The vast majority of times when I do look at a prospective client’s portfolio, I typically see some things that didn’t happen, and some things that did happen, that I’d recommend changing up. Some of the symptoms I like to address when asked for a second opinion are as follows:
Believe it or not, Christmas is 12 days away – you all know the song, sing with me! Actually, I did a little research lately, and found that the 12 days of Christmas start on December 25 and run through January 5. But, I wanted to give everyone the head’s up that our office will be running at full capacity until December 21. We’ll be closed for regular business on the 24th & 25th, with a skeleton crew running things from the 26th until January 7, when we’ll resume full functionality and all Christmas and New Year’s festivities are over. So, if anything I mention in this newsletter creates the need for you to contact us, please do so in the next 10 days so we can take care of you.
December is here and means wrapping up your financial year as well as wrapping all those gifts. (You didn’t bust your budget, did you? No, neither did I….)
It’s that time of year when we’re all hoping to end up on Santa’s nice list – or trying to get our kids onto Santa’s nice list – but Old St. Nick’s isn’t the only list we hope you’re paying attention to. For those of you who are clients with us, think back to those early meetings we held with you. Remember that paper we gave you with little boxes next to some words, and “planning checklist” at the top?
Have you ever watched the TV show Mad Men? Do you remember the episode where Don and his colleagues are discussing what they want in life? They all answer with something that has to do with their careers. Don gets to thinking, and later in the episode, he asks his daughter what she wants to do in life. She replies that she isn’t quite sure. Don then tells her that if she’s lucky enough to think about it, she’d better write it down so she doesn’t forget when she’s older.
Life is full of decisions. From deciding what to wear when we get dressed every day to what time to set the alarm for when we we go to bed, every day is full of choices. Some decisions are small with little bearing on life as a whole, and some are large with lasting effects. Sometimes, these decisions can haunt you for months or even years. You may wreck yourself on what is the right decision, the what ifs, and then worry in hindsight about what could have been. Finally, you picked a restaurant to eat at, and now you’re wondering if sushi really would have been better than burgers.
A couple of years ago when my older son, Carter, was about 5, we went to Sesame Street Live! with a couple of other families. Carter had saved some money in his piggy bank and wanted to take some with him for candy. So, we got out some change and exchanged it for paper money. At the show, Carter was sitting with two girls about his same age when he spotted cotton candy vendor. My son flagged him down, and when the vendor got there, Carter announced, “Don’t worry girls, I got this!” At which point he paid $16 for about 4 cents worth of sugar and air.
Recently, I helped my neighbors move as they set out across the country for a new job and a new adventure. They are a young couple who had moved in with each other about a year and a half ago, and like most people, found that even in that amount of time, they had accumulated more stuff than they’d realized. Although they got along for the most part, they argued a bit during the packing process over what to keep and what to pitch, or something one finds hideous that the other thought was awesome.
Everyone feels envious from time to time. It’s human nature, especially in this day and age of 24/7 media bombardment and celebrities who are famous for simply being famous. Everywhere we look, there’s someone who has more, bigger, better, stronger, nicer. While I would never advocate for “keeping up with the Joneses,” and despite the fact that envy is one of the seven deadly sins, I do believe that a certain amount of envy can be a good thing.
Here we are at the time of year when school is almost out and kids are gearing up for an active summer. I know with my two boys, it seems like each year their energy levels just go up and up and my wife and I put them in more and more sports and activities to keep everyone busy.
*Representatives are licensed to offer insurance and annuity products in AL, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, ME, MI, MO, NH, OH, SC, and TN and are licensed to offer investment products in AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, NC, NE, NH, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, Washington DC and WV. This website and its content are not intended for residents of other states. Securities offered through: The O.N. Equity Sales Company, Member FINRA/SIPC, One Financial Way, Cincinnati, OH 45242. 513.794.6794 Investment Advisory Services offered through The O.N. Investment Management Company. Estate Planning Services provided in conjunction with your licensed legal advisor.