Creating good by giving back is a gift to yourself, local financial advisers say. But before making a major donation to support your favorite cause, heed the following pieces of advice to avoid scams, maximize that gift and leave a lasting legacy of philanthropy. 

I have always advised clients to find a home they love, and the owners of this Ladue home state it most succinctly when asked why they chose to move here 20 years ago. “It had great curb appeal and a stately appearance—like a lovely woman who has aged gracefully, showing the wealth of her experience yet still radiating grace and beauty.”

I’ve been putting off writing this story for some time—too many things to tell you about and too little space. Yes, San Diego has a brilliant blue ocean and blue skies most of the time, mild temperatures year-round, a strong Spanish/Mexican heritage that permeates most of its architecture and culture, a huge U.S. Navy presence, amazing beaches and golf courses, a wealth of public and private universities and a world-famous zoo. You knew all this already, didn’t you?

To flourish financially into future generations, author Ellen Miley Perry says affluent families also have to thrive emotionally. A wealth adviser for 25 years and author of A Wealth of Possibilities: Navigating Family, Money and Legacy, Perry has worked with more than 150 high-net worth families throughout her career—often witnessing the same pattern. “I observed that families who flourish the most were focused on qualitative issues, not just quantitative ones,” she says. “They took time and interest in quality family relationships and raising the next generation. Far fewer families devote the same intensity, energy and commitment to human assets as they do to financial assets.”

Let's face it. Nobody really knows which investments are going to be sure-fire winners. Even the savviest financial gurus tell horror stories about seemingly reasonable ventures that inexplicably went south.

He began his career on the local high school stage and is now an award-winning Broadway star. Since his early days growing up in South St. Louis, Norbert Leo Butz has found great success on Broadway, as well as in film and television. Even with a busy schedule that includes the lead role in next month’s world premiere of Big Fish in Chicago, Butz remains close to his roots. In May, he will return to St. Louis to headline a benefit concert for The Angel Band Project, a nonprofit that uses music to encourage healing and empathy for survivors of sexual violence. The Angel Band Project was created following the murder of Butz’s sister, Teresa Butz, in 2009. With the first show on May 8 at The Sheldon sold out, a second show has been added for May 9 at the 560 Music Center. Recently, Butz took a few minutes to speak with Ladue News about his career and the concert.

There’s something about a courtroom drama that piques our interest—but with shows and movies about lawyers hitting the air waves every week, we wondered what the professionals watch. Here, we’ve asked area attorneys for their all-time favorites. (And we’re adding them to our list!)

F. SCOTT GALT, SARA MELLY, ANNA SELBY, B. SCOTT EIDSON and NANCY HAWES have joined Armstrong Teasdale LLP as partners; M. COURTNEY JACKSON and JONATHAN SHULAN joined the firm as associates.

You voted, we listened! Ladue News readers know what they like; and with this year's Platinum List, you've made your voices heard. This list compiles the best of St. Louis. 

I proudly admit it: I am a Downton Abbey fan. More important, I am a fan of English architecture and design, and what better example is there than Highclere Castle, the historic home of the eighth Earl of Carnarvon and the inspiration behind the hit series?

When people talk about voyaging to the ends of the earth, Madagascar is one of those mythical, exotic, far-flung places that qualifies as an ‘end.’ It almost seems to fall off the globe, hanging as it does near the edge of southeastern Africa.

Story: Bobby Gould and Charlie Fox have clawed and scrapped their way through the celluloid jungle known as Hollywood for more than a decade. Now, Bobby has a corner office at a big production company and Charlie has brought him a killer script. It’s by a hot writer named Doug Brown, a ‘buddy movie,’ and Charlie says it’ll make boatloads o’ money for both of them. It’ll also put their names together on the silver screen as producers of this can’t-miss hit.

Dr. SHARI COHEN opened her new practice at 555 N. New Ballas Road, in Creve Coeur. The practice shares office space with medical psychotherapist BRUCE SCHMIDT.

An elderly couple transferring wealth, an entrepreneur seeking business investment advice and a three-generation family preserving a legacy—they all turned to the Commerce Family Office.

Some of life’s biggest moments—marriage, the birth of a child and retirement—are a time to celebrate. But local legal professionals say families should also remember that life-changing events mean changes in your life insurance coverage.

In today’s challenging economic climate with mine fields of financial schemes, a trusted financial adviser has become more important than ever. So local professionals recommend doing your homework to find a reputable one.

Planning for your future can be a daunting and obscure task, but Wells Fargo Advisors is trying to make the process a little easier. With the use of the company’s Envision tool, financial advisors can help clients prepare for whatever unknowns life holds, says Kevin Whitehead, St. Louis market manager for Wells Fargo Advisors. “When you’re talking about money and things that may happen based on probability, it’s difficult because it’s not tangible. The Envision plan helps our clients see what they’re trying to accomplish, and we can make sure their investment plans are in place to achieve those goals.”

Recently, I crossed the pond to celebrate my 50th birthday with friends in Nice, France. For a day’s diversion, we drove to Cap Ferrat, considered the world’s second most expensive residential location after Monaco. 

PAUL LAURITSEN has been named as the new general manager of Moonrise Hotel.

Jeannette Walls lived a nomadic childhood, setting up precariously with her family in small towns throughout the country, until each time her father decided it was time to ‘skedaddle.’ As an adult, she examined her childhood in the memoir, The Glass Castle. Walls will visit St. Louis on Tuesday, Oct. 23, as part of Maryville University’s St. Louis Speakers Series. LN sat down with her in advance of her speaking engagement.

Story: An angry young artist sits in a dingy studio in a dilapidated warehouse. He seems miserable with his artistic output and a caliber that he finds unsatisfying. His day is made increasingly more complicated, though, when he is visited by an art authenticator of his acquaintance. Mr. Bouchard informs the artist, Patrick Stone, that he wants to commission Stone to create a forgery of Vincent van Gogh’s final self-portrait, a mythical masterpiece that long has been rumored was created by the tortured artist shortly before his death in 1890.

Story: Andrew Jackson, America’s seventh president (1829-37), was not born into the landed gentry. Quite the opposite, Jackson endured a harsh life growing up on the Western frontier from the time of his birth in 1767. Orphaned at age 14, he struck out on his own with a fervent hatred of the British and a burning desire to take land away from Native Americans for the benefit of European immigrants. Jackson eschewed the way of politics in Washington, D.C. and carved his own career as a populist and the people’s choice.

To help clients navigate today’s complex financial climate, Merrill Lynch offers a diverse group of skilled advisers to protect wealth, as well as seize potential investment opportunities. For more information, call one of the local branches—Clayton, 290-4900; Chesterfield, 636-537-4500; or Ladue, 997-2700—or visit local.ml.com/st_louis_mo.

Money can be an uncomfortable, negative or even taboo topic for families. So when it comes to parents telling their children about an inheritance, local financial advisors say ‘the right time’ is different for every family.