quantify in clients and assets what KWB has built over 30 years of growth and call it good. Kerry never has. And he never will. This phrase is a standing challenge to the entire team: don't settle for what's working when what's possible is still out there. It's why we keep asking how we can do this better, even when the answer isn't obvious.
“Your attitude determines your altitude.”
— Zig Ziglar
This isn’t just a Kerry favorite, it’s favorite of one of our longest team members and friends. Robert Bullock retired at the end of 2025, but like this quote, his positive impact on KWB is timeless. He was integral in paving the road we continue to follow as we move into our next 30 years and beyond.
Core value: Purposeful Leadership
“If you keep on doing what you’ve been doing,
you’ll keep on getting what you’ve been getting.”
— Zig Ziglar
Kerry has quoted Zig Ziglar for as long as most of the KWB team can remember, and this one has always been his way of challenging complacency without making it personal. It's a simple truth: systems, habits, and behaviors produce predictable results. If the results aren't what you want, something has to change. At KWB, this idea is a standing invitation to question the way we do things, not because something is broken, but because better is always possible. Thirty years of asking that question is a big part of how we got here.
"Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful”
— Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett's most famous investing principle resonates deeply with Kerry — not just as market wisdom, but as a philosophy for how to think clearly under pressure. When everyone around you is panicking, that is precisely when discipline and preparation matter most. At KWB, we help our clients resist the pull of the crowd — staying the course when it's hard and staying humble when it's easy. Thirty years of doing this consistently — that’s what legacy looks like.
"Only the paranoid survive.”
— Andy Grove
Andy Grove, the legendary CEO of Intel, wrote these words as a warning to leaders who get comfortable at the top. Kerry has kept this idea close throughout KWB's thirty-year journey. Success is not a destination — it's a position to be earned every single day. The firms that disappear aren't always the ones that failed outright. Often, they're the ones who simply stopped paying attention.
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others."
— African proverb
Kerry returns to this idea again and again — in how he mentors his team, in how he thinks about client relationships, and in how he navigates the long game of building a lasting firm. KWB was never designed to be fast. It was designed to go far. That means investing in people, building real partnerships, and choosing collaboration over shortcuts — every time. Thirty years later, the proof is in the distance we've covered together.
Core value: Purposeful Leadership
"People don't care how much you know
until they know how much you care."
— Theodore Roosevelt
In financial services, it can be tempting to lead with credentials, track records, and technical expertise. Kerry has always believed that's the wrong order. Before a client can trust your advice, they need to know that you have their best interests at heart — that this is about their life, not your numbers. At KWB, we lead with care. The expertise and trust have built upon each other — one relationship at a time.
Core value: Approachable Professionalism
"Everything worthwhile is uphill."
Kerry has always been direct about the fact that building something meaningful is hard. This phrase is his way of reframing the difficulty — not as a reason to slow down, but as a sign you're headed somewhere worth going. The context Kerry often adds: many people have uphill hopes with downhill habits. At KWB, we close that gap every day.
"Chance favors the prepared."
Kerry first said this in the context of an early and pivotal opportunity — one that came KWB's way not by luck, but because years of relationship-building and expertise had laid the groundwork. The lesson has stayed with the firm ever since. Opportunities don't just appear — they reveal themselves to people who have done the work. At KWB, preparation is how we show up for our clients every single day.
"When you're ripe, you rot. When you're green, you ripen."
Thirty years in business could easily breed complacency. Kerry has never let it. This is one of the most repeated phrases in the KWB office because it captures something we genuinely believe: the moment a firm — or a person — decides they have nothing left to learn is the moment they start falling behind. At KWB, staying curious isn't just encouraged. It's expected.
"Show up on time. Do what you say you're going to do.
Finish what you start.
Say please and thank you.
And do it with a sense of urgency."
These five commitments — Kerry's signature expansion of Dan Sullivan's four traits of referability — are as close to a KWB constitution as anything we have. The first four are timeless principles of professionalism and character. The fifth is Kerry's own addition, and it's the one that separates good service from remarkable service. Urgency isn't about rushing — it's about signaling to every client that their financial life matters right now, not eventually. Together, these five habits are the reason KWB has built a firm that grows referral by referral, relationship by relationship.