In most areas of my life, I try to take a measured long-term point of view, but when I play golf, I tend to take chances hoping to improve my score. One example of my over aggressiveness comes from a round I played a few months ago. I was staring down my second shot on a par five, deciding if I should lay up (taking a shorter and easier shot)… Read More
Wisdom For the Wealthy
Wealth and wisdom seldom go hand in hand, but scripture offers wise instruction for the wealthy in God’s family. Here are three of those timeless principles. Remember who gives you the ability to create wealth. These are the words Moses used to warn God’s people as they prepared to enter the promised land: You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth… Read More
With Humble Gratitude – We Say “Thank You!”
Coach John Wooden coached the UCLA Men’s Basketball team from 1948-1975. Not only was his program incredibly successful, he was also one of the most highly thought of and well respected coaches of all time. I recently came across one of his motivational quotes that grabbed my attention: “Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.” Great advice! For the moment I’d like… Read More
One Blade of Grass
It’s almost that time of year to put our lawn mower away and allow it to rest for the winter. I do get satisfaction out of a lawn well mowed, but I’m ready for the grass to go dormant. This past summer I read an article in The Fishwrapper about a man named Pat, recounting lessons learned as a boy from his father. One summer Pat and his brother decided… Read More
Winning Teams
This summer has been filled with helping coach my son’s baseball team. It’s fun teaching young men how to work together as a cohesive team. There are challenges with managing egos and emotions that can get in the way of performance, but when the team clicks, it is something to watch. The team runs likes a well-oiled machine when each player understands his role and responsibilities at his specific position… Read More
Trust and Transparency
I recently finished reading The Big Short by Michael Lewis, which explores the key people and events leading up to the market crash of 2008. One of the surface issues that lead to the crash was that lending standards for mortgages were extremely loose in the mid-2000s. One of the examples of those loose standards referenced in the book was a Mexican strawberry picker in California who was making $14,000 a year,… Read More
What if I Live to 100?
I recently listened to a presentation by Katherine Roy, Chief Retirement Strategist and Head of Individual Retirement for JP Morgan Asset Management. She researches, tracks, and publishes retirement trends and statistics. One of the more fascinating topics she highlighted in her presentation was longevity. According to Katherine’s findings, the current longevity statistics point to the fact that Americans are living longer. One example, for a couple who has attained age… Read More
IRA to IRA Rollovers
Some of you have expressed concern about recent articles in the press regarding IRA rollovers, and granted, the terminology in these articles can be confusing. The IRS now interprets the “once per year” IRA rollover rule to mean that an IRA owner can make one and only one IRA-to-IRA rollover during a 365-day period no matter how many IRAs that person owns. Where It Applies This IRA rollover ruling applies… Read More
The Value of Trust
Several weeks ago our family enjoyed a great week of vacation in the beautiful Smoky Mountains, near Pigeon Forge, TN. During vacations such as this we like to incorporate some adventure activity. Several years ago we went bungee-jumping in Canada. This time we decided to go ziplining. After researching, Legacy Mountain Ziplines provided the highest, fastest and longest lines in the region. Seven different ziplines up to 450 feet high,… Read More
Pursuing Contentment
Either through our own experience or the account of someone we know, we can all recall people who have much less than we do, or who live under unthinkable circumstances, yet their lives are characterized by joyful contentment. I believe contentment is a universal pursuit. Since the desire to be content permeates every area of our lives, let’s take a closer look at contentment. The pursuit of contentment involves choices… Read More
