I skipped my radio show on boarded a jet to the Bay area. I sat next to the head of the AMGEN Oncology Portfolio of new cancer treatments. What a powerful one hour plane flight we shared. Each of us left with the feeling that we needed to stay in contact with one another as our conversations were riveting. He shared that a number of drug companies were on the verge of revolutionary treatments for cancer where chemotherapy would be replaced with immune system boosting. Essentially, it would flag the cancer cell to send a message to the immune system that the cancer cell was there and should be killed by the immune system.
Can you imagine, a loved one, a child, a daughter, a parent, gets that terrible diagnosis; and the solution is a series of injections that leads to the body fighting off the cancer and it is the cancer that perishes rather than our loved one?
I boarded that plane the Friday before Memorial Day for a somber reason. I was to join a remarkable gathering at the Elks Lodge in San Mateo to honor a friend, a colleague. In this hectic world we live, we make what plans we can with family leading up to any holiday and cast aside any interference with that precious time.
What is remarkable about this special gathering is that friends and Certified Public Accountants came from across the United States to pay tribute Vince Chin. While the public is unaware of his impact across America, it was both powerful and a game changer.
In a recent interview on Financial Fridays, we shared the mike with the storied UCLA coach Terry Donahue. When he spoke of his greatest players over the years, he said the measure of the man was not of the stats and accomplishments on football field, but rather what he gave back selflessly to the community.
While Vince spent a career representing the best interests of CPAs, the best interests of the profession, he also contributed selflessly to the community that was significantly above the call of duty. He lead the leaders of the financial planning profession for two decades, almost the entire span of the modern era of financial planning, to position and assist Americas most dedicated leaders in financial literacy for the greater public good. While there are many players that rightly lay claim to the advancement of a greater understanding of what’s in our wallets, Vince worked tirelessly to harness the ambitions and talents that set the table for Americas greatest challenge, creation of an informed public to make wise financial decisions.
We were reminded of that impact over the last few weeks with the legislation that supports financial literacy education in California. Finally, after decades of effort, and on the eve of his passing, the California legislature has finally begun to adopt financial literacy standards for the educational system.
About a year and a half ago, Vince hit turbulence in a flight from Sacramento to Los Angeles. The tray table was down, and the resulting injury was fractured ribs. When he was taken for x-rays, tumors lit up the screen. Vince did not show any symptoms, but, as a non-smoker, had contracted lung cancer, and his passing left a newborn son, Vince, Jr. I will always hold a special place for Vince as a leader, as one who selflessly did what was best, and most importantly, how he cherished his short time with his new born son and wife Tiffany.
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Leonard C. Wright, CPA/PFS, CFP, CLU, ChFC
Money Doctor, AICPA
KLAV 1230 AM Financial Fridays Radio Show Host
213-447-1833