March 17, 2023
“Are you enjoying the move and living in Arizona?” I asked my daughter. “No,” she responded. “Really? Nothing at all?” I replied. “I guess I like my school and our house,” she said, pensive. But I liked my old school better and our old house more.” If you want honesty, just ask a kid. Wouldn’t it be great if we adults could answer questions the same way kids do? Ask a question, and get an honest, uninhibited answer. Nothing else. No fluff. No agenda. Just unabashed truth and you know exactly where you stand. As I’ve gotten older, I notice […]
March 10, 2023
What if I…? How about if I tried…? What if I changed…? Have you ever asked yourself those questions? We probably all have. It’s simple human nature to lament that we’re not living up to our personal potential. We regret our shortfalls; ponder opportunities lost. Those lingering questions echoing through your head may sound something like: What if I got up at 5 am instead of 6 so I could go to the gym? What if I only had alcohol on the weekends? How much better would my day be if I went to bed an hour earlier? How would […]
March 1, 2023
Stocks Stocks finished the last day of February in the red, which was indicative of a month that saw losses for the three U.S. equity benchmarks. For the month of February, the stock market’s three major indices performed as follows: Dow -4.2% S&P 500 -2.6% Nasdaq -1.1% Inflation Inflation took an unexpected turn through January, disappointing what was hoped to be a deflationary trend. For the month, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.5% month-over-month, rising 6.4% on an annual basis. That outpaced forecasts, which had anticipated that 0.5% monthly increase but only a 6.2% annual CPI increase. Furthermore, […]
February 17, 2023
If everything is urgent, nothing is urgent. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that. It’s so easy to focus on the thing that’s in front of us, to put out the fire in our proximity that is getting a little too warm. We’re hard-wired to handle the most pressing threat NOW. So, we end up performing triage – over and over again. But if we would just take a step back, the result is usually much better. By zooming out and looking at the big picture, we allow ourselves to think clearly about the true problem, seeing all available solutions. I […]
February 3, 2023
Be the fixer. If a client or a friend has an issue, be the fixer. Whether you get paid or not, be the fixer. No matter if it benefits you or not, be the fixer. Answer the questions. Provide the resources. Make the introductions. Always think in terms of solutions, focusing on what you can do to make their life better, whether marginally or immeasurably. To aid you in this mission, you should know your subject matter hands down – and then bring in the team to complement your knowledge and experience. That is the formula for a life of […]
February 1, 2023
Stocks Stocks rallied on the last day of January to finish off a banner month. Through January, the major stock indices performed as follows: Dow 2.8% SP 500 5.8% Nasdaq 10.7% For the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, that was its best January showing since it gained 12.2% in 2001. *** The S&P 500 Index, Down Jones and NASDAQ are market indexes generally considered representative of the stock market as a whole. The index focuses on the large-cap segment of the U.S. equities market. Indices are unmanaged, and one cannot invest directly in an index. Past performance does not necessarily predict […]
January 19, 2023
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it’s stupid.” -Albert Einstein. All people have different skill sets. Mine are different than those that I work with, and theirs are different than mine. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that everyone deals with things differently. Depending on the situation, someone else’s approach to a problem or job may actually be more effective. We can also expand our perspective by observing someone else undertake a task, gaining a different approach. Another tool in the box may […]
January 12, 2023
On Wednesday, I was returning from a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. While on the flight (which was delayed numerous times, like so many others around this time this year) I went to log on to the Wi-Fi. Then, on to the Paramount app on my iPad (to get my fix of watching Tulsa King & Yellowstone). I waited…but no luck. I could not log on. So then, I tried to log into my Disney app. Why not watch a little Marvel?! But still no connection. The Wi-Fi said it was connecting, but the signal must have been too weak. […]
January 5, 2023
How can you skyrocket into 2023? Focus on making 2022’s ceiling this year’s floor. Personally, professionally, and, most certainly, financially, nothing feels better than achieving something significant. That all starts with setting (and writing down, setting up accountability systems, etc.) goals. Without them, how would you know how well you are doing? One of my mentors, Harry, once said, “Imagine a career in sales with no contests. It would be like running a marathon or training for one and not knowing the distance you had to go.” Humans, by nature, crave that. We’re hard-wired to both seek and respond to adulation and/or recognition. […]
January 3, 2023
The Stock Market Stocks finished a robust month by rallying on the last trading day, Friday, June 30th. That also capped a banner quarter and first half of 2023 for the markets. For the month of June, the stock market’s three major indices performed as follows: Dow +4.6% S&P 500 +6.5% Nasdaq +6.6% That was the best monthly performance since October 2022 for the S&P 500 and the fourth consecutive winning month for the Nasdaq. For the second quarter of 2023, the three major indices performed as follows: Dow +3.4% S&P 500 +8.3% Nasdaq +12.8% The Nasdaq has now posted […]