I started writing this entry at a lovely roadside farm on Route 4 in Durham, not far from the University of New Hampshire, which has, connected to it, a café and gift shop, a greenhouse with vegetables, plants, flowers and herbs for sale, plus places for kids to play, frolic and pet farm animals.

It’s a bright sunny day, the birds are chirping and my coffee tasty. I am seated at a picnic table where I can see kiddos climbing onto a full-sized wooden replica of a tractor, painted bright green and yellow; there’s also a sandy area with shovels and buckets ready for use. I took a peek later on and didn’t see any castles in the making – perhaps the little ones were just getting started.

I think this turned out to be the perfect setting to start on my theme, although unintentionally, as today’s visit was impulsive and not connected to my blogging. My spur-of-the-moment plan was to get coffee, browse around, do a bit of “scribbling,” then head to a nearby driving range for a little golf practice. It all worked out well.

I first heard the concept of a holistic approach to financial services years ago, prior to when I started Soleares. It came from an executive at a leading annuity insurer who thought it a preferable alternative to the “transactional” or “product-centric” style that certain advisors, brokers and agents employed back then – during the middle of the variable annuity arms race period – and, of course, many continue with to this day.

Forgive me if the holistic model is obvious to you all but, in a nutshell, it involves considering a client’s overall financial assets, needs and goals, before deciding on the purchase of a particular product. What are the terms bandied about in this process? We all know them: accumulation, income, protection, taxes, wealth transfer, investment diversity, liquidity, to name a few.

I took a quick look on the web and became convinced that holistic advice has grown greatly in terms of adherents (most often among fee-based advisors), strategies and tools, the latter rather sophisticated. Unfortunately, I get the feeling that such advice is pricey, not something that Joe and Jill Sixpack can easily afford.

But let’s set aside the affordability question for the moment. How do annuities fit into the picture? Do holistic advisors purchase annuities for their clients, and if they do, for what purposes? Are there any hard numbers, or even anecdotes, to share on those fronts? If so, I would welcome a look at them.

My feeling is that if a holistic approach is good for one’s physical health, it should be the same for one’s financial well-being. Moreover, it may be a great way to ensure the industry’s long-term health as well.