He is so kind and has always been interested in what's going on in my life. He was a true Indiana Jones archeologist until I was born.
Then, he didn't want to travel that much, so he became a futures trader and took my mom and me on the majority of his business trips. He is thoughtful and kind and a wonderful teacher. We always did charity work together when I was growing up, and now that he is retired, he works with a number of charities. One of my best memories with him is when I now also in finance had just taken my first CFA exam. He and I sat and shared a great brandy.
It was the first time I felt like his equal and that was worth every ounce of work I had ever done. I could talk about my dad forever, but if people reading this have one takeaway, it's that, regardless of how smart he is, he always treats people with kindness and does his best to meet them on whatever level they are intellectually. I think kids are smarter than they get credit for, and being talked to like an adult, but using language and concepts they understand, will make the relationship you have long term better.
Because of that, he couldn't stand up properly and walked a bit funny. While he and my mom were dating, my mom — whom he always claimed was so far out of his league — confessed that she had to break up with him. She said she couldn't get past how he walked, and the way his back looked was a deal-breaker for her.
He took a moment After that, my mom cried for two days and realized how great he was and how stupid she was for breaking up with someone over such a superficial reason. She went and begged to have him back. They were married for almost 30 years! I guess to answer your question: My dad raised me to be supportive of those you are close to, and you don't need to spend a lot of money or make grand gestures to show someone you care for them.
