Ten years ago, Scott fired me. At the time, he wanted to handle his own investments. He thought that he could do it himself and didn’t want to spend the money on an advisor. It stung at the time, like it always does. But I understood his thinking and wished him well. Last year, I was able to reconnect with Scott. I’d just relocated to Arizona with my family. Coincidentally, so had he. He had a new position as the CFO of a company in Phoenix and was doing great. Scott and I met for a drink to catch up. […]

On Wednesday, one headline reads, “…shares sink following weak revenue forecasts due to….” On Thursday, the same news source writes about the same company, saying, “…company shares jump 8% on report of company X collaborating...” The same news source. The same week. A discussion about the same company. But two totally different messages. Narrative. Most people take in their information with layers of interpretation. You can make numbers say just about anything you want, and the markets and our news cycle move so fast, 24 hours with little respite. According to most headlines, we’re either in a new gold rush […]

I never spent a lot of time with my father. He wasn’t around – or particularly interested. When he was nearby, he often closed himself off. Headphones on, he listened to music instead of acknowledging my sister and me. So, with my kids, I try to be there for them. I try my best to be at all of their games and performances. I tour schools with my wife. To be honest with you, it’s not my favorite thing in the world (to put it lightly), but we want to make sure they’re going to the best schools and have the […]

The phone never rings this late. It can’t be good. “Hello?” the father answers. A familiar voice on the other end of the phone: the mom of one of their son’s friends. “There has been an accident,” she says, trying to collect her breath. “Your son was in it. You need to come right away.” Upon hearing the news, the mother screams. They quickly dress and rush downstairs and into the car. Every possible outcome races through their minds. They try to remain positive, but time stands still. Once at the scene, Mom and Dad see their son being attended to by […]