Several years ago, I began a holiday tradition with my family. I bake them a tin of their favorite cookies, and they give me a list of their Top 10 Best Things of the Year. On Christmas day they read the list out loud, embellishing each item. One the performance is over, they get their tin of cookies.
Not only is this great fun, it makes wonderful memories. I keep all the Top 10 lists in a notebook. I never tire of walking down memory lane with the Top 10 list book.
My daughter always asks for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. Below is the recipe I modified from my Mother's oatmeal nut cookie recipe.
Enjoy
Sarah’s Christmas Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
350 degrees, 10 minutes
• 1 C butter
• ½ C brown sugar
• 1 C granulated sugar
• ½ t vanilla
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 ¼ c sifted plain flour
• 1 t baking soda
• ½ t salt
• ½ t cinnamon
• 3 C oatmeal
• 1 bag chocolate chips
• ½ c nuts if you like
Turn oven on to preheat. Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well. Sift flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add flour mixture to butter, sugar and egg mixture. Beat until mixed, but do not beat longer than what is required to mix. Add oatmeal and chocolate chips.
Drop by teaspoon onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Mackey McNeill CPA/PFS
Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The Top 10 Reasons People Don’t Live a Prosperous Life
By: Sandra Baptist
If it were easy, everyone would do it; everyone would have it. That “IT” is prosperity and we’re all trying to achieve that stage in our lives where wealth, health, success are a daily part of our lives.
So what’s the problem? Why aren’t some of us living a prosperous life? Read on, my friends…
1. Clarity: Many people don’t know what they truly want in life. They have not clarified exactly what they desire and where they want to be within a year, 5 years, or even 3 months. Because they don’t know where they are going they drift along with the daily grind, totally forgetting that they want to attain true prosperity.
2. A Clear Path: There are some that have a goal for their life, yet they do not know how to attain it. They go through the motions daily and never actually make a conscious decision to attain their goal.
3. Struggle: Many are desperately trying to live a life of happiness, wealth and success. They are focused on achieving true prosperity, but yet constantly find themselves struggling to attain it. It is this struggle that actually prevents them from being truly prosperous.
4. Fear: False. Evidence. Appearing. Real. This one four-letter word prevents us from going forward to achieve all that we desire. What will our family think? Will our friends still like us? A very high percentage of persons fear success because of how it will affect us and our relationship with others.
5. Conditioning: As children and young adults our environment affects a great deal of our “conditioning” and has a profound effect on the way we think, act and live. Our environment here could include our parents, our friends, television, politics, religion, school courses and our job. For example, the TV may constantly bombard us with images of prosperous persons as unhappy, as crooks or gangsters or as lonely and selfish. If we really believe this, who would want to lead a prosperous, successful life?
6. The Norm: “I can’t be bothered. This is too much work. It’s too hard” Some people cannot be bothered to achieve prosperity. They live each day in a trance, in a numb existence, going along with the status-quo and have no desire to change their lives for the better.
7. Out-Grow Your Peers: Some people don’t want to change. You may be hesitant to achieve your dreams, goals, your vision because once you do achieve true prosperity it may reduce your inventory of what is actually possible for you. It may mean that you grow beyond your partner, your friends and your family. What will that mean for you?
8. Negativity: Our lives are stuck by the negativity we are drawn to in our daily lives. A large percentage of people want to out do their co-workers or friends with the amount and magnitude of problems that they have. Most of us live our lives in total lack and shortage and that prevents us from achieving true prosperity.
9. Courage: It takes courage to be prosperous. It takes courage to make that change! We need to focus our thoughts towards our vision of true prosperity and hold to that vision. Once we have the courage and the beliefs, there is nothing we cannot achieve.
10. Beliefs: “It can’t happen to us. Prosperity is for other people. They were born with a silver spoon in their mouth”. We are programmed to think that being poor equals happiness. Our belief system totally affects how we live our lives. It is these beliefs that hold us back from our true potential and our true prosperity.
www.hinduwebsite.com
If it were easy, everyone would do it; everyone would have it. That “IT” is prosperity and we’re all trying to achieve that stage in our lives where wealth, health, success are a daily part of our lives.
So what’s the problem? Why aren’t some of us living a prosperous life? Read on, my friends…
1. Clarity: Many people don’t know what they truly want in life. They have not clarified exactly what they desire and where they want to be within a year, 5 years, or even 3 months. Because they don’t know where they are going they drift along with the daily grind, totally forgetting that they want to attain true prosperity.
2. A Clear Path: There are some that have a goal for their life, yet they do not know how to attain it. They go through the motions daily and never actually make a conscious decision to attain their goal.
3. Struggle: Many are desperately trying to live a life of happiness, wealth and success. They are focused on achieving true prosperity, but yet constantly find themselves struggling to attain it. It is this struggle that actually prevents them from being truly prosperous.
4. Fear: False. Evidence. Appearing. Real. This one four-letter word prevents us from going forward to achieve all that we desire. What will our family think? Will our friends still like us? A very high percentage of persons fear success because of how it will affect us and our relationship with others.
5. Conditioning: As children and young adults our environment affects a great deal of our “conditioning” and has a profound effect on the way we think, act and live. Our environment here could include our parents, our friends, television, politics, religion, school courses and our job. For example, the TV may constantly bombard us with images of prosperous persons as unhappy, as crooks or gangsters or as lonely and selfish. If we really believe this, who would want to lead a prosperous, successful life?
6. The Norm: “I can’t be bothered. This is too much work. It’s too hard” Some people cannot be bothered to achieve prosperity. They live each day in a trance, in a numb existence, going along with the status-quo and have no desire to change their lives for the better.
7. Out-Grow Your Peers: Some people don’t want to change. You may be hesitant to achieve your dreams, goals, your vision because once you do achieve true prosperity it may reduce your inventory of what is actually possible for you. It may mean that you grow beyond your partner, your friends and your family. What will that mean for you?
8. Negativity: Our lives are stuck by the negativity we are drawn to in our daily lives. A large percentage of people want to out do their co-workers or friends with the amount and magnitude of problems that they have. Most of us live our lives in total lack and shortage and that prevents us from achieving true prosperity.
9. Courage: It takes courage to be prosperous. It takes courage to make that change! We need to focus our thoughts towards our vision of true prosperity and hold to that vision. Once we have the courage and the beliefs, there is nothing we cannot achieve.
10. Beliefs: “It can’t happen to us. Prosperity is for other people. They were born with a silver spoon in their mouth”. We are programmed to think that being poor equals happiness. Our belief system totally affects how we live our lives. It is these beliefs that hold us back from our true potential and our true prosperity.
www.hinduwebsite.com
Monday, December 7, 2009
Fiscal Responsibility
Several times a week, I see articles suggesting if Americans don't start spending, then the economy will be derailed. Nonsense! This is akin to saying fiscal responsibility is a bad habit.
This recession was primarily driven my excessive use of credit, compounded by a zero or negative savings rate. This isn't a fiscally responsible way of living, nor is it sustainable.
There is good debt, for home purchases and to grow your business, and bad debt, for consumer spending. It is past time we learned to live within our means. It is also great news that our savings rate is up higher than it has been in 20 years.
Avoid reading articles like this one http://tinyurl.com/yjcsrxb which attempt to scare us back into being hooked on debt consumers. Put your own oxygen mask on first, keep reducing debt and saving.
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
CEO of Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
This recession was primarily driven my excessive use of credit, compounded by a zero or negative savings rate. This isn't a fiscally responsible way of living, nor is it sustainable.
There is good debt, for home purchases and to grow your business, and bad debt, for consumer spending. It is past time we learned to live within our means. It is also great news that our savings rate is up higher than it has been in 20 years.
Avoid reading articles like this one http://tinyurl.com/yjcsrxb which attempt to scare us back into being hooked on debt consumers. Put your own oxygen mask on first, keep reducing debt and saving.
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
CEO of Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
New content added to Mackey Advisors Website
Click here to read an interesting article by Jeff Plungis on credit card companies charging inactivity fees.
Click here to view the PDF of Forefield's 2010 Key Numbers for tax planning. These numbers will help you with:
Click here to view the PDF of Forefield's 2010 Key Numbers for tax planning. These numbers will help you with:
- Individual tax planning
- Marginal tax planning
- Investment planning
- Education planning
- Retirement planning
- Business planning
- Estate planning
- Protection planning
Friday, November 27, 2009
To Roth or not to Roth?
Beginning in 2010 the AGI limit for Roth conversions is lifted. This raises new questions about when a Roth IRA conversion makes sense. It isn't an easy question to analyze. One thing for certain, when you make a conversion you are choosing to pay tax today to avoid tax tomorrow. Voluntary early tax payments are generally not on the top of any one's "fun things to do today" list.
There are some situations where conversions make sense. The key is to analyze your situation very specifically and avoid generalizations.
This is one of the best articles I have seen on the subject from David Loeper of WealthCare Capital Management.
May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA, PFS, IAR
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
There are some situations where conversions make sense. The key is to analyze your situation very specifically and avoid generalizations.
This is one of the best articles I have seen on the subject from David Loeper of WealthCare Capital Management.
May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA, PFS, IAR
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Once again, Mackey has done it again. Enjoy another great article from our November newsletter.
Caution – it’s the holidays!
When I was young, our Christmas celebration consisted of fruit, candy, a practical present or two (like PJs and underwear), and one treasure you really could not live without, like a Barbie doll or a BB gun!
In 1966, when I was eleven, we spent Christmas with my mother’s brother and his family of five children. He was a very successful physician and much more well to do than my family. Not wanting to be outdone, my parents rose to the occasion by increasing their gift-giving. I received a black and white portable television - my own personal TV! At the time, the cost of such an item was about $100, much more than my parents’ normal Christmas gift budget. This was my first taste, and one that has stuck with me all these years, of “keeping up with the Jones.”
The holidays, more than any other time, challenge us with balancing the desire to please and measure up as providers with the sanity of fiscal prudence. We know that the kids will be comparing their presents with their friends. Did they get the latest and greatest cool toy or electronic gadget? Do they have the right clothes to fit in?
Human beings change in one of two ways: either very slowly or in crisis. This past year has created economic crisis for many people. As a country, we needed a change in our money habits. We needed to cure our addiction to debt and get back to saving. And that is exactly what is happening. The economic crisis has reminded us that we need to prepare for the lean times when we are fat and happy, knowing that it is not if something will interrupt our lives but when.
The holidays offer a great opportunity to teach the value of moderation to our children and to help them understand what it means to live on a budget and to make good financial decisions, today and for your and their tomorrow.
Make this upcoming holiday season the best yet. Look over your cash flow and decide on a spending budget. Allocate that budget to all of those for whom you wish to bless with a gift. Shop wisely and stay within your budget. And enjoy the feeling of freedom and comfort that comes from knowing there are no credit card bills coming to haunt you in 2010! Now that is a reason to celebrate the new year!
Personally, my favorite holiday gift is one I ask for every year. I ask my kids to write down and give me one of two things: a short story of their own creation, or the top ten best things that happened to them over the past year. They read the story or list out loud and talk about it on Christmas day. In turn, I bake them a tin of their favorite cookies. While we still have “store bought” presents floating around our house, the cookie and story exchange is by far my most treasured exchange.
Caution – it’s the holidays!
When I was young, our Christmas celebration consisted of fruit, candy, a practical present or two (like PJs and underwear), and one treasure you really could not live without, like a Barbie doll or a BB gun!
In 1966, when I was eleven, we spent Christmas with my mother’s brother and his family of five children. He was a very successful physician and much more well to do than my family. Not wanting to be outdone, my parents rose to the occasion by increasing their gift-giving. I received a black and white portable television - my own personal TV! At the time, the cost of such an item was about $100, much more than my parents’ normal Christmas gift budget. This was my first taste, and one that has stuck with me all these years, of “keeping up with the Jones.”
The holidays, more than any other time, challenge us with balancing the desire to please and measure up as providers with the sanity of fiscal prudence. We know that the kids will be comparing their presents with their friends. Did they get the latest and greatest cool toy or electronic gadget? Do they have the right clothes to fit in?
Human beings change in one of two ways: either very slowly or in crisis. This past year has created economic crisis for many people. As a country, we needed a change in our money habits. We needed to cure our addiction to debt and get back to saving. And that is exactly what is happening. The economic crisis has reminded us that we need to prepare for the lean times when we are fat and happy, knowing that it is not if something will interrupt our lives but when.
The holidays offer a great opportunity to teach the value of moderation to our children and to help them understand what it means to live on a budget and to make good financial decisions, today and for your and their tomorrow.
Make this upcoming holiday season the best yet. Look over your cash flow and decide on a spending budget. Allocate that budget to all of those for whom you wish to bless with a gift. Shop wisely and stay within your budget. And enjoy the feeling of freedom and comfort that comes from knowing there are no credit card bills coming to haunt you in 2010! Now that is a reason to celebrate the new year!
Personally, my favorite holiday gift is one I ask for every year. I ask my kids to write down and give me one of two things: a short story of their own creation, or the top ten best things that happened to them over the past year. They read the story or list out loud and talk about it on Christmas day. In turn, I bake them a tin of their favorite cookies. While we still have “store bought” presents floating around our house, the cookie and story exchange is by far my most treasured exchange.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Choosing Less
We have been raised in a culture whose message is to choose more. More clothes, more entertainment, bigger homes, more work, more money. There is certainly a great deal to be said about what has been accomplished in the world when we seek more.
What we often miss is the blessing of less. What about less work, less money, fewer possessions and a simpler life? This path isn't revered by our society, yet it is a path that offers great riches.
I have been blessed to work with individuals on both the "more" and "less" path. Both paths can give rise to fulfilling and prosperous lives. Yet my experience is that it is rare to find someone who can walks "more" path in peacefulness and contentment. More likely I find my clients on the "less" path are peaceful and content.
Any choice to live outside the norms set by society, requires thoughtful introspection. My theory is that this required introspection for those on the "less" path leads to the experience of peace and contentment.
Where are you on the continuum of "more" or "less?" Of "peaceful with my lot in life" and "anxious?" Where do you want to be? What new choices are required for you to shift?
What we often miss is the blessing of less. What about less work, less money, fewer possessions and a simpler life? This path isn't revered by our society, yet it is a path that offers great riches.
I have been blessed to work with individuals on both the "more" and "less" path. Both paths can give rise to fulfilling and prosperous lives. Yet my experience is that it is rare to find someone who can walks "more" path in peacefulness and contentment. More likely I find my clients on the "less" path are peaceful and content.
Any choice to live outside the norms set by society, requires thoughtful introspection. My theory is that this required introspection for those on the "less" path leads to the experience of peace and contentment.
Where are you on the continuum of "more" or "less?" Of "peaceful with my lot in life" and "anxious?" Where do you want to be? What new choices are required for you to shift?
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