Earlier this year, I planned two vacation getaways. As you might expect, I needed to find lodging accommodations and started the process by perusing several websites for suitable arrangements. My preliminary search consisted of simply looking at pictures of places that met my minimum accommodation requirements (bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.). From the places I found attractive, I read the detailed website descriptions and a few reviews from guests that have recently… Read More

Are you a bit curious what these three things have in common? Today, we are going to discuss current trends and cycles of various markets. You probably know someone who is either selling, or hoping to buy, a house right now. Home prices have exploded due to super-low interest rates, high buyer demand, and a historically low supply of homes for sale on the market. It is a fantastic time… Read More

As a young child, my mother would take me to Hershey Park once each summer. There were many rides that I really enjoyed, and the Twin Turnpike was one of them. For those who are not familiar with this ride, it is a track shaped like a dog leg with two roads which are laid out parallel to each other. There were two types of gas-powered cars you could drive…. Read More

I love “big ideas”. The way I see it, a big idea is the “why” behind what we do. It’s the idea that sits on top of other ideas. One of my big ideas is that we shouldn’t wait until someone close to us dies to celebrate life. Life is meant to be celebrated along the way. Fortunately, my wife, Jeané, agrees with this big idea, so we’re always on… Read More

If you missed Part 1, you can read it here. So, after reading last week’s post, you may be thinking: “Garry, are you telling me that when we have reached our goals, we just need to sit on our money, take risk off the table and stop pursuing what is next?” Of course not! The beauty of this principal is that, by following it, we actually get more opportunity to… Read More

You probably do not think consciously about risk most days, but you make risk-based decisions on a consistent, daily basis, as we all do. For example: When you drive, you decide when to pull out, how fast to go and when to change lanes. When you are doing a home project, you decide what tools you do and do not need, how closely you should follow the directions and how… Read More

Are you getting tired of change? With what we have endured recently, it would be hard to not be. According to psychologist James O. Prochaska, there are five stages that a person goes through when faced with a potential behavioral change. Pre-Contemplation – At this stage, a person has no intention of altering their day-to-day life. They often are only vaguely aware that a change is necessary. Contemplation – The… Read More

May 2nd marked the 27th anniversary of Master’s! Our team gathered on the following day, Monday, May 3rd, to celebrate. We started the day by hiking to a beautiful scenic lookout high above the Susquehanna River. There we had our usual Monday morning team devotions and prayer time. Afterwards, we spent the day enjoying the wonderful accommodations at the Long Level Marina Events Center, right along the river’s edge. Various… Read More

Last fall my family decided to get rid of our kids’ outdoor play set, as they are currently ages 15 and 18. Our youngest was very reluctant to give up her swing and only agreed after we promised to replace it with a “grown-up” swing. This negotiation and compromise yielded an extensive project; we decided to build a pergola in our backyard and attach a porch swing to it. We… Read More