Sparky Anderson once described Opening Day in Cincinnati as a holiday. “… a baseball holiday! Ain’t no other place in America got that!” And no Cincinnatian worth their weight in Skyline Chili or Graeter’s Ice Cream is going to argue with that heritage. The city’s legacy as home of the first professional baseball team is preserved forever.
But what about your legacy? Have you ever considered the similarities between the game of baseball and the “game” of wealth management, and the importance of preserving your family’s financial heirloom for generations to come?
Mike Miller has.
Miller leads LCNB National Bank’s wealth management division. He not only sees the important parallels between protecting your legacy and preserving the history of baseball, but he also abides by them.
Evidenced through his and his wealth management team’s dedication to help people grow, protect, and transfer their wealth to future generations, Mike shares his own legacy through a unique collection of baseball memorabilia, much of it pertaining to the Cincinnati Reds.
“There is a connection between the path of baseball from the 1860s to the present day of this country,” Miller says. “My collection consists of 2,000 autographs — on baseballs, programs, photos, helmets, hats, and other odd pieces. It’s a large autograph collection about the history of baseball.”
Upon entering his office, clients encounter a few pieces of his collection, but the vast majority of it is at home. “My wife would say I’m obsessive and overspending, but my love of baseball goes back to when I was a kid,” Miller shares, chuckling.
While Miller’s collection is focused on the Cincinnati Reds, he also incorporates other players who were stars or who were notable through famous games or plays in baseball lore. “It’s more of a history lesson,” Miller explains. His personal connection to “The National Pastime” began with watching games with his dad as a child, playing Little League, and continued throughout his high school baseball-playing days.
So, how does Miller’s love of baseball history connect to his work today at the bank? LCNB National Bank was founded in 1877, and its Wealth/Trust department can trace its roots to 1938.
“Baseball is played today the same way it was played in the 1930s. It’s basically the same game. There have been many rule changes but what has really improved is the conditioning of the players and the equipment that’s available,” Miller explains. “While it’s more sophisticated with technology and options, the fundamental game of wealth management is [also] still the same. It’s about paying attention to people, helping them understand what legacy they want to leave to their children, their grandchildren, their communities, and helping them get the right tools and options.”
Miller believes the wealth management team at LCNB is comprised of better conditioned investment advisers, trust officers and financial planners than those at other financial companies, and that LCNB’s customer service is unmatched in the industry. “There is more knowledge, wisdom and history to make us more robust in the current iteration of what we’re doing,” Miller says.
Team Spirit
He credits part of LCNB’s success to getting the right people together, much like a baseball team.
“You’ve got the manager, you’ve got the coaches, you've got the stars and different position and utility players who can fill in for different areas. But we also have people who gained valuable experience from other organizations and that adds value to [our team].”
Creating personal connections with clients and understanding their goals is one of the ways LCNB sets itself apart from other banking organizations. “We can hire all kinds of experts in investments and trusts and financial planning, but if they can’t relate to people or can’t connect to people on a one-to-one level, they’re not going to help us or help the people we work for,” Miller says.
That team mentality, he continues, is the personal touch that keeps the wealth division working with their clients’ best interests in mind. And the LCNB team’s roster of seasoned investment advisors, trust officers and financial planners makes LCNB more robust and ready to help their clients manage their wealth and “play ball” for the long term.
Miller’s appreciation of baseball’s rich legacy and storied history naturally complements his recognition for clients’ desired legacies and helping them secure a better financial future for themselves and their heirs for generations to come.
“Our first question is always ‘What do you want, what do you need?’ We want to assess where they are and where they want to go. We want to understand what direction they want to head in. We want to support and help them to do what they want. We have the expertise. We can go down any path they want to, but we can help clients understand the options better when we know more about the client.”
Do you have a financial legacy you want to protect for generations to come? Connect with the nearest LCNB National Bank at lcnb.com.