Category Archives: Living

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The Key To Good Habits: The Perfect Smoothie?

In Charles Duhigg’s eye-opening book, The Power of Habit, we learn that we are, whether we like it or not, creatures of habit. For better and for worse.

In order to help us understand how habits work, how to identify them, and how to create good ones, Duhigg introduces us to the “Habit Loop,” a cycle that begins with an (often unknown) behavioral Cue that triggers a Routine resulting in a desired Reward.

Physical exercise is something that’s important to many people, myself included, so using Duhigg’s concepts, I’ve created a reward for this desired behavior that I submit to you as nothing short of the World’s Best Protein Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie.

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3 Books To Help You Be More Civil, Memorable And Inspired in 2018

I’m a sloooow reader–so I’m never going to impress anyone with the total number of books I read in a year (other than myself!).  But I do try to immerse myself in as much reading as possible each year.

In the past, I’d try to read a lot of specifically financial books considering my vocation as a financial advisor and writer, and I confess I even suffered guilt about reading anything other than non-fiction until more recently.  But because of my conviction that personal finance is more personal than it is finance, I’ve worked to broaden my base of reading.

This year in particular, I learned a lot about people (and therefore money) through biographies, historical non-fiction and fiction, books on charity and spirituality, and an increasing number of well-written novels, in addition to a couple financial books. (Otherwise, I’ve found that the world of financial planning is so ever-changing that I get the most current information I need from articles, white papers (zzzzzzzz), blog posts, podcasts and conferences.)

Below you’ll see my top three favorite books that I completed in 2017 with short reviews, followed by a list of the remaining books I read this year and links to my Goodreads reviews:

3. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

There’s not much more to say than, “Wow.” This book is a masterpiece, and it’s impossible not to leave it without concluding, again, that Lincoln was a mastermind.  His ability to be civil while strong, conciliatory while persuasive, articulate without condescension, and especially to be a friend to political foes whom he knew sought to undermine him–all at the unquestionable height of our country’s political division–seems so far from what is exhibited in our present.

Doris Kearns Goodwin is certainly among those precious few non-fiction writers who  craft a narrative out of lifeless facts that comes to life like a novel, without sacrificing any of its veracity.

To be clear, this book is neither new (it was published in 2006) nor short (944 pages–I “read” it on Audible), but it seems at no time more prescient–or necessary–than now.

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You know you should have a will–but WHY?

Originally published CNBCYou’ve surely heard the sad news that music legend Prince has died, and you likely caught the fact that he did so without leaving a will. This high-profile case of apparent negligence has rekindled the collective finger wagging over having the correct estate planning documents. But the question remains—WHY?

I had the opportunity to answer this question recently on the Today show, but I wanted to further explore the topic in the hope of providing some additional, actionable clarity:

WHY NOT?

Statistics suggest that a majority of Americans don’t have a will. And, after reading hundreds of these documents, I’ve found that even most people who do have a will have one with sub-optimal language they don’t understand.

Why don’t we do a great job planning for our death?

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Save Social Security For When You Need It Most–Later

Originally published CNBCI think we’ve been looking at Social Security retirement benefits all wrong. In the long-running debate about when to take Social Security — as early as age 62 or as late as age 70 — the focus has been on timing your claim to get the most money, in total, out of the social safety net.

This is a circular argument that will never be fully decided until the Social Security recipient in question dies. So let’s shift the focus from the question “How do we get the most out of Social Security?” to “How do we get Social Security when we need it most?”

Simply put, you’re more likely to run out of money at the end of retirement than at the beginning.

You’ll love this–a discussion with a prolific, syndicated Canadian talk show host about the lesson that EVERYONE can learn from the U.S. debt ceiling debacle.  This article spurred our discussion.

Listen to the show snippet here: Finances and Fault

Date: October 28, 2013
Appearance: Finances and Fault
Outlet: AM 680 CJOB
Location: Winnipeg, MB (Canada)
Format: Radio
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Start With Your Obituary

This is a guest post from my friend, mentor and co-author, Jim Stovall, who has overcome blindness to become a best-selling author and source of inspiration for literally millions.  Please enjoy.

Most people would assume that an obituary is the final word in a person’s life; however, there was a gentleman who lived in the 19th Century for whom an obituary was a new beginning.  You and I can join him.

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish gentleman who lived from 1833 to 1896.  He amassed a fortune as the inventor and mass producer of explosives including dynamite.  His story might have ended there except for a premature obituary.  When Alfred Nobel’s brother passed away, the press mistakenly ran an obituary on Alfred Nobel.  Among other things, this obituary stated Alfred Nobel was “a man who had made it possible to kill more people more quickly than anyone else who had ever lived.”

Alfred Nobel had the advantage of previewing his own obituary, and he knew he didn’t like it, and he didn’t want to be remembered that way.  So, he took action.

Relatively few people know of Alfred Nobel as the inventor of dynamite, but he will forever be known as the creator of the Nobel Peace Prize and Nobel prizes for literature, economics, medicine, and the sciences.

He changed his lasting legacy 180 degrees by simply becoming aware of his own obituary and rewriting it.  You and I can join Alfred Nobel today as we become aware of the fact that we are daily writing our own obituaries, and if we don’t like the first draft that we have today, we can edit it before it goes to the final press.

We have a tendency to look at the world through a short-term lens.  We consider today’s schedule, this week’s calendar, or this month’s expenses.  If we want to be a high-impact, self-actualized, successful person through the long-term lens, we’ve got to begin writing our own obituary and creating our lasting legacy today.

There are some people like Alfred Nobel whose legacy extends worldwide through the way they have impacted society.  There are some individuals who impact only a handful of people, but their impact is felt at a core level.  You can change the world and leave a powerful legacy either way.  Some people change the world while other people change the world changers.

There are teachers, pastors, coaches, and mentors whose names history will never record but whose legacies will endure as long as thoughts or discussions of greatness exist.  Stake your territory, make your claim, and begin writing your own obituary now while you can still make a difference.

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Estate/Legacy App

This is the 14th exercise in a series designed to walk you through an entire financial plan.  The exercise is embedded in an Excel spreadsheet you can download and save for personal use.  You can read the backdrop for the exercise HERE, or just jump right in with the instructions given below:

You’re creating a legacy whether you want to or not, and purposing yourself to make that a story filled with meaning isn’t a box to be checked off, but a different way of living.  And while your estate and your estate plan is merely a part of the legacy you’ll leave, it’s certainly an important part, and we’ve developed an app to help you do that.

Begin or revisit your personal estate plan by completing the Legacy Plan exercise.  Included is an estate checklist to ensure you have the necessary documents updated with the appropriate provisions inside of them.  As you work through the process of getting your documents in line with your Personal Principles, develop your survivor guide which should accompany your estate-planning documents to provide additional details of your wishes to those you leave behind.  You’ll find this downloadable booklet app by clicking HERE.

Incidentally, my coauthor, Jim Stovall, has changed the way millions of readers, and Lord knows how many moviegoers, understand the word legacy through his book, and subsequent movie, The Ultimate Gift.  If you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to do so.  It is a fast, refreshing read that acts as a great launching point for a legacy plan going well beyond the numbers.

For those who are encouraged to take additional steps to ensure they leave a legacy, not just an estate, the themes exhibited in The Ultimate Gift are now available as tools you can find at www.theultimategift.com.

And of course, you can also read more on the topic in the book Jim and I co-authored, The Ultimate Financial Plan.

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The Most Important Love Letters You’ll Ever Write

Originally in ForbesYou don’t want to write estate planning documents because you don’t love meditating on the prospect of your own death.  Sure, you might think you’re mature enough to face that eventuality and plan responsibly to care for anyone or anything you might leave behind.  But even if you’re perfectly cognizant of your own mortality and confident of a secured eternity north of the border, you may not rank a discussion on splitting up your worldly assets and responsibilities with an attorney particularly high.

But your estate planning documents aren’t for you.  Think of them as the most important love letters you’ll ever write.  Find inspiration in knowing that you’re caring for the people and causes you love, even if you’re not here anymore.

The most important recommendation in every financial plan is successful completion of thoughtfully prepared estate planning documents.  So, no matter your age (unless you’re still a minor), marital status or net worth, you need to be considering how to write your WILL, DURABLE POWER OF ATTORNEY and ADVANCE DIRECTIVES.

Here is an estate planning crash course in the form of three videos addressing each primary document in under 90 seconds.  Enjoy!  (Then, act.)

 How to Create a Will in 90 Seconds or Less

 

How to Create a Durable Power of Attorney in 90 Seconds or Less

 

How to Create Advance Directives in 90 Seconds or Less

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The Most Important Financial Planning Recommendation for Young Parents

Young-family-portraits If you queried a score of financial planners and hit them with the question, “What is the most important financial planning recommendation for young parents?” I bet 19 of them would mention something about investing, retirement planning, insurance, education planning or tax planning.  But the most important financial planning recommendation for young parents isn’t even completed by a financial planner, but instead, an attorney.

If you’re a parent with minor children, the most important planning strategy you can employ is to have a will written and a guardian established for your children in the will.  The guardian is the person charged with the day-to-day care of your children, effectively becoming their new parent.  If you fail to designate who should hold that penultimate office, your state of residence will decide for you.  Do you trust them to make the right decision?

There are at least two other officers you should appoint in your will—the personal representative (AKA executor) and the trustee.  The personal representative (PR) has the relatively short-term job of walking your estate through the probate process.  You want to choose an anal retentive (for lack of a better term) person who will follow the steps necessary to complete the detailed checklist to close your estate.

The trustee is the designee second in importance only to the guardian.  While the guardian is responsible to raise your children, the trustee is responsible to fund their upbringing.  Before you mistake the need for a trustee in your will as an optional estate planning feature reserved solely for the silver spoon crowd, let me assure you the vast majority of youngish households should be seriously considering the creation of a trust in their will and a trustee to manage it.  I’m not talking about a “trust fund” here but a testamentary trust, a vehicle not birthed until you and your spouse are no more.

The testamentary trust may not exist until you don’t, but you write the rules for it in your will.  It is likely to receive the bulk of your estate—your home and life insurance proceeds—and since most families with a proper level of life insurance will have a testamentary trust with over a million dollars in it, it is important to deliberate over the instructions you give for the trust’s use.  Many wisely give the trustee broad “HEMS” provisions, allowing for distributions supporting health, education, maintenance and support. Additionally, consider scheduling principal distributions over several years—for example, you may distribute one third of the principal at age 25, half at age 30 and the remainder at age 35.  You’re protecting the money both for and from the child.  After all, what would you have done with a million bucks at the age of 21?

A logical question many pose is, “Shouldn’t I just name one person for the personal representative, guardian and trustee?”  After I disclaim that I’m not an attorney and don’t wish to be misconstrued as one offering “legal advice” (an offense punishable by law) I may respond that I prefer to see the person best suited for each office named.  For most of us, it is not one person alone who is an optimal fit for each of the important designations in your will.  Is the person you trust most to actually raise your children also the most financial savvy and detail oriented?  Even if the answer is yes, you may still consider the benefit of having a healthy wall of separation between the guardian and the giant bucket of money in the testamentary trust created under your will. 

It’s not that investing, insuring, education planning, retirement planning and tax planning aren’t important—in fact, they have the highest probability of impacting your life and the lives of your family members, while the guardianship and trustee provisions in your will are unlikely ever to be exercised.  But in the unlikely case that you and your parental partner are both taken from this earth in an untimely fashion, you’ll make that transition much more peacefully knowing someone you trust is designated to care for your offspring and their financial wellbeing.  More succinctly, you can’t write a will after you’re dead.

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90 Second Finance…The Bucket Plan

The "technical" term I use most in educating about personal finance is… BUCKET.  It’s useful in so many areas of financial planning.  You put your money into checking account buckets and set-up various budget buckets.  You contribute money to a 401(k) bucket during your working years and then take money out of that bucket in retirement.

This video is 90 seconds of instruction on the primary decisions you face in creating the optimal Will…the document you should have properly written before you KICK the bucket!