Purpose
The Purpose of Money
Monday, January 9th, 2012
Early in my journey of learning about money, I noticed a very odd disconnect. On the one hand, it was obvious that there’s a ton of personal finance advice readily available. Search on any financial question and within seconds you can find answers. And yet, lots of people struggle with money. Why is that? With ... [Read more]
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The 4-Hour Workweek: A Review
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011
Tim Ferriss has become a sensation. His book, “The 4-Hour Workweek,” popularized the term “lifestyle design” and crowned him the leading practitioner. Apparently, he makes a great living working very few hours while traveling the world. What’s the secret to such a life? Can it be taught to the masses? And is it a life ... [Read more]
Finding Meaning In Our Work
Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
In the opening scene from the movie About Schmidt, Warren Schmidt, played by Jack Nicholson, is staring at a clock on the wall of his office, counting down the minutes before his final day at work will be over and his retirement will begin. He has spent his career working as an actuary for an ... [Read more]
Living a Better Financial Story
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
In Donald Miller’s book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, he tells a powerful story he calls, “How Jason Saved His Family.” After returning from Los Angeles, where he took part in a storytelling workshop, Don (can I call him Don?) got together with his friend Jason and learned of some trouble Jason and ... [Read more]
Taking Your Finances From Good to Great: Part One
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
“Few people attain great lives, in large part because it’s just so easy to settle for a good life.” – Jim Collins, “Good to Great” On the first page in the first chapter of “Good to Great,” Jim Collins makes the intriguing statement above. While his book focuses on how some companies manage to break ... [Read more]
Money Lessons From a Long Run
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010
My wife and I recently ran the 13-mile Chicago half marathon. For us, it was the accomplishment of a very challenging goal. Over the past 10 years, we had never run anywhere close to that distance. As we trained for the event, I noticed a lot of similarities with pursuing a tough financial goal like ... [Read more]
Rethinking Retirement
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
According to Businessweek, the Age of Retirement is “over.” The magazine summed up its stark “vision” of our later years in four words: “Forget retirement. Keep working.” For many older workers there is simply no other choice than to continue working in their later years. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), half of ... [Read more]
What I Believe
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
I am very excited about the launch of this new web site and blog. Switching from the eNewsletters I’ve been writing for the past three years to a blog will allow for more of a two-way dialogue with readers and will free me to write about more money-related topics. Since this marks the beginning of ... [Read more]
Recession Lessons
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
The recession is reshaping our financial attitudes and behaviors, and the changes may just stick. An article in Money magazine made that assertion using both anecdotal evidence and the results from several national surveys. The story cited a recent MetLife survey in which nearly 50 percent of respondents said they “already had all the possessions ... [Read more]
The Power of Gratitude
Monday, February 2nd, 2009
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” – 1 Timothy 6:6-8 Every day of our lives, we are the unwitting recipients of countless messages designed to foster ... [Read more]
