--- title: "Lessons Earned: Keep Moving Forward" description: Learn about the ways that Justin Sanderson and John Sanderson have kept Sanderson Wealth Management moving forward. image: https://insights.sandersonllc.com/hubfs/Lessons%20Earned%20Graphics19.jpg --- - [716.566.2420](tel:716-566-2420) - [Client Login](https://www.sandersonllc.com/client-login/) [![Sanderson Wealth Management](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/hubfs/Sanderson_October2019%20Theme/Images/sanderson-logo-stacked@2x.png)](https://www.sandersonllc.com/) - About - [Services](https://www.sandersonllc.com/services/) - [Our Team](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/) - [John Sanderson](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/john-sanderson/) - [Justin Sanderson](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/justin-sanderson/) - [James Warner](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/james-warner/) - [C. Michael Bader](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/mike-bader/) - [Caleb Jennings](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/caleb-jennings/) - [John Gullo](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/john-gullo/) - [Timothy Domino](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/timothy-domino/) - [Debbie Todaro](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/debbie-todaro/) - [Karen Nicpon](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/karen-nicpon/) - [Joe Bartelo](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/joe-bartelo/) - [Phil Frattali](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/phil-frattali/) - [Evan Kraft](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/evan-kraft/) - [Tucker Weppner](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/tucker-weppner/) - [Angelo Goodenough](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/angelo-goodenough/) - [Regyna Taberski](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/regyna-taberski/) - [Eric Weiher](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/eric-weiher/) - [Cameron Radziwon](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/cameron-radziwon/) - [Donna Schmitt](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/donna-schmitt/) - [Amanda Melendez](https://www.sandersonllc.com/team/amanda-melendez/) - [History](https://www.sandersonllc.com/history/) - [Mission and Values](https://www.sandersonllc.com/mission-and-values/) - [Services](https://www.sandersonllc.com/services/) - [Private Wealth Advisers](https://www.sandersonllc.com/private-wealth-advisors/) - [Investment Consulting](https://www.sandersonllc.com/investment-consulting/) - [Financial Planning](https://www.sandersonllc.com/financial-planning/) - [Estate & Generational Wealth Planning](https://www.sandersonllc.com/estate-generational-wealth-planning/) - [Business Succession Planning](https://www.sandersonllc.com/business-succession-planning/) - [Philanthropy](https://www.sandersonllc.com/philanthropy/) - [Tax Consulting](https://www.sandersonllc.com/tax-consulting-2/) - [Prosper Financial Wellness](https://www.sandersonllc.com/prosper/) - Insights - [Market Snapshot](https://www.sandersonllc.com/current-market-snapshot/) - [Sanderson Insights](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/) - [Contact Us](https://www.sandersonllc.com/contact-us/) - [Careers](https://www.sandersonllc.com/careers/) # "Lessons Earned" by John Sanderson: Keep Moving Forward by [John Sanderson, CPA, CIMA®](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/john-sanderson-cpa-cima) Oct 8, 2024 [Lessons Earned](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/tag/lessons-earned) In this series, we share some of John Sanderson's favorite insights and anecdotes from his book, “Lessons Earned.” Throughout the book, John shares dozens of lessons he has learned, starting as a young boy and culminating with his leadership as founder and chairman of Sanderson Wealth Management. ---   ![Lessons-Earned_Keep-Moving-Forward_icon](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Lessons-Earned_Keep-Moving-Forward_icon.png?width=100&height=114&name=Lessons-Earned_Keep-Moving-Forward_icon.png) Let me start by acknowledging that change isn’t always easy. From the start of my career, I had always used a paper calendar. For 34 years, that’s where I kept track of every client meeting, personal appointment, birthday, and anything else of note. It’s not an exaggeration to say I probably wrote down 100,000 different events over the course of those years. And then one day, when I came back from a brief vacation, my beloved paper calendar was gone, replaced by a digital version. My executive assistant, Donna, had transitioned everything into my computer, and was ready (as always) with a plan. She showed me how to use the new tool, and why it would be better for me—and, more important, for everyone else. I never looked back. I didn’t grow up with technology, but I certainly recognize its potential to transform the way we work.  Moving forward isn’t just about technology. It means keeping an open mind in all aspects of the business. A few years ago, my son Justin wanted Sanderson to get involved in private equity. I listened to what he said, but didn’t think it was right for the firm, so I shot the idea down. Fortunately, Justin is a persistent guy, just like me. He flew around the country and talked to dozens of people in the industry. He did his research. He found a smart way to invest in private equity in a way that alleviated my concerns. And now this asset class represents a significant part of our portfolio at Sanderson. I may be stubborn, but I’m not too proud to change my mind. As Justin takes over the reins at Sanderson, he is even more determined to keep us moving forward. There’s a wall in our office covered with an overview of our 10-year plan, broken down into 90-day increments of how we’re going to get there. As Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” As advisors, we must recognize that our clients’ circumstances, priorities, and goals change throughout their lives. Plans need to be re-addressed as time goes on. But whether it’s for ourselves or our clients, the one constant is that we always need to be looking for better, smarter ways to do things. Taking a step forward can be scary, especially if you can’t see exactly where you’re going. But if you want to get ahead and stay in the lead, it’s the only direction to go. ## Disclosure Reprinted with permission from "Lessons Earned: Stories from a Lifetime Spent Fully Invested," copyright © 2022 John R. Sanderson. This story reflects the author’s present recollections of people and experiences over time. Some identifying details have been changed and some dialogue has been recreated. While the author has made a concerted effort to provide accurate information, neither the publisher nor the author shall have any liability or responsibility for any adverse effects or loss caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly, by any information included in this story. ### Let’s talk about your future. Schedule a consultation to learn more about our investment services. ## Filter Blog Posts ### SUBJECT - [Investment Consulting (166)](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/tag/investment-consulting) - [Financial Planning (150)](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/tag/financial-planning) - [Tax Consulting (44)](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/tag/tax-consulting) - [Estate & Generational Wealth Planning (15)](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/tag/estate-generational-wealth-planning) - [Firm News (11)](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/tag/firm-news) - [Lessons Earned (11)](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/tag/lessons-earned) - [COVID-19: Market Watch (10)](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/tag/covid-19-market-watch) - [Community (5)](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/tag/community) - [Philanthropy (4)](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/tag/philanthropy) - [Business Succession Planning (3)](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/tag/business-succession-planning) - [Prosper Financial Wellness (3)](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/tag/prosper-financial-wellness) - [Ukraine: Market Watch (1)](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/tag/ukraine-market-watch) See all ### AUTHOR - [Angelo Goodenough](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/angelo-goodenough) - [C. Michael Bader, Esq., MBA, CPA, CIMA®](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/c.-michael-bader-esq.-mba-cpa-cima) - [Caleb Jennings, MBA, CFP®, CIMA®, AIF®](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/caleb-jennings-mba-cfp-cima-aif) - [Cameron Radziwon, LSSBB](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/cameron-radziwon) - [Debbie Todaro](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/debbie-todaro) - [Evan Kraft, CFP®, CRPC®](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/evan-kraft-cfp-crpc) - [James Warner, MBA, CPA, CFP®, CIMA®](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/jim-warner-mba-cpa-cfp-cima) - [Joe Bartelo, CPA](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/joe-bartelo-cpa) - [John Gullo, MBA, CFA, CFP®, CIMA®](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/john-gullo-mba-cfa-cfp-cima) - [John Sanderson, CPA, CIMA®](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/john-sanderson-cpa-cima) - [Justin Sanderson, MBA, CFP®, CIMA®](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/justin-sanderson-mba-cfp-cima) - [Karen Nicpon, CPA](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/karen-nicpon-cpa) - [Phil Frattali, CFA](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/phil-frattali-cfa) - [Regyna Waterhouse](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/regyna-taberski) - [Sanderson Wealth Management](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/sanderson-wealth-management) - [Tim Domino, CPA, CFP®](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/tim-domino-cpa-cfp) - [Tucker Weppner, CFP®](https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/tucker-weppner) ## Put our experience to work for your wealth. Schedule a consultation to learn more about our investment services. ## Background Schedule a consultation to learn more about our investment services. - [CONTACT](https://www.sandersonllc.com/contact-us/) - [CAREERS](https://www.sandersonllc.com/careers/) - DISCLOSURE - [COMPLIANCE](https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/118910) © 2022 Sanderson Wealth Management LLC [716.566.2420](tel:716.566.2420) Sanderson Wealth Management, LLC (“Sanderson Wealth”) is an SEC registered investment adviser located in Buffalo, New York. The publication of Sanderson Wealth’s website on the Internet should not be construed by any consumer or prospective client as Sanderson Wealth’s solicitation or attempt to effect transactions in securities, or the rendering of personalized investment advice over the Internet.  The information on this Internet site should not be construed as the provision of personalized individual advice from Sanderson Wealth. A copy of Sanderson Wealth’s current written disclosure statement as set forth on Form ADV discussing Sanderson Wealth’s business operations, services, and fees is available upon written request.  Sanderson Wealth does not make any representations as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability or completeness of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to or incorporated herein.  All such information is provided for convenience purposes and all users thereof should be guided accordingly. ACCESS TO THIS WEB SITE IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, TIMELINESS, OR RESULTS OBTAINED FROM ANY INFORMATION POSTED ON THIS WEB SITE OR ANY THIRD PARTY WEB SITE LINKED TO THIS WEB SITE. × ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "John Sanderson, CPA, CIMA®", "url" : "https://insights.sandersonllc.com/author/john-sanderson-cpa-cima" }, "dateModified" : "2024-10-08T19:53:51.458Z", "datePublished" : "2024-10-08T19:53:51.000Z", "headline" : "Lessons Earned: Keep Moving Forward", "image" : [ "https://insights.sandersonllc.com/hubfs/Lessons%20Earned%20Graphics19.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://insights.sandersonllc.com/lessons-earned-keep-moving-forward", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://insights.sandersonllc.com/hubfs/Sanderson_October2019%20Theme/Images/sanderson-logo-stacked@2x.png" }, "name" : "Sanderson Wealth Management" } } ```