The Benefits of Simplifying

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify but Not too Much

Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
Tis the gift to come down where I ought to be;
And when we find ourselves in the place just right.
— Shaker Folk song by Joseph Brackett

Money is good for so many aspects of our lives. Yet, the management of our financial lives can distract us from happiness. When we are overwhelmed with statements, options and misinformation, we may make impulse decisions or ignore our money all together. Both can land us in more turmoil.

Focus, time, attention and energy are required to manage money whether you have very little or are gifted with large accounts. You need an overall strategy to prevent your constantly thinking of your financial concerns and the market.

Your cash and investments accounts tell a story; the story of you how you treat your money. Create a cash management plan that matches your expenses to income and demonstrates your self-care. No matter how much or how little money you have coming in, taking steps to gain clarity around your money is critical. Money is only as valuable as what we spend it on. We chose what to spend it on, but we first need to know what we have.

As with anything you organize, the initial set-up demands time and a plan to establish. After the system is in place, there is less time and energy involved to maintain it.

First, start with a cash management plan. 

This is a tool to understand where your money is being spent. This will also help you determine how many money accounts to actually have. There are three accounts everyone needs: a savings, checking and separate safety savings account. Beyond that, the more moving pieces in your life, the more bank accounts you will need.

A homeowner may want an account to save for real estate taxes, capital improvements and maintenance. A couple with young children may want a separate childcare account so they always have the cash to make a daycare payment. Keeping your funds separate this way prevents confusion and ensures the money is there when you need it. Plus, though at first glance more accounts sound complicated, there is less need for calculations as each financial need has a place.

Consolidate Some of Your Investments

As far as investments, diversity is a great approach to investing. However, if you have several investment advisors or retirement accounts from previous employers, you could be working against yourself. Variety does not lead to diversity. Rather, the complexity may lead to a lack of your comprehension of what you are investing in, what your options are and how many accounts you do have.

Create a better grasp on your investments by gathering up your investment statements and decide if you need to merge all your 40lks, 403bs and/or IRAs. Then, take the steps to make that happen. This month. Such an administrative step is easy to put off, so give yourself a deadline and envision the fewer emails and paper you will collect with fewer accounts. Most of all, with less to manage, you will be sure to have time to understand and choose your investments wisely in 2023.

If you have different investment advisors, understand what they do for you and how they work. Find out what they charge, specialize in and how they can help you even more. Do some research and perhaps merge these accounts as well. First, learn more about your Investment Advisor.

Finally, Take Time to Relax

After making progress, you will have more time. Spend time on your passion. Enjoy your family. Go for a walk in the woods. Or treat yourself to some music. Here is an instrumental version of Tis a Gift to Be Simple. (The words are provided if you choose to sing along.)

The Weave of Life

Attitudes and experiences around money impact mental, physical and spiritual life. Money is a part of living, yet money is not often integrated into our lives, and not talked about in a holistic way, if at all.

Financial stress accounts for missed work and other ailments. For example, we all know folks that throw out their backs when worried about money. Or people who are so preoccupied by money it becomes the focus of their career and life to the detriment of their whole being. Or the other extreme, individuals so dependent and present in the spiritual world that they do not take care of themselves in their human capacity. All in some way forget that money is a tool that must be used properly in the process of finding a fulfilling balanced life.

There are those who flow through life happy and fulfilled but money is neither the issue nor the problem. Like Annette, a woman who runs her own gardening business and makes a modest living. She is always grounded and happy. When asked the secret of her content, she says, "I love where I live and do the work in this world that comes easiest and brings me joy."

This holiday season weave some solid changes into your life by starting a new system for your holistic health. If you want a better financial life:

First, is making the decision to improve your finances.

Second, have gratitude for where you are at and what you learned so far.

Three, enact a plan to improve one way of handling your finances.

Initially, the above will take time. Consider it investing your time for a better long-term financial picture. When your finances are sick they need extra time devoted to them. Once they get healthier, they need less time devoted to them. A consistent plan makes finances healthier.

Think of it as your health. If you are sick, it takes days in bed to recover. Once you are better there is still a slow upward curve as you struggle to full-fledged wellness (or back to normal.) This struggle and the timeline are in direct relation to how sick you are. There may even be a relapse.

The wellness part applies as well. If you do not take regular care of your health with the basics: sleeping, eating healthy food and exercising. Then, of course, you are not going to stay healthy. For the most part you maintain the semblance of order in your health life with the proper food, vitamins, stress relief and exercise. In order to maintain your financial health, you must pay your bills, have an income, review your expenses and maintain your checkbook with a regular routine.

The law of physics applies in finances: For every action there is a reaction.

Your past actions made your financial life what it is today. If you do not like it, you can change it with action.

Take one of the steps below today to move toward a healthier life:

• Check your credit report.

• List all your debt with the monthly payments and interest rates.

• List all your assets from cash, to home, to investments

• Start a daily gratitude list

Once you get in the habit of reviewing your finances, you will find a system for you. Then, like a client said of her handwritten monthly list of the assets and debts and debts, “It is so satisfying and simple.”

Personal finance does not have to be complex. See the list above and my blog for ideas. Try a new approach and gain some health in the process.

With gratitude for your reading each month. I am off to pay a bill. What about you?

Elders of Excellence

Those gone before me have taught me so much. I am grateful and am always trying to give back in anyway that I can.

This spring I was busy supporting UPenn Memory Center. We did a financial handout together and I was asked to speak at an event they sponsored.

With the rise in dementia, the brain fog of COVID, concussions and issues around mental health, I believe this information is relevant to all, not just our elders.

Please take the time to watch the recording of the event. The video is an hour long but if your time is limited, I come on around 24 minutes: https://youtu.be/2H3ImHjsDxQ

If you would like the handout to accompany this piece, you may download it here.

Be Prepared in Life and Finances

Observe what’s blowing in the wind lately? A range of economic factors and change. The winds of the future are becoming the winds of now. The past year conditions are shifting in the economy along with a raging war in Europe.

Here is the thing, even economists who make a living studying this stuff cannot predict a depression or recession. Yet, everyone is talking about the possibility of one soon, if it is not here already. No one knows for sure. Professionals can only confirm its existence after they have the statistics from the past months and review a trend. That is why no one used the term recession in 2007 or early 2008 – The numbers weren’t in yet. Yet, many people felt the turn in their homes, loss of homes or jobs by then.

Inflation increased shockingly fast and has now leveled off. Who can help being complacent? Yet, even when picking up staples at the grocery store it is hard not to notice the small increase in prices. Blue Cross/BlueShield and other insurers been approved for significant price increases. Is there more to come?

There are so many economic issues to consider including the trends and cycles witnessed in the past.

As global uncertainty surround us, this does not stand alone as a symbol of potential economic change. Combined with the other factors fluctuating, we should at least pause to rethink and revisit our lifestyle.

Whatever the coming school year brings, business as usual is not expected. Expect the unexpected. Be ready with cash to take care of yourself. A strong mental fortitude to weather whatever is going on in the outside world is essential. A little forewarning is critical.

My point is not to instill fear, but rather action and positive steps to take care of yourself. I guarantee that I do not know what will happen in the next year. Yet, I know from experience that most people get complacent and expect the same over and over again. Then, act surprised when things change. That happened in 2000 right when the tech bubble bust. Then again, in 2008 with the housing crisis. The only thing we know is that life changes. We do not know when. Read the winds and pay attention.

So now is the time to reconfigure your finances. A saying I have heard over the years but do not know where it originated, describes how to think about this potential change:

“Hope for the Best & Tie up your horse.”

Your “horse” is your personal world. We always have control over that piece of life.

So I leave you with a suggestion to make a different choice this month to reign in your horses.

Go do one thing differently this month: Pay off some debt, save some extra money, learn a new skill. These things are what you can do to take care of yourself and your family no matter what is blowing in the wind.

Financial Freedom: Watch Your Language

“Let Freedom Ring.”

We all associate our country’s freedom with that phrase. The ringing of bells symbolizes freedom in this country. So does some of the most famous songs – our national anthem and “America the Beautiful.” Sound touches something deep inside us.

What we hear impacts us greatly, not just as Americans but also as human beings. Words get into our psyche and become a part of us. With enough repetition, we can begin to believe anything we hear.

This applies to money. We are what we habitually hear. To truly know your money self, pay attention to what you hear on the job, at home, while out with friends. There is often a tendency to focus on the negative. We share our complaints to build camaraderie. We are suffering from language problems. Change your language if you want to change your money attitudes, which is the beginning of improving money’s place in our lives.

The phrase “I cannot afford...” should be the first to go from your lingo. With this phrase in use, there is no way to allow freedom to ring. It encourages folks to use lack of money as an excuse to not act. Saying “I cannot afford” takes the responsibility away from the speaker and therefore takes their power of choice away.

You can afford to live how you want within reason. What you are doing, what all of us are doing is making choices based on our resources and experience. Begin saying, “I choose not to” or “That is not a financial priority.” This demonstrates your involvement in the decision and that you are making choices. On the other hand, ’I cannot afford” shifts responsibility. The speaker becomes a victim, using the phrase as a rationale - it is beyond my control, implying you have nothing to do with it.

Making the effort to use language that demonstrates ownership and responsibility around money is what is important. Positive language changes our attitude around money when heard often enough.

What you are doing, what everyone does, is making choices based on our resources and experience. Simply shifting to saying, “ I choose not to” or “That is not a financial priority” demonstrates your involvement in the decision. You are making the choices. You are not a victim to your financial circumstances. You can afford to live how you want within reason.

If you decide to get a more expensive house with a larger mortgage and maintenance expenses, then you may not have as much discretionary income to spend on vacations, clothes, or a big screen television. It does not mean that you cannot afford the big screen television, it simply means that you have spent your money elsewhere.

All of us make decisions of this type everyday- specific to our lifestyle choices. These decisions are based on priorities and values and experience. Our decisions reflect what is important to us.

In this time of celebrating our political freedoms, create your own financial freedom month. Make the emphasis this month to focus on the positive. Pay attention to what sounds are all around you. See what you can learn from watching yourself and shifting the sounds of your language. Here are the steps along the path to freedom:

1. Pay Attention to the Words You Use:

Ask yourself: How are you regularly talking about money? What words do you use?

Are you consistently telling your children that we cannot afford this or that?

Are you regularly complaining to your friends that you do not get paid enough, reinforcing a negative financial attitude?

Next time you hear yourself, catch yourself, pause before continuing. Think about what you really want to say. Then, overtime you may stop yourself before you get started. The goal is to stop totally with the negative financial comments.

2. Focus on the Positive:

When you are trying to make a change, it is important to replace the habit with something positive. Your goal is to start talking more positively about money. Being positive may mean displaying gratitude for your weekly paycheck, looking at the checkbook as partially full rather than dwindling, or choosing your words carefully around money. Pick one way to focus on as your change in language is being enacted. You may even want to elicit the help of a friend or family member for mutual support. Make it game where you are calling each other on ways to improve and encouraging the new positive language.

3. Reward Yourself:

Everyday you do not succumb to negative talk, give yourself a small treat; a walk, phone call to a friend or a soothing cup of tea may just be the ticket. Though the treat may involve money, it does not have to cost anything. Being kind to yourself is what it is all about. Positive actions results in positive language. Treat yourself well. Reminder: It takes thirty days to create a new habit, so keep it up.

This month “Let Freedom Ring”with money. Listen to your words. And create the sounds that open you up to more abundance in your life. Let Financial Freedom Ring!

Do You Know Where Your Money is?

In casual conversation, Someone told me that they were great with their investments because they had someone they trust at a big firm taking care of all that.  I said terrific, how is it invested?  The look they gave me was the look most people do, confusion, misunderstanding and discomfort.  If I already knew what big company it was at, doesn’t that mean I know where and how it is invested? 

If someone I loved was in Mercy Hospital, that would tell you one thing.  But if you wanted to know more because you were close to your loved one, you would ask who the doctor is and what they were doing to them and what the diagnosis was.  Yet, an established financial firm seems to be the cover for many financial questions. 

There is so much more.  You want to keep your money close to you and understand.  You are the only one responsible, no matter who is managing the money for you.  You have given them the power to manage it but still your job is to be sure they are doing what you want.  And what feeds your needs and goals. 

According to Financial Planning magazine and Schroders research, you are not alone:

Half of people in their mid-40s to late 50s saving for retirement don’t know how their money is divvied up between stocks, bonds and cash, according to a survey released on Thursday by Schroders.

That was true even for respondents between the ages of 60 and 67, a time when retirement is near, if not imminent. When broken out by gender, 39% of men didn’t know how their retirement funds were divvied up, compared with 59% for women. And while 35% of men said they had done a “very good” amount of planning and preparation for retirement and were fully on track, just 17% of women said the same.

What Did You Learn Today?

The question resonated around our dinner table.  My Dad asked whether during the school year or not. He told us, it was important to learn something new.  A great principle to live by.

I still take this approach into my daily life.  And I believe I learn as much from my clients as they do from me because there is so much to learn in life. Yes, facts and figures, but also cooking, travelling and shopping tips.  And then there are the emotional and personal strengths that get shared by example. 

One major insight I received was due to a class I was teaching.  I had just started my business in the Boston area when the Muscular Therapy Institute asked if I would teach a business class for them.  I already had experience teaching skiing at Bolton Valley in Vermont and academic classes at Newbury Junior College in Boston.  My MBA was in Entrepreneurship and many of these students would be starting their own businesses, so it was a natural fit.  I was grateful to have a consistent, albeit small, check arriving to offset my fledging business. 

Early in the first semester, I was offered to take a class that the students were required to take upon enrolling.  No, I was not asked to take a massage class, but a learning class.  Always willing to learn something new every day – I jumped at the opportunity to take the one day seminar.  My supervisor thought it would help my teaching, instead it changed my life. 

What was this magical class?  An education class that introduced the student to the different ways of learning: Kinesthetic , Visual and Auditory.  Then, we were taught a process to evaluate which of the three was our predominate learning style.  Though briefly mentioned in my CFP training, this exposed me in a self-evaluating and more profound way. 

The point was that once I knew my style versus the students, I would be a better teacher.  True enough.  But I also became a better learner.  I knew myself better after the class.  I knew movement gave me answers to questions that were somewhere in my brain.  I just did not understand why until that day.  I was Kinesthetic.  The more I moved the more I learned. 

We are all a combination of learning styles.  One approach is just more prominent which means we learn easiest that way.  Stop struggling around finances by knowing how you learn best.  Take that approach and your financial literacy and consciousness will improve.  Below are some suggestions on options to try.  Use all three approaches and see which fits your style best.

Did I pass the learning style class?  There was no grade.  However, the administration accomplished what they wanted.  I learned that the students were mostly visual learners.  My learning and teaching style was different.  So I adapted to the visual learners and started to ask the learning style question during classes.  However, I was the one who benefited with a life-long knowledge.  

Here’s why I tell you this – You can learn about personal finance in the style that works best for you.  Here are three sample suggestions for you to learn more about money and behavior according to your learning style:

Kinesthetic?                                                     

Download this podcast

http://www.moneypeace.com/audio-clips/        

And go for a run or do some                                                                       

house or yard chores                                     

Then write one thing down to do

Visual?                 Spend Five Minutes watching this video                

                                                                                http://www.wcax.com/story/25245210/financial-literacy-month?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10052223

Post a reminder of what you learned somewhere so you will see it.

Auditory?

Listen to a short 15 minute clip or a whole radio show where I discuss finances.

http://www.moneypeace.com/audio-clips/        

Listen to money tips regularly via podcast. 

Live Life Fully!!!

A Powerful Reminder from A Dear Writing Friend of Mine. Enjoy and Practice Louder!

Health Is the Most Important Wealth

After struggling through the pandemic for a year, who would disagree that health is more important than wealth? And who would not feel compelled to say that those two are intricately related? However, no matter how much money you have or how much time, there are simple steps to improve your health that are free. Caring about your health is a first step in improving it.

So where to start focusing on building a healthy life? First, consider your whole person when it comes to health – not just your physical health. There are apps to help you learn to mediate, spiritual readings and groups, and mental health resources we all have access to for free. Sitting for five minutes a day in meditation or gratitude is one way to support your whole being. I certainly agree that it is not easy to pick up this habit, simple as it sounds. The first time I sat to just to meditate, I lasted two minutes. The inner quiet and solitude was difficult to experience for the first time.

Second, consider a habit you do today that could change for the better just by switching something out. They can range from using one teaspoon of sugar instead of two in your coffee, switching to a seltzer after one alcoholic drink or drinking water instead of soda. Each of those save you calories and are better for your long-term health. Being in the sunshine, going for a walk or talking to a friend are also healthy tasks. So, starting something new need not be overwhelming or expensive.

Too often we think we need to jump on board the health wagon and change everything at once. Typically, people stick to behavior changes by doing one thing at a time. Small steps matter. I know you have heard that before as I write on that about finances as well.

If you begin to think about changing a health step as a way to contribute to your overall wealth, it may be easier to accept change. Building toward our wealth and health starts with caring and moves into taking a step – literally and figuratively – today. Just one choice can make a big difference. Once you feel better about yourself, future steps are easier to build on.

Be Wealthy with your Health – Build some today!

My Favorite Prayer And it is so Key to Today!

A Little Bit of Time off Can go a Long Way. Try Taking a Pause

Small business owners think they need to work more and harder to make their business successful. Knowing their craft, understanding the management of a business and handling money effectively are valuable tools in operating a successful business. So too is taking time off.

Sounds counterintuitive: Take time off to make a business operate more efficiently. The time off makes the business owner operate more efficiently. With time away from the business, you rest and think differently – whether about planning a trip or planning dinner.

The mind is refreshed. The heart is clear, and the body is rested. These are all critical to operating a small business smoothly and successfully.

If you operate your own business, try some time away. Something simple. Start with one day or a weekend escape. The point is not to be attentive to your business consciously. This is your respite.

When your mind goes to your business focus it on something else…go back to the hike, the national monument or fabulous museum. Our minds are amazing and when we gather info from somewhere else our creativity and abilities are enhanced.

Remember What You Can Change....

In these times of uncertainty….

The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. –

Charles Swindoll

Times of Change

This morning I noticed the leaves are tinged with just the lightest of color. Fall is coming. Change is around us. As so much is happening in the world from wildfires to shutdowns to health issues, I find it most important to take a moment and see how change has affected us.

The past seven months have been overwhelming to say the least. Weathering such shifts is when the true change happens. And for each of us, this happens internally as much as externally. Our values, our choices, and our priorities change. What once seemed important in our life is no longer a necessity.

We can claim this as the “silver lining” in a pandemic but that is too simple. I think noticing change and recognizing it in us is a way of maturing and growing. The recent months just put miracle grow on what would have happened eventually. All this change is exhausting. Like the trees, we need to shed some of the old and have time to regroup. May we also be like the trees, holding on to our solid base of values as we move through the coming months. Taking care of ourselves is how we will each weather the whatever is ahead: financially, emotionally, and physically. Embrace the beauty of change.

Father Knows Best: My Dad Knew How To Prepare for the Coronavirus

My Dad was right.  I lived with him so had no preconceived notions that he was the man stepping out of the television show.  Dad was a smart man.  He often said it was because he went to “The College of Hard Knocks.” Yet, he left me with many pieces of wisdom that’s needed to persevere through this crisis and beyond.  Here are some that feel specifically relevant right now.

Cash

Have money in the bank.  Maintain money in savings, always.  That is what you can use to protect yourself through thick and thin.  Be a saver.  He even had a poem to go with it about a tobacco box.

Real Estate

When buying real estate, buy for the long-term not today.  A two bedroom condo is better than a studio he often said.  “Be sure you have the extra room to rent in case of hardship.”  Today I would add that if you are stuck at home, you have an extra room to be in.  He also said own a bit of land.  Today this land could be grass or a porch or small deck three floors up.  We need fresh air and the light that outdoor space provides.

No Debt

My parents must have had a mortgage in my lifetime, but I never in my conscious state of finances from age 8 on, remember them saying they had to pay the bank the mortgage.  Or equity loan.  Or car loan.  I know by the time I was a teenager he was preaching no debt except a mortgage.  And then pay that mortgage as fast as you can.  

Make Conscious, Long-term choices.

Dad made the tough ones.  He never took a vacation, bought a car or a new suit that he did not have money.  And by money, I mean cash.  This included decisions as when he bought our lake house in New Hampshire.  He paid cash.   This was all he did in cash and how or why he was able is beyond my understanding.  He did all this with kids to put through college, dance lessons, sports, braces (me) and glasses (me again!)  All decisions for us and our futures. The toys, new clothes and fancy sneakers were not part of our upbringing.  Good food, simple pleasures and working hard for any extras were just our family leader’s way of being. 

Help others

Dad got people jobs, paid to bury people, and feed people who needed it.  Yet, never talked about it.  He did what he could and never complained.  I could not believe some of the things I heard at his wake about the people he had helped, even beyond the ones I saw. He did not stop as he got older.  He did not do it just for family.

Don’t Preach

Dad never gave me a sermon nor would he tell us children how to behave.  Instead, he would quote others.  These poems from his childhood were often repeated to the point we had them memorized ourselves! The message resonated. So perhaps rote learning does work if it is something of value to carry forward.  Memorize a favorite poem together with your family.

Learn one new thing every day

He also lived with one room school house education but proved education did not end there.  I believe because he was not always being taught, but had some independent learning with a teacher stretched to educate different ages, he learned to learn on his own.  He appreciated reading.  He read fast.  We certainly can learn one thing a day today from the comfort of home. 

My Dad may not have been the perfect Father from a television show.  However, he had basic principles he passed on to his family.  These financial and life learnings are some of the things that will and are getting us through this crisis.  May you carry on prepared for each day as we weather this crisis one day at a time.

Make this time productive and beneficial by following Dad’s tips:

• Learn One New Thing A Day

• Memorize a Poem

• Make Long term Choices

• Help Others

• Build a New Financial Habit

You will come out of this experience stronger and smarter than ever.

Some Rules for Surviving the Stay At Home Orders, Courtesy of my Mom

My Mom ran a “tight ship” when managing her family.  Some of her lessons are ringing so true today as we are staying at home to stay healthy.  I wish she were here to thank.  Instead, I offer them to you as a pay it forward to many others, Thanks to Mom.

Here are my Mom’s strategies for a good life:

Wash Your Hands

I  can picture the line and body bumping as we ran to the bathroom before dinner or a snack.  They would look clean to us, despite the dark line of dirt under our finger nails. However, we were hungry and would follow directions by scrubbing with a nail brush as well as the Ivory soap.

Clean up Your Face

Did everyone have to wash their face before they ate? I think this was to make us look presentable whenever and wherever we ate.  Good advice today as the easiest way to get sick is when the disease hits our face and airways.  Now I understand, my Mom wanted us healthy as well as presentable.

Make Your Bed

I am not a fan of this one, but we were required to do it every day. When I lived in a dorm room I always made my bed as it was our only living space.  As soon as I got my first apartment, I loved not having to make my bed! Felt like a protest against my Mom’s rules. Then, I came around partially because I lived in a studio and partly because of practical reasons.  As long as my bed was made, I seldom wanted to crawl back in it after my shower instead of heading to work at 6 am.  I merged the attitude and make your bed with buying a duvet.  The perfect solution.  Not military approved but surely works for me as a good compromise.

Go Outside

As kids she would send us outside.  Yes, those were different days you may say.  But I think without knowing the current research, she knew some Vitamin D and outdoor exercise was good for our health (and probably her mental health as well.)

Learn to Swim

Okay, nothing we can do with this one during the COVID-19 outbreak.  Do not share swimming water with anyone! Skip Mom’s this bit of her advice today, but look forward to implementing this one in the summer. 

Prioritize Sleep – Go to sleep. 

Before a big high school exam she would tell me sleep is better than an extra hour of studying.  My Mom had no scientific data to quote; Though, I did notice years later a study confirmed her sleep approach.  Even in college I followed her advice. I headed to bed at a decent hour on the eve of exams. If I was really feeling short on the information, I would get up an hour early and with a refreshed brain, study up a bit. The approach seemed to work.  I made it through college and grad school, too. 

Be Kind

My Mom was always thinking of others, not just us, but the neighborhood and friends.  She thought nothing of picking up the phone to check on an elderly neighbor or to touch base with an old friend.  She knew reaching out was a kindness to others whether they lived alone or not.  Maintaining connections takes effort.

Listen to Music 

Music changes everything.  My Mom loved to dance but really would do anything to music.  As she cooked and cleaned, she listened to her favorite music. Music makes life a bit easier.

Everyone will have their good days and bad days through this pandemic.  However, let’s keep moving to take care of ourselves, each other and the future.

Improve A Loved One’s Life Today compliments of Mom:

• Send Them Some Music

• Have a Video Chat

• Share this piece on My Mom’s Wisdom

You will make their day by staying in touch. 

Stay safe, Stay well, Stay Home.

Learnings from The Pandemic

Today I am clear on what I learned and have relearned about myself through this crisis.  I share them today so that you may reconsider what you may be learning through this crisis.

Here are my Seven Self Care Tips:

1.       Accomplishing Something  – even bake a loaf of Irish bread- keeps me grounded and appreciative during this time and any stressful life experience.  The secret is to complete some project or activity. 

2.       Exercising helps my mind body and spirit.  Not to mention contributes to a better night sleep.

3.       Going Outside – no matter the weather – relaxes and refreshes my mind and soul.  This does not have to be for long as breathing small amounts of fresh air are helpful.  Combined with # 2 enhances both.

4.       Working can be a tool for avoiding feelings.   Use appropriately and do not overuse.  Because the flip side is that work can provide structure and a routine when needed most.  A sense of competency and control when the world is unknown. 

5.       Reading is a form of escape for me.  The lighter, more interesting the book or piece the better.  Engaging something outside of the current world is a refresh button for the body and soul.

6.       Staying Connected to family and friends and your spiritual practice.  Reach out.  Meditate.  Make a video phone call with one friend or family member or the whole group.  Make it a routine.

7.       Listening to Music is a the food for the soul.  Play music as much as you can when home.  Set it to the your mood or favorites or  learn some new music.  Throw in a dance move and you have combined with #2 and had some fun to boot. 

For those unable to go outside, or practicing medicine (Thank you!) too exhausted to work, please breathe deep and find one thing that is helping you cope today.

Remembering Anne Frank

“Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.”

— Anne Frank

The Hidden Staircase and Anne Frank’s memoir will in my mind for a long time. Today is the anniversary of Anne Frank starting her diary and I got to thinking…..Her book may have begun my fascination with World War II stories. Not the battles or the war strategy. The stories. The people who lived through it. Whether they were on the front lines seeing action, living in their hometown in terror or taken as POW or worse to concentration camps, I read them all.

What I am searching for I do not know. But the tales of resilience and strength and human kindness in the midst of brutality somehow empower me to live on. These people no matter where they were or which side of the war, had parents, spouses, lovers, children and family. In their dire circumstances, they built family. They persevered beyond some things humanly inconceivable.

I never thought about going to Anne Frank’s house when I read the book. I envisioned the house. The house that was so far away in a foreign country that no one I knew had been to. I had the canal and brown clapboard house clearly pictured in my mind.

Then, three years ago, I found myself in Amsterdam. Her very city. Where Anne Frank lived. That was simply amazing to think about. More than forty years before I had read a book that changed my thinking and shifted me into much more appreciativeness. And now I was walking the streets of Anne Frank.

I went to her house. And there it was along a canal: brown and nondescript. Walking up the hidden staircase, gave me an airy feeling – it wasn’t the steepness or the narrowness – it was what these stairs had seen and who had walked there. I was just a tourist, a passerby but so many had paid dearly by walking these stairs.

Nothing prepared me to enter the attic rooms themselves. They were left as they were in the forties. Peeling wall paper. Bare minimum necessities for even that time. The iron sink and sparse décor. A whole life was lived here. Many lives were lived here. The rooms were decent size until you consider who lived there. And how long they had to stay put in a handful of rooms.

When I got to Anne’s room, I felt reverent. Here is a young girl, an author who held strong and focused on something beyond her current situation. She shared her story. She dreamed of a future. She made her best of her time hidden away. I was honored to share the space she had lived, written and slept in.

I wondered who had turned them in. And why? For food? Benefits? Life? Whatever it was, that was their story to tell. Their life to live. I can only imagine what strain brought them to that point in life. Where they were willing to trade a handful of people for something, anything.

Like so many, I wonder what would have become of Anne Frank had she lived. That was not to be. A blessing that her Dad lived and had the foresight and tenacity to get her diary published. That may be the only thing that saved him through the postwar years of loss and loneliness. I bless the woman who saved their personal items and Anne’s diary. She loved them and remains nameless as far as I know in all this. But that is the human side of the story. There is a human side in every WWII story. And I continue to treasure humanity. An anniversary of hope is worthy of mention.

Making a Difference

I did not even know that Tom Brokaw was of Irish descent – look it up. But isn’t he right? I mean there are so many ways to make money. And as I reflect on my business career, I realize I chose the path which meant I could help more people. I remember sitting with a colleague, Brian, and saying we want to serve the middle class – that is who needs to hear what we have to say. The wealthy can pay for a host of experts. We can make a difference with the middle class who have never learned money facts.

Speaking is a way to serve many folks of all income levels. Writing is too. Whether I write a blog piece, email newsletter or article, my goal is for someone to learn something. I believe everyone can make a difference. We just need to know where and how our skills can be used to serve.

There is a special lady that you have heard about before, my maternal grandmother, Nanie. She made a difference in so many lives.

Nanie did not have an easy life, but she had a good life. She had five children and seventeen grandchildren. She left Ireland with one sister and one trunk in 1926, never expecting to return.

The very trunk she transported for her travels from Ireland sits in our living room, reminding me of what is possible. For this I am grateful. For her presence and learning at her knee I am eternally appreciative.

I was fortunate enough to give her eulogy. I wondered out loud about her trunk and what she packed in it for a voyage across the ocean from Ireland. What would she take for a lifetime journey? Would it fit in a trunk? More than that, I encouraged her loved ones present to share a bit of her legacy: hospitality, Irish Bread and family traditions. That would make a life well lived.

What difference do you want to make? What do you want to leave behind as a legacy? It may not be the riches you imagine. The wealth is in the lessons and time together. Set your sights on what is essential to your life rather than following a trend.

This St Patrick’s Day, you will find me making Irish Bread and tapping my foot to Irish music. May you too, find some fun and family traditions that bring out the best in you.

Great Financial Ideas Start with a Vision

“A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of Hell.”

- George Bernard Shaw, The Horror of the Perpetual Holiday, 1914 Parents and Children

This quote should be in every retirement book there is. I know it will be in the book I write. George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright among other talents.

He captured the truth in 1914 in this brief saying. He knew something few people know today. The value in life is having something to do and a useful purpose in life. Without that bigger vision, life is empty. My first tag line for my business was, “Great Financial Ideas Start with a Vision.” I still believe that important fact. I encourage my clients to move toward something. This makes your financial life better. Yes, even those who want to get out of debt need a bigger vision than simply the clear task to make it happen. Otherwise, the numbers trip you up because they are not enough. They are only facts. Numbers are not powerful enough to move us to be proactive and consistent. We need a vision of what is going to be accomplished in our life after we are debt free or in our retirement or whatever our goal is.

I first experienced this in my early twenties. Experience is a great teacher. I had reached a milestone in life after college graduation with my first job. Like many millennials today, I was itchy and not content with the 9-5 situation. There was something more I wanted, but I had not even fully conceived of what I wanted for my career direction. I had inklings and I was exploring, but nothing was clicking in.

There was, however, something I always wanted to do. That something was to go out West to live and ski. My roommate was making plans to do just that before she headed to graduate school. She was looking for someone to go with and I quickly volunteered. “But you have a job,” she protested. “I can leave it," I said "I've always wanted to go out West and be a Ski Bum.”

Plans were made and systems put in place. Joining her and then her sister was easy even when a few snags threatened along the way. This was something I really wanted to do.

Being out West and skiing every day was a dream come true. Yes, I worked two jobs most of the time so I was not a true “Ski Bum.” But skiing was the goal. The days were sunny, the snow glorious and the small time ski vibe was perfectly inviting. In summary, I loved it.

I met people at work, in town and on the ski lift. Always practical, I did ask visitors what they did for a living. Being Irish, I guess I had two things going for me: the practical perspective and the gift of gab. I wanted to know if they liked their job and if it was something that might appeal to me. Even as I enjoyed the sunshine and freedom, I was still reflecting on my next career move though I had no plans beyond the next week’s work schedule. Aside from these interactions, the local conversation was always around weather and snow and skiing. And fun.

Then, one sunny day after a great ski morning, I was walking home from the post office and heard the life changing news on January 28, 1986. The Challenger had blown up. I remember being equally stunned by the immense loss of life and the invasion of the “Real World” into this tiny mountain town.

I'd loved the space program ever since I'd visited the location as a child. One could say that I had NASA pride. Added to that was the New England pride of Christa McAuliffe's mission. Christa was from New Hampshire.

Later in the day, I wanted to talk to friends about it. After a comment or two they would change the subject. …”How was skiing today?” “Did you have good runs?” “ Which ones were best?” Another day in a ski town. Short-term pleasure was the focus.

The same happened the next day. No one around me seemed to value the immensity of this loss. I wanted to be somewhere and do something that impacted more than the current day.

At that point, I remembered an older UVM alumni I'd met who was a kind mentor. When I'd told him my parents’ horror of my choice to go West, he'd been so helpful. He had told me at the Parker House in Boston over lunch a few months earlier, “Go and enjoy. Just know when it is time to leave.”

That day in Sun Valley, I decided it was time to leave the idyllic town. It would be so easy to be there still, yet I wanted more out of life than sun, ski and snow. I began to make my exit plans. To where I was not sure, but I knew what did not work anymore for me.

In that short time, as I was in the West less than a year, I learned more than I ever imagined. That took me to an understanding of clients as my career progressed. Because I had lived a semi-retirement of sorts without a bigger vision, I had an understanding of others who inherited money and could do nothing but needed more in their life. None of this made me envious. Rather, it made me thankful for the experience I had out West. Life is multilayered and complex.

A Rainbow Kind of Day......

Amazing! One glance at the sky and I could not stop looking.  The rainbow that greeted me yesterday morning was high, and wide and situated just perfectly for my viewing.    I paused and took the moment to reflect on the beauty before me.  This time of the day I do not typically see a rainbow.  Right or wrong, they seem to me to be an afternoon occurrence. 

What could the rainbow mean?  Why today?  Why right now? The light rain that fell on me was refreshing and matched my thoughts.  This is going to be a rainbow type of day!  I smiled. 

I believe we are all able to put good intentions out there and make the kind of days we want.  Attitude matters as does our intention. 

Smiling, I thanked the universe for the reminder and carried on for my drive through the beautiful roads of Vermont to work. I never saw the rainbow again on my drive.  The smile never left my lips or heart. Rainbows represent so many things to so many people.  There is the LGBTQ movement.  There is the Irish mythology of the pot of gold at the end.  There is the Judy Garland song.  All of them are of hope and possibility.  All of them speak of beauty, of something special.

A couple of hours later, one of my dear clients came in to my office for our meeting.  She had a white paper gift bag that she dropped ceremoniously on my desk. 

“For you,” Patricia says, “I had it made by friend of mine especially.”

Imagine my smile when I opened the bag to a rainbow, a rainbow of peace signs.  I was and am still amazed.  I told her my story of intending to make it a rainbow kind of day.  Her gift radiated beauty of the giver, the purse and the peaceful intention.  I will be telling the story many more times.  I cannot wait to use my new bag!

What is your intention for the day?   Make it a Rainbow Kind of Day!