When our grandkids hop into our vehicle, they know that Pop Pop or Grammy isn’t going to start driving until we hear the “clicks” of their seatbelts being fastened. It’s our safety policy to protect against the unknown. In investing, there are times when “wearing your seatbelt” is also a good idea. We believe this may be one of those times. Recently, the markets have shown signs of being more… Read More
The Master’s Minute – Goals, Where to Start?
This is a loaded question, and one that many of us don’t have the answer to! I was recently talking with a CPA friend of mine who wanted to refer us a client. However, he was nervous about making the referral because he knew the potential client had no clue what his goals were or what they should be. This person didn’t even know where to start, so he didn’t… Read More
The Master’s Minute – Our Words are Powerful
During the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament last month, 15-year old Coco Gauff captivated the tennis world by beating her tennis hero, Venus Williams, in the first round and then advancing to the fourth round of the tournament before being defeated. In an interview after one of her matches, she elaborated on the significance of her dad’s words in her early days of playing tennis. He told her that she could be… Read More
The Master’s Minute – Zero to Zero
What starts with zero, ends with zero, and may be positive or negative in between? That’s right! A person’s net worth. One man humorously described his negative net worth this way: “I came into this world with nothing, and I have most of it left.” Hopefully, your net worth is not like his! We have our net worth for a finite amount of time, like a line segment that has… Read More
The Master’s Minute – Give to Get
Last weekend I was at a party and got into a conversation with another guest while the host was grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. She was describing how amazing the Big Green Egg smoker was. Put pork shoulder in the Big Green Egg overnight and it just fell off the bone. Later in the evening, I was having another conversation about airplane travel, and this person was adamant that the… Read More
The Master’s Minute – Opposites Attract
They say ‘opposites attract’ when it comes to relationships. Those of us who are married see this in many good ways every day, but it also poses a few challenges from time to time. Charlie and I were recently reviewing a detailed and involved retirement income plan for a couple. As we talked through the plan, it was clear that one of the spouses was much more interested in the… Read More
The Master’s Minute – Decide Quickly!
On our recent family vacation to the Canadian Rockies, we arrived in Banff around 3:00 in the afternoon. One of the places we wanted to visit during our time in Banff was Lake Louise. After checking into our hotel, we headed to the visitor center where we were told that the best times to get prime parking at Lake Louise were 7:30 in the morning and during the evening hours…. Read More
The Master’s Minute – The Plan is Always Wrong
The Master’s Minute – Entering the “Empty Nest” Phase
This past weekend, our family and friends enjoyed the celebration of our son’s wedding. We are so excited for Colton & Hannah and look forward to watching God’s plan for their lives unfold. With the passing of this grand event, Colleen and I have officially entered the “empty nest” phase of life. Wow! How did that sneak up on us? Over the last several decades, I’ve often told clients that… Read More
The Master’s Minute – A Life of Transitions
When I was in school, I dedicated much of my time to the sport of wrestling. Wrestling is a demanding sport. It’s a one-on-one match between two individuals where there’s constant positioning to gain and maintain control through an ongoing series of transitions, attacks and counterattacks. The experience of this ancient sport can be likened to the journey of life; an ongoing series of transitions. Some transitions are ones we… Read More