I’m becoming more like Larry David as I get older. Not the hypocritical part of Larry, but the part that says what he feels without a filter.
Years ago, I worked at that Fakakta law firm, and one of the named partners, came up to me and asked what law I practiced. I said ERISA and he said he didn’t know anything about it, and walked away. You can laugh, but he was one of the smart ones. Going to law school doesn’t mean you know every facet of the law. I know that, every time I talk to my wife, who drafts motions and appeals.
The most difficult clients for me, are attorneys. Just because they don’t know ERISA, doesn’t mean anything. I was on a call with an advisor and a tax attorney on their client’s matter with a husband and wife. The tax attorney treated me like I was sort of an idiot when I talked about the controlled group rules and the limited spousal exception to those rules, that his client didn’t meet. Rather than accept what I was saying, this tax attorney asked about my experience and whether I ever heard of some attorney, that I never have.
I suspect that most plan providers will agree with me or if they don’t, that they’re most difficult clients are doctors. But that’s a post for another day.
