The Master’s Minute

Helpful Tools and Tips

Be Ordinary

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A client recently gave me the book Ordinary. It was a timely gift that has spawned some interesting conversations with family and friends. One of the main talking points of the book is that in our society no one wants to be ordinary. We perceive that ordinary is mundane and boring. We are led to believe that we are somehow giving in to mediocrity if we settle for the ordinary. As… Read More

Let’s Not Be Human

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Every quarter, J.P Morgan Asset Management releases a small flip book called “Guide to the Markets.” It has 70 pages of colored charts that show statistics on the economy, U.S. and foreign stocks, U.S. and foreign bonds and asset allocation. The “Guide” is my go-to resource for information on what is happening in the various sectors of the market. One of my favorite charts in the guide shows various investment… Read More

Blessed?

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I often find myself using the word blessed.  I suspect that we might use this word too casually.  We are blessed when we get a pay raise.  We are blessed when we have a series of warm pleasant days.  We are blessed when a new healthy baby arrives in our family.  We are blessed when we see our children making responsible decisions and then those decisions lead to preferred outcomes. … Read More

Enough

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John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, told the following story about writers Kurt Vonnegut and Joe Heller: “They met at a party on Shelter Island. Kurt looks at Joe and says, ‘That guy, our host over there, he made a billion dollars today. He’s made more money in one day than you made on every single copy of ‘Catch 22,’ [Heller’s novel].’” “And Heller looks as Vonnegut and says,… Read More

I Need New Sheets

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I need new sheets for my bed. There was a point in my life when sheets were sheets, but not anymore. What I now consider newly acquired refined tastes, my friends simply call High Maintenance. They shake their heads at the lengths to which I will go to get the best product at the best price. For instance, I’m a big fan of those who submit their product reviews on… Read More

A Tribute to My Father-in-Law

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The year 2015 marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of my father-in-law, Aaron H. Hollinger. I had the privilege of knowing him for almost 25 years. We had many great conversations over that time. His perspective was unique in that he was a minister, bishop and church leader while also being an entrepreneur and business owner. We could talk about most anything. Often times our conversations would head down… Read More

Peace for 2015

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Here we are at the birth of a new year. 2015 is here already! Typically this time causes us to reflect on what has transpired in the previous year and make plans for the year to come. None of us knows what this year holds, but we do know that life is predictable on one hand yet unforeseeable on the other. If you experience a surprise (good or bad), we… Read More

A Calming Perspective

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I have always appreciated gaining the perspective of those around me, especially when I am feeling undue pressure. This fall I took on a big project – building a large deck out of concrete blocks and pavers. The job required a lot of precise measuring, leveling, and grading. I got so wrapped up in the project that at times I was trying to get almost every paver perfectly level. Thankfully,… Read More