Over a year ago, we began looking for a new home for Mackey Advisors. If I had known how difficult this journey would be, I would have likely said, “I think I will pass.” The road to our new space has been filled with potholes, detours, missing map pieces and lots of orange barrels!
We have two goals. The first is to have a space that is simply large enough! We have grown, and subsequently become terribly cramped for space in our current location. We are short of conference room space and have people tucked into every possible corner. Our second goal is to occupy a space that is a living example of our brand.
The first objective was easiest to approach. Taking the number of people times the amount of square feet equals how much space you need. The second goal, creating a living example of our brand, has been a much more challenging task. Naturally, it requires that we have a fundamental understanding of our brand from the inside out.
We began the journey in Covington and Newport with two old and potentially beautiful buildings. We eventually chose not to pursue the one in Newport because it had the misfortune of being located next to a bar painted in the bright orange and black of the Cincinnati Bengals. We were all in agreement that this themed décor did not shout “Prosperity!”
In Covington we found an old bank building and decided to focus our attention there. Sadly, after investing much time and energy into the project we could not make the financials work on the building. Cost effectiveness and conscious spending are two components of Prosperity, so the bank building was soon off the table.
At this point we found ourselves going back to the drawing board. As we continued to look we found spaces that were too big and just as many that were too small. Like Goldilocks, we were having a difficult time finding one that was “just right.”
Unable to find a home in Covington or Newport, we began to broaden our horizons and the small community of Bellevue soon caught our attention. After looking at several buildings we stumbled upon one that, with an addition, would be just right. For the last few months we have been designing, attending public hearings, going through inspections, applying for financing and attending to the many details involved in making this building a new home for Mackey Advisors. If all goes to according to plan, we will be closing by this time next week! We will still have much to do, starting with demolition and ending with a complete remodel.
Along the weaves and turns, we also learned more about our brand, Prosperity. We have always known that Prosperity is more than just money, but usually we are looking at Prosperity from an individual point of view. Throughout this process we had the opportunity to look at it from a business and community point of view.
The building in Bellevue makes financial sense. While Prosperity is not just money, if the money doesn’t work, nothing else does either. With the financials handled, we looked at the larger picture. Prosperity for Mackey Advisors means convenience for our clients and being just off I-471 was a perfect location. Long term, as our clients continue to grow outside the region and our work becomes more Internet based, we know that the building will primarily serve our team.
As we looked at what our team needs to be prosperous, we knew we needed green space. Our new office will have two green spaces, a courtyard and a deck. We will also have a large break room and kitchen. All of the spaces will be designed around the idea that our team needs a place to gather, commune and relax.
We know that the next generation is our future, and they will want to live and work in walk-able communities. Bellevue is one of the few completely walk-able communities in our region.
At Mackey Advisors, we believe Prosperity is for everyone, not just for the well to do. Bellevue has $100,000 homes and $1,000,000 dollar plus condos. It is a community for everyone, from those recently setting out on their journey to Prosperity to those who have been on the path for many years.
Over the next few months we will post pictures so you can follow our progress on our web site and Facebook page. We will also post what the process teaches us about Prosperity along the way.
As always, we welcome your comments and encourage your feedback.
May prosperity invade your space!
Mackey
Showing posts with label prosperity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prosperity. Show all posts
Friday, April 15, 2011
Monday, May 3, 2010
5 Most Important Money Lessons for Kids
1. Life isn’t about stuff. The most important lesson a child needs to learn to lead a healthy money life is that stuff isn’t the most important thing. A great way to teach this to your children is to lead by example, and have conversations with your kids about what their perceptions of rich and poor are. It’s sometimes shocking what comes out. Another way to instill this important principle is by giving gifts for birthdays & other special events that aren’t things but memories to make. A family play day at a park, or hosting a sleep over for friends.
2. Money is earned! Kids have a completely abstract concept of money. They need or want something and money appears to acquire whatever that something might be. Instead of just purchasing something for your child make them earn it. Everyday they make their bed, take out the trash, or put their toys away they earn money toward their new toy.
3. You can’t always get what you want. Instant gratification is not just a problem for children. Many adults have to deal with it too. This is why so many people end up with mountains of credit card debt. Instead of buying them a new video game when they see it in the store make them wait a week and see if they still really want it. Most of the time they have already forgotten about it.
4. Save for big ticket items. Too many adults rely on credit to buy a new big screen TV. If they want a new bike have them save for it. Get your child a savings account. ING has a free one online. See if they will start saving on their own, and as an extra incentive match what they save. Every month sit down and look at how much they have saved, how close they are to their goal and how much interest they have earned.
5. Have a rainy day fund. My mother always said, “keep a quarter in your pocket so you can call home.” This is obsolete now, but the idea is still important. This is a hard lesson to teach children since we want to make sure our children are taken care of. But next time the unexpected happens, the air conditioner breaks or the car needs repaired sit your children down and talk to them about how you financially deal with the unexpected.
By: Gracie Mohr
2. Money is earned! Kids have a completely abstract concept of money. They need or want something and money appears to acquire whatever that something might be. Instead of just purchasing something for your child make them earn it. Everyday they make their bed, take out the trash, or put their toys away they earn money toward their new toy.
3. You can’t always get what you want. Instant gratification is not just a problem for children. Many adults have to deal with it too. This is why so many people end up with mountains of credit card debt. Instead of buying them a new video game when they see it in the store make them wait a week and see if they still really want it. Most of the time they have already forgotten about it.
4. Save for big ticket items. Too many adults rely on credit to buy a new big screen TV. If they want a new bike have them save for it. Get your child a savings account. ING has a free one online. See if they will start saving on their own, and as an extra incentive match what they save. Every month sit down and look at how much they have saved, how close they are to their goal and how much interest they have earned.
5. Have a rainy day fund. My mother always said, “keep a quarter in your pocket so you can call home.” This is obsolete now, but the idea is still important. This is a hard lesson to teach children since we want to make sure our children are taken care of. But next time the unexpected happens, the air conditioner breaks or the car needs repaired sit your children down and talk to them about how you financially deal with the unexpected.
By: Gracie Mohr
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Investing Luck vs. Skill
Friends,
At Mackey Advisors™ we are always looking for ways to keep our clients educated on what we do and why we do it. I have included this latest piece for your enjoyment.
Thanks,
Andy Pulsfort
Investing Luck vs. Skill
Periodically, we hear about this or that person who called the market top, who predicted a major downturn--or, sometimes, a mutual fund manager who managed to beat the market by some astronomical amount. Last year was no exception: for example, the Encompass Fund was up 122.05% in 2009 according to Morningstar--which, of course, means that its investors would have doubled their money if they'd invested at the start of the year and held on for the next 12 months. The Birmiwal Oasis Fund was up 102.94% last year.
These people are geniuses, right?
Usually not. The simple law of averages says that somebody, somewhere, will have a streak of correct predictions or hold, for a year, maybe two, stocks that dramatically outperform the markets. Certain unsavory people who hung out at race tracks knew how to make money at this game; they would go around the track telling some people that Horse A was going to win the next race, others that Horse B was a shoo-in, and still others to put their money on Horses C, D and E.
Then, if horse D won the race, the unsavory tout would go back to the people for whom he had "correctly" predicted the outcome, and offer to give them more "inside tips" for a generous fee.
To see how the normal patterns of luck can bring about even the most extraordinary results, imagine that instead of managing investment portfolios, we were talking about people who flipped coins in a huge nationwide contest. On Day One of the contest, 300 million people flip their coins, and those whose coin comes up tails are out of the contest. By the law of averages, 150 million (or so) people will be able to play the game on Day Two, and after they flip, the number of contestants will have shrunk to 75 million.
Then come Day Three (37.5 million left), Day Four (18.75 million), Day Five (9.4 million)--and by the end of three weeks, the amateurs have been weeded out, and there are only 144 people left. In newspaper accounts, these are all described as remarkable coin flippers who somehow managed to throw a coin in the air and have it land on heads 21 consecutive times. This is exactly what would be predicted by the law of averages, but now, suddenly, reporters in each city are interviewing their local champion, asking about their "winning techniques." And, of course, the local champions are starting to believe in their own remarkable coin-flipping skills, telling their friends and the press about their wrist movements and the preferred height of the coin toss.
The next day, only 72 of these highly-skilled coin flippers are left, and the following day, just 36, and as the number diminishes, as the number of consecutive flips goes up, the media attention becomes frenzied. Eighteen, then nine, then four finalists are flown to Hollywood for the nationally-televised coin flipping face-off, and all America believes in the skills that allowed these remarkable people to consistently cause a coin to land with the head of the coin facing up.
Finally, two flips later (maybe three), there is a winner--and who can seriously believe that this person managed to get a coin to land on heads 29 or 30 consecutive times without a tremendous amount of coin-flipping skill?
When one or two of the 8,000 mutual funds break dramatically from the pack in any one year, this is no more than what the law of averages would predict. Yet investors flock into these funds, believing in their stellar investment skill. The next time these winning managers confidently flip the coin, it just as likely turns up tails, the performance falls back into the pack, and experts call it "mean reversion," which just means that the luck ran out and the statistics caught up with the process. Investors put their money in too late to catch the first remarkable flip, but just in time to catch the fall, the return to normalcy. It is the oldest trap in the book, and it sucks away millions, perhaps billions, from consumer retirement portfolios.
There ARE excellent fund managers, but you rarely see them break from the pack, and if they do, they will be the first to tell you that there was as much luck as skill involved. Sometimes, a great manager will experience a terrible year, for the same reasons. Investing is a game where you take the luck that is offered you, and inevitably you give something back when the luck runs out. Those investors who are diligent and careful and humble in the face of this reality, who don't chase the hot coin flipper right after a great run, will usually win more often than they lose--because, unlike a casino, the odds in the investment markets have, over most historical periods, tended to favor the patient investor. The markets go up more than they go down, and so you can have more than your share of coin flips going your way with no more skill than the patience to stay invested.
Advisory services offered through Mackey Advisors, LLC, a registered investment advisor.
At Mackey Advisors™ we are always looking for ways to keep our clients educated on what we do and why we do it. I have included this latest piece for your enjoyment.
Thanks,
Andy Pulsfort
Investing Luck vs. Skill
Periodically, we hear about this or that person who called the market top, who predicted a major downturn--or, sometimes, a mutual fund manager who managed to beat the market by some astronomical amount. Last year was no exception: for example, the Encompass Fund was up 122.05% in 2009 according to Morningstar--which, of course, means that its investors would have doubled their money if they'd invested at the start of the year and held on for the next 12 months. The Birmiwal Oasis Fund was up 102.94% last year.
These people are geniuses, right?
Usually not. The simple law of averages says that somebody, somewhere, will have a streak of correct predictions or hold, for a year, maybe two, stocks that dramatically outperform the markets. Certain unsavory people who hung out at race tracks knew how to make money at this game; they would go around the track telling some people that Horse A was going to win the next race, others that Horse B was a shoo-in, and still others to put their money on Horses C, D and E.
Then, if horse D won the race, the unsavory tout would go back to the people for whom he had "correctly" predicted the outcome, and offer to give them more "inside tips" for a generous fee.
To see how the normal patterns of luck can bring about even the most extraordinary results, imagine that instead of managing investment portfolios, we were talking about people who flipped coins in a huge nationwide contest. On Day One of the contest, 300 million people flip their coins, and those whose coin comes up tails are out of the contest. By the law of averages, 150 million (or so) people will be able to play the game on Day Two, and after they flip, the number of contestants will have shrunk to 75 million.
Then come Day Three (37.5 million left), Day Four (18.75 million), Day Five (9.4 million)--and by the end of three weeks, the amateurs have been weeded out, and there are only 144 people left. In newspaper accounts, these are all described as remarkable coin flippers who somehow managed to throw a coin in the air and have it land on heads 21 consecutive times. This is exactly what would be predicted by the law of averages, but now, suddenly, reporters in each city are interviewing their local champion, asking about their "winning techniques." And, of course, the local champions are starting to believe in their own remarkable coin-flipping skills, telling their friends and the press about their wrist movements and the preferred height of the coin toss.
The next day, only 72 of these highly-skilled coin flippers are left, and the following day, just 36, and as the number diminishes, as the number of consecutive flips goes up, the media attention becomes frenzied. Eighteen, then nine, then four finalists are flown to Hollywood for the nationally-televised coin flipping face-off, and all America believes in the skills that allowed these remarkable people to consistently cause a coin to land with the head of the coin facing up.
Finally, two flips later (maybe three), there is a winner--and who can seriously believe that this person managed to get a coin to land on heads 29 or 30 consecutive times without a tremendous amount of coin-flipping skill?
When one or two of the 8,000 mutual funds break dramatically from the pack in any one year, this is no more than what the law of averages would predict. Yet investors flock into these funds, believing in their stellar investment skill. The next time these winning managers confidently flip the coin, it just as likely turns up tails, the performance falls back into the pack, and experts call it "mean reversion," which just means that the luck ran out and the statistics caught up with the process. Investors put their money in too late to catch the first remarkable flip, but just in time to catch the fall, the return to normalcy. It is the oldest trap in the book, and it sucks away millions, perhaps billions, from consumer retirement portfolios.
There ARE excellent fund managers, but you rarely see them break from the pack, and if they do, they will be the first to tell you that there was as much luck as skill involved. Sometimes, a great manager will experience a terrible year, for the same reasons. Investing is a game where you take the luck that is offered you, and inevitably you give something back when the luck runs out. Those investors who are diligent and careful and humble in the face of this reality, who don't chase the hot coin flipper right after a great run, will usually win more often than they lose--because, unlike a casino, the odds in the investment markets have, over most historical periods, tended to favor the patient investor. The markets go up more than they go down, and so you can have more than your share of coin flips going your way with no more skill than the patience to stay invested.
Advisory services offered through Mackey Advisors, LLC, a registered investment advisor.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Yes, finally Health Care Reform
I have worked with many people over the years who are stiffled in their life by health care. They are stuck in jobs they dislike becuase of access to health care. They continue in jobs when they would rather own their own businesses because of the cost of health care. They tetter on the edge of bankruptcy becuase of an unexpected illness.
Don't misunderstand me. I believe we need to spend more time teaching people how to stay well, by eating whole foods, preferably locally grown, cooking their meals, getting adequate exercise, staying away from cigarettes and excessive alcohol. We all have a responsiblity to our own health.
There are times when through no action of our own we fall ill. That is what insurance is all about, taking care of us when we are victims of an unexpected event. We also have a responsibility to each other. I am pleased we have finally gathered the political will to take action toward health care for all.
Don't misunderstand me. I believe we need to spend more time teaching people how to stay well, by eating whole foods, preferably locally grown, cooking their meals, getting adequate exercise, staying away from cigarettes and excessive alcohol. We all have a responsiblity to our own health.
There are times when through no action of our own we fall ill. That is what insurance is all about, taking care of us when we are victims of an unexpected event. We also have a responsibility to each other. I am pleased we have finally gathered the political will to take action toward health care for all.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Ecocommerce
I saw this article (credit noted) and found the idea of ecocommerce exciting. We all benefit when resources are used sustainably. How do we design a economic system that supports sustainabiliyt?
The Next-Generation Ecoservice Market
Today’s ecoservice markets
By Tim Gieseke
Seventy-five years ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) placed value on soil resources with the creation of the Soil Conservation Service, now known as the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), creating incentive programs to encourage producers to conserve soil.
Several decades later, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implemented a regulatory approach to resource conservation.
Both efforts succeeded to a point. However, their shortcomings have initiated ecoservice markets.
After a decade of progress, ecoservice markets seemed to backslide in 2009. Relatively few of the nearly 80 water quality credit markets in the United States have generated viable trades and function as true market systems.
Sequestered carbon credits are worth about a dime per ton on the Chicago Climate Exchange, and the cap-and-trade system to address climate change is losing support. U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, who played a major role securing rural lawmakers’ support for cap-and-trade legislation last summer, said in early January 2010 he would vote “no” if a similar bill returned to the House for final passage.
From a producer’s perspective, for the most part, these markets have not been a legitimate business opportunity, relative to the traditional commodity markets. The lack of legitimacy is not just due to fluctuating or low prices, but is related to a lack of market organization.
Illusive ecoservices
We define ecoservices as public goods generated by conservative land management: practices yielding fertile soil, clean water, wildlife habitat and carbon and nutrient sequestration. Those striving to encourage these markets find it difficult to identify buyers and sellers and place a price tag on those items.
Imagine trying to sell the corn produced in a 40-acre field without the ability to measure volume or weight. Creating a market for soil stewardship, clean water, habitats and other ecoservices faces a similar challenge. Further complicating the situation, beneficiaries are not a specific processing plant or farm operation, but society as a whole, which benefits from a healthy ecosystem. And, don’t forget agribusiness, which relies on enduring soil productivity.
After decades of developing natural resource monitoring methods that prove marginally successful, we might conclude direct measurement of non-point source pollution, and most ecoservice quantities and sources, is not only difficult, but likely impossible.
Because proponents designed most existing ecoservice markets from the perspectives of policymakers and ecoservice buyers, the markets’ frameworks tend to serve their self-interests. They describe an ecoservice demand “package” that meets their accounting and oversight needs, and trades ensue. However, the discussion of ecoservice supply and demand interaction is absent.
Organizing an ecocommerce structure
The next-generation ecoservice market must allow producers to take advantage of the multiple benefits of a singular conservation practice, recognizing the many benefits to society. And, the ecoservices must be placed within the context of the landscape.
Both market attributes can be created by using agro-ecological indices that measure the immeasurable. The USDA NRCS, universities and institutions across the nation have developed and implemented agro-ecological indices for the purpose of quantifying ecoservices. These include the soil conditioning index, habitat suitability index and various methods to score water quality.
Ecoservice portfolios and their values become the ecocommerce process as described in EcoCommerce 101: The Emergence of an Invisible Hand to Sustain the Bio-Economy.
Graphic courtesy of Gieseke.
For someone not versed in the language of indices, these measurements may seem daunting. Most or all of the agro-ecological indices have been developed independently of each other, and the language describing them today is more like the “Tower of Babel,” rather than a common language.
In the future, ecocommerce indices could be created using similar indices, but with a coordinated effort and standardized units. This language can then develop landscape intelligence as it pertains to management of watersheds and biofuel sheds, and it could provide the foundation for a sustainability index, such as what is now proposed by Walmart.
According to Walmart’s Web site, the company developed a sustainability index initiative in order to meet customers’ requests for more efficient, longer-lasting, higher-performance products. The company’s goal is to create a more transparent supply chain, driving product innovation and providing customers with information to assess products’ sustainability, the site says.
Because the value of ecosystem services is generated by resource management outcomes, rather than the cost of conservation practices, a role reversal occurs. Farmers become the conservation supplier for ecoservice demands, rather than the conservation customer for government programs.
Imagine a farmer sitting down to evaluate his production plan for the year. He considers the price of traditional agricultural commodities and how to produce these in certain quantities.
Now, add a value for soil conditioning, water quality, habitat and carbon sequestration indices.
For example, what if a water quality score of 80 meets the criteria for multiple beneficiaries? It may meet the objectives of a USDA incentive program, and/or an EPA Total Maximum Daily Load regulatory assurance requirement. It also may provide market access via Walmart’s sustainability index, generate a tax rebate from the local watershed district, or become an eligibility requirement to engage in a water quality trading program for a wastewater treatment plant.
A compilation of these resource indices becomes the farm’s ecoservice portfolio that can be recalculated yearly.
These ecoservice portfolios and their values, applied by public and private stakeholders, become the ecocommerce process as described in EcoCommerce 101: The Emergence of an Invisible Hand to Sustain the Bio-Economy.
The ecoccommerce process is significant, because it is more than a compilation or organization of ecoservice markets. It also provides the framework to build an ecological intelligence system, allowing the public arena of commerce to define sustainability.
Jerry Hatfield, Director, National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, wrote in the EcoCommerce 101: The Emergence of an Invisible Hand to Sustain the Bio-Economy foreword, "… this [intellectual framework] is a unique feature because what has been lacking in the discussions of ecosystems or their monetary value has been a framework from which the value could be evaluated.”
He also says EcoCommerce 101: The Emergence of an Invisible Hand to Sustain the Bio-Economy will be a valuable tool to understanding the emergence of this ecoservice economy, especially to policymakers and traders who will serve as the driving force for the development of policies related to ecosystem services.
To learn more about this book, visit www.ecocommerce.us.com.
About the Writer: Tim Gieseke farms part-time in southern Minnesota and through Ag Resource Strategies, LLC provides agro-environmental assessment services. His book is titled, EcoCommerce 101: The Emergence of an Invisible Hand to Sustain the Bio-Economy and is scheduled for release in May 2010.
The Next-Generation Ecoservice Market
Today’s ecoservice markets
By Tim Gieseke
Seventy-five years ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) placed value on soil resources with the creation of the Soil Conservation Service, now known as the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), creating incentive programs to encourage producers to conserve soil.
Several decades later, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implemented a regulatory approach to resource conservation.
Both efforts succeeded to a point. However, their shortcomings have initiated ecoservice markets.
After a decade of progress, ecoservice markets seemed to backslide in 2009. Relatively few of the nearly 80 water quality credit markets in the United States have generated viable trades and function as true market systems.
Sequestered carbon credits are worth about a dime per ton on the Chicago Climate Exchange, and the cap-and-trade system to address climate change is losing support. U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, who played a major role securing rural lawmakers’ support for cap-and-trade legislation last summer, said in early January 2010 he would vote “no” if a similar bill returned to the House for final passage.
From a producer’s perspective, for the most part, these markets have not been a legitimate business opportunity, relative to the traditional commodity markets. The lack of legitimacy is not just due to fluctuating or low prices, but is related to a lack of market organization.
Illusive ecoservices
We define ecoservices as public goods generated by conservative land management: practices yielding fertile soil, clean water, wildlife habitat and carbon and nutrient sequestration. Those striving to encourage these markets find it difficult to identify buyers and sellers and place a price tag on those items.
Imagine trying to sell the corn produced in a 40-acre field without the ability to measure volume or weight. Creating a market for soil stewardship, clean water, habitats and other ecoservices faces a similar challenge. Further complicating the situation, beneficiaries are not a specific processing plant or farm operation, but society as a whole, which benefits from a healthy ecosystem. And, don’t forget agribusiness, which relies on enduring soil productivity.
After decades of developing natural resource monitoring methods that prove marginally successful, we might conclude direct measurement of non-point source pollution, and most ecoservice quantities and sources, is not only difficult, but likely impossible.
Because proponents designed most existing ecoservice markets from the perspectives of policymakers and ecoservice buyers, the markets’ frameworks tend to serve their self-interests. They describe an ecoservice demand “package” that meets their accounting and oversight needs, and trades ensue. However, the discussion of ecoservice supply and demand interaction is absent.
Organizing an ecocommerce structure
The next-generation ecoservice market must allow producers to take advantage of the multiple benefits of a singular conservation practice, recognizing the many benefits to society. And, the ecoservices must be placed within the context of the landscape.
Both market attributes can be created by using agro-ecological indices that measure the immeasurable. The USDA NRCS, universities and institutions across the nation have developed and implemented agro-ecological indices for the purpose of quantifying ecoservices. These include the soil conditioning index, habitat suitability index and various methods to score water quality.
Ecoservice portfolios and their values become the ecocommerce process as described in EcoCommerce 101: The Emergence of an Invisible Hand to Sustain the Bio-Economy.
Graphic courtesy of Gieseke.
For someone not versed in the language of indices, these measurements may seem daunting. Most or all of the agro-ecological indices have been developed independently of each other, and the language describing them today is more like the “Tower of Babel,” rather than a common language.
In the future, ecocommerce indices could be created using similar indices, but with a coordinated effort and standardized units. This language can then develop landscape intelligence as it pertains to management of watersheds and biofuel sheds, and it could provide the foundation for a sustainability index, such as what is now proposed by Walmart.
According to Walmart’s Web site, the company developed a sustainability index initiative in order to meet customers’ requests for more efficient, longer-lasting, higher-performance products. The company’s goal is to create a more transparent supply chain, driving product innovation and providing customers with information to assess products’ sustainability, the site says.
Because the value of ecosystem services is generated by resource management outcomes, rather than the cost of conservation practices, a role reversal occurs. Farmers become the conservation supplier for ecoservice demands, rather than the conservation customer for government programs.
Imagine a farmer sitting down to evaluate his production plan for the year. He considers the price of traditional agricultural commodities and how to produce these in certain quantities.
Now, add a value for soil conditioning, water quality, habitat and carbon sequestration indices.
For example, what if a water quality score of 80 meets the criteria for multiple beneficiaries? It may meet the objectives of a USDA incentive program, and/or an EPA Total Maximum Daily Load regulatory assurance requirement. It also may provide market access via Walmart’s sustainability index, generate a tax rebate from the local watershed district, or become an eligibility requirement to engage in a water quality trading program for a wastewater treatment plant.
A compilation of these resource indices becomes the farm’s ecoservice portfolio that can be recalculated yearly.
These ecoservice portfolios and their values, applied by public and private stakeholders, become the ecocommerce process as described in EcoCommerce 101: The Emergence of an Invisible Hand to Sustain the Bio-Economy.
The ecoccommerce process is significant, because it is more than a compilation or organization of ecoservice markets. It also provides the framework to build an ecological intelligence system, allowing the public arena of commerce to define sustainability.
Jerry Hatfield, Director, National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, wrote in the EcoCommerce 101: The Emergence of an Invisible Hand to Sustain the Bio-Economy foreword, "… this [intellectual framework] is a unique feature because what has been lacking in the discussions of ecosystems or their monetary value has been a framework from which the value could be evaluated.”
He also says EcoCommerce 101: The Emergence of an Invisible Hand to Sustain the Bio-Economy will be a valuable tool to understanding the emergence of this ecoservice economy, especially to policymakers and traders who will serve as the driving force for the development of policies related to ecosystem services.
To learn more about this book, visit www.ecocommerce.us.com.
About the Writer: Tim Gieseke farms part-time in southern Minnesota and through Ag Resource Strategies, LLC provides agro-environmental assessment services. His book is titled, EcoCommerce 101: The Emergence of an Invisible Hand to Sustain the Bio-Economy and is scheduled for release in May 2010.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The Rip Off
Two weeks ago, I was in Washington DC speaking to a CEO roundtable. At the end of my talk, one of the participants said to me “I am sure you are worth every penny you charge, but I have been ripped off by a financial advisor and don’t know if I can ever trust another one. Do you have a case study on how to recover from a bad advisor?”
Great question. If you don’t want to be ripped off by an advisor or the financial system in general, you first have to start thinking about these things differently. Finding the right advisor is about personality, communication and knowing what you need. Do you need a wealth advisor to assist you in creating sustainable wealth? Or are you your own wealth advisor, and just looking for some special expertise in a narrow discipline?
Most of us are unknowingly looking for wealth advisors and hire specialty advisors. Let me explain.
Here’s a common scenario. I need tax advice, so I seek out a tax specialist, i.e. a CPA. My need for insurance is met by a specialist - my insurance agent. My new will is drafted by my legal specialist – my attorney. My investments are handled by another specialist – my stock broker. Question: Who is handling my wealth?
We treat all these facets of wealth management as separate…and they’re not. Creating sustainable wealth is most effectively done by beginning with the end in mind – the end being the freedom that comes with planning for a prosperous future.
If asked “Do you want to leave a legacy for your children?” your answer might be “Yes, absolutely.” But what if funding that legacy means you have to shave 10% off of your annual spending? Is that really what you want? The answer may still be ‘yes’, but without looking at the whole wealth picture, you would not have considered all the consequences to answering one narrowly focused question.
A good wealth advisor begins the process with a plan. He or she may call it a financial plan, a wealth plan, or in our case, The Prosperity Experience®. This plan is not a one-size-fits all; it must be tailored to meet the goals and intentions of the client. It includes a decision-making model that supports the person or couple in reaching their full wealth potential.
Specialty advisors like insurance agents, investment advisors and estate planning attorneys are brought in as needed to provide detailed expertise in a focused area. The wealth advisor may have these professionals in-house or they may be available via contract. Either way, the wealth advisor coordinates their work and uses the planning process with the client to facilitate decision making.
If you have been ripped off, there is nothing to do but get back on your horse and begin again, with the wisdom you gained from the experience. Take it slow. Trust your intuition. Do your homework. Find out who you are talking to.
Sustainable wealth creation is a lifelong process. While no single decision may change the trajectory of your wealth and prosperity, any single decision can. Don’t wait until you have made that one big, bad decision to begin again.
Mackey McNeill
Great question. If you don’t want to be ripped off by an advisor or the financial system in general, you first have to start thinking about these things differently. Finding the right advisor is about personality, communication and knowing what you need. Do you need a wealth advisor to assist you in creating sustainable wealth? Or are you your own wealth advisor, and just looking for some special expertise in a narrow discipline?
Most of us are unknowingly looking for wealth advisors and hire specialty advisors. Let me explain.
Here’s a common scenario. I need tax advice, so I seek out a tax specialist, i.e. a CPA. My need for insurance is met by a specialist - my insurance agent. My new will is drafted by my legal specialist – my attorney. My investments are handled by another specialist – my stock broker. Question: Who is handling my wealth?
We treat all these facets of wealth management as separate…and they’re not. Creating sustainable wealth is most effectively done by beginning with the end in mind – the end being the freedom that comes with planning for a prosperous future.
If asked “Do you want to leave a legacy for your children?” your answer might be “Yes, absolutely.” But what if funding that legacy means you have to shave 10% off of your annual spending? Is that really what you want? The answer may still be ‘yes’, but without looking at the whole wealth picture, you would not have considered all the consequences to answering one narrowly focused question.
A good wealth advisor begins the process with a plan. He or she may call it a financial plan, a wealth plan, or in our case, The Prosperity Experience®. This plan is not a one-size-fits all; it must be tailored to meet the goals and intentions of the client. It includes a decision-making model that supports the person or couple in reaching their full wealth potential.
Specialty advisors like insurance agents, investment advisors and estate planning attorneys are brought in as needed to provide detailed expertise in a focused area. The wealth advisor may have these professionals in-house or they may be available via contract. Either way, the wealth advisor coordinates their work and uses the planning process with the client to facilitate decision making.
If you have been ripped off, there is nothing to do but get back on your horse and begin again, with the wisdom you gained from the experience. Take it slow. Trust your intuition. Do your homework. Find out who you are talking to.
Sustainable wealth creation is a lifelong process. While no single decision may change the trajectory of your wealth and prosperity, any single decision can. Don’t wait until you have made that one big, bad decision to begin again.
Mackey McNeill
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Buyer beware - Roth Conversions are Hot!
I just got a spam e mail with these headlines:
ROTH CONVERSIONS ARE HOT!
Millions of dollars are being transferred!
HUGE commissions are being generated!
Here's how to get your share of this exploding market.
Doesn't this just make you sick? Where is the client in this headline? What about the impact to the client on their goals, dreams and the cash flow to make it all happen?
Obviously the person who spammed me did not know that Mackey Advisors is a fee only firm, and so generating commissions is not our gig.
So my advice is buyer beware. Proceed with caution on Roth conversions. Do the math and see if it makes sense for you - does a Roth conversation make it easier or more difficult for you to reach your goals? This is the question that you must answer before taking action.
Do not go into fear over tax rates of the future. Take a breathe, run the numbers, do you homework. Then take action.
May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
CEO and President
Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
ROTH CONVERSIONS ARE HOT!
Millions of dollars are being transferred!
HUGE commissions are being generated!
Here's how to get your share of this exploding market.
Doesn't this just make you sick? Where is the client in this headline? What about the impact to the client on their goals, dreams and the cash flow to make it all happen?
Obviously the person who spammed me did not know that Mackey Advisors is a fee only firm, and so generating commissions is not our gig.
So my advice is buyer beware. Proceed with caution on Roth conversions. Do the math and see if it makes sense for you - does a Roth conversation make it easier or more difficult for you to reach your goals? This is the question that you must answer before taking action.
Do not go into fear over tax rates of the future. Take a breathe, run the numbers, do you homework. Then take action.
May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
CEO and President
Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
Solar energy, does it work for you?
Check out this article and imbedded spreadsheet to determine if solar is viable for you financially.
If the Return on Investment (ROI) is convincing, consider starting soon to get your project complete in 2010 and therefore your tax credit in 2010.
If the ROI for you is not spectacular, and your budget can accomodate the cost, consider solar as part investment for today and part an investment you are making for your grandchildren's future in a cleaner planet. Making a difference has its own ROI, the one in your heart.
http://tinyurl.com/ycsxeyy
May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
President and CEO Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
If the Return on Investment (ROI) is convincing, consider starting soon to get your project complete in 2010 and therefore your tax credit in 2010.
If the ROI for you is not spectacular, and your budget can accomodate the cost, consider solar as part investment for today and part an investment you are making for your grandchildren's future in a cleaner planet. Making a difference has its own ROI, the one in your heart.
http://tinyurl.com/ycsxeyy
May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
President and CEO Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Make the New Year Prosperous
Start by reviewing your 2009 income and expenses. Tools you can use include Mint.com, Quicken® or a simple spreadsheet. Go through your bank and credit card statements and categorize your sources of income and expense. Expense categories include things like mortgage, utilities, dining out, groceries, health care, beauty care, etc. Separate your expenses into needs and wants. Take a big picture look at your 2009 habits from this perspective. What do you see?
Next set your 2010 goals. Do you want to go on a summer vacation? Buy a new refrigerator? Pay for your grandchild’s private school? What is really important to you as your prioritize your money?
Prepare a budget for 2010. Start with your needs and add in your goals for 2010. If your expenses exceed your income first look for ways to eliminate unnecessary spending, like brown bagging your lunch instead of eating out. Next look for ways to reduce spending, for example, having your hair cut every six weeks instead of every four. Look at behaviors or habits that cause you to spend money. Do you consider shopping recreation? If so replace that habit with another such as a walk in the park, visit to the local library, game night with your friends.
Many people fail to build an emergency fund. We all need at least 90 days of spending stashed away in a savings or money market account for those unexpected rainy days. If you aren’t there yet, be sure your 2010 budget includes a line item for building your safety net.
Budgeting is essential to take charge of your financial life. If you budget, you are choosing what you want. You are rowing your own boat in the direction you want to go. If you failed to budget, you are leaving your goals to chance, going wherever the river will take you. You may get what you want and you may not. Empowered people budget and plan. Join the budget crew today and create the life you want.
As you plan, remember to think past 2010. A solid financial future is built by saving and increasing your net worth. Review your 401(k) or other employer plan and be sure you are participating at least a level to get the full match. If your budget allows, contribute more. Pay down your credit cards, starting with the smallest one first. Celebrate your victory (without using your credit card) and proceed to the card with the highest interest. Prepare a quarterly net worth statement and give yourself regular at a boy/girls for growing your wealth!
May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
President and CEO, Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
Mackey@CultivatingProsperity.com
Next set your 2010 goals. Do you want to go on a summer vacation? Buy a new refrigerator? Pay for your grandchild’s private school? What is really important to you as your prioritize your money?
Prepare a budget for 2010. Start with your needs and add in your goals for 2010. If your expenses exceed your income first look for ways to eliminate unnecessary spending, like brown bagging your lunch instead of eating out. Next look for ways to reduce spending, for example, having your hair cut every six weeks instead of every four. Look at behaviors or habits that cause you to spend money. Do you consider shopping recreation? If so replace that habit with another such as a walk in the park, visit to the local library, game night with your friends.
Many people fail to build an emergency fund. We all need at least 90 days of spending stashed away in a savings or money market account for those unexpected rainy days. If you aren’t there yet, be sure your 2010 budget includes a line item for building your safety net.
Budgeting is essential to take charge of your financial life. If you budget, you are choosing what you want. You are rowing your own boat in the direction you want to go. If you failed to budget, you are leaving your goals to chance, going wherever the river will take you. You may get what you want and you may not. Empowered people budget and plan. Join the budget crew today and create the life you want.
As you plan, remember to think past 2010. A solid financial future is built by saving and increasing your net worth. Review your 401(k) or other employer plan and be sure you are participating at least a level to get the full match. If your budget allows, contribute more. Pay down your credit cards, starting with the smallest one first. Celebrate your victory (without using your credit card) and proceed to the card with the highest interest. Prepare a quarterly net worth statement and give yourself regular at a boy/girls for growing your wealth!
May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
President and CEO, Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
Mackey@CultivatingProsperity.com
Sunday, December 27, 2009
As we close 2009
At Mackey Advisors, Your Prosperity Partner it has been an exciting and challenging year. As we all know, a deep stock market decline began in earnest in October 2008 and continued into early 2009. As wealth advisors, we wish we could control the market, but instead have to rely on discipline and research to make our best judgments for our clients. We did a lot of listening and created many new venues for communication, including webinars, and this new blog.
Mackey Advisors had a few additions for 2009 including:
•The Prosperity Experience®, an integrated wealth advisory program for individuals and businesses that creates a lifelong process for prosperity. TPE was in the creational realm for 3 years. The Wisdom Link, Jon LoDuca, provided the spark to move us into the final phase of development and Mort Nicholson added his wisdom to help craft the final version and align the individual and business processes. Thank you Jon and Mort.
•New team members: Sarah Lee, Administrative Manager; Kathi Baker, CPA and Shared CFO; Katie Kreimer, Staff Accountant; and Grace Mohr, Marketing and Communications Coordinator.
•Many new business and individual clients thanks to our friends and clients who beat the drum and tell their friends and family about our services.
May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
Mackey Advisors, CPA
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
Mackey Advisors had a few additions for 2009 including:
•The Prosperity Experience®, an integrated wealth advisory program for individuals and businesses that creates a lifelong process for prosperity. TPE was in the creational realm for 3 years. The Wisdom Link, Jon LoDuca, provided the spark to move us into the final phase of development and Mort Nicholson added his wisdom to help craft the final version and align the individual and business processes. Thank you Jon and Mort.
•New team members: Sarah Lee, Administrative Manager; Kathi Baker, CPA and Shared CFO; Katie Kreimer, Staff Accountant; and Grace Mohr, Marketing and Communications Coordinator.
•Many new business and individual clients thanks to our friends and clients who beat the drum and tell their friends and family about our services.
May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
Mackey Advisors, CPA
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Solstice Prosperity Lessons
What is often needed to create more prosperity in our lives is a change of perspective. Have you ever heard the saying, "It is darkest, just before dawn?"
When there is the least amount of sunlight every day, Winter Solstice, is the day when the earth begins to create more light. We may not notice the new light for several weeks or months, but none the less, it is happening little by little.
If you are in a dark moment of prosperity, remember this saying and hold it as comfort. The light is coming. You may not see it right away, but it is coming all the same.
This year Winter Solstice is December 21st. Why not use this day as a day of gratitude, for the darkness that teaches us about the light?
May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
CEO and President
Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
When there is the least amount of sunlight every day, Winter Solstice, is the day when the earth begins to create more light. We may not notice the new light for several weeks or months, but none the less, it is happening little by little.
If you are in a dark moment of prosperity, remember this saying and hold it as comfort. The light is coming. You may not see it right away, but it is coming all the same.
This year Winter Solstice is December 21st. Why not use this day as a day of gratitude, for the darkness that teaches us about the light?
May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
CEO and President
Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Quit Whining and Get Financially Healthy
Rarely does a week go by that I don't hear about some small business person who cannot get a loan. PLEASE! The main reason we are in the mess we are in now, is that access to credit was too easy. If you could fog a mirror you could get a loan.
Now you have to actually be credit worthy. For a small business owner, that involves going the right things financially, like building equity either from your personal funds or from retaining earnings in the business. It means managing your business. Treating it like a business and not just a job.
Today if you have a healthy balance sheet, you can access credit. If you don't, instead of complaining about it, why not just get busy doing what you need to do to make yourself credit worthy. Lower your debt. Build your equity. Manage your cash flow. Watch your numbers like a hawk. Grow your market share.
Quit whining and get busy!
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
Now you have to actually be credit worthy. For a small business owner, that involves going the right things financially, like building equity either from your personal funds or from retaining earnings in the business. It means managing your business. Treating it like a business and not just a job.
Today if you have a healthy balance sheet, you can access credit. If you don't, instead of complaining about it, why not just get busy doing what you need to do to make yourself credit worthy. Lower your debt. Build your equity. Manage your cash flow. Watch your numbers like a hawk. Grow your market share.
Quit whining and get busy!
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS
Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
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
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
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?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Intergenerational Wisdom
I remember driving through town with my Mother, passing the Dairy Queen. “Can we stop for ice cream?” I asked. “We have ice cream at home,” was my Mother’s response. My Mother was raised in the midst of the Great Depression, and she knew how to stretch a dollar. Going out to eat anything, even something as simple as an ice cream, was a treat reserved for special occasions.
Most of my media requests are requests for tips for ways to reduce spending. When you get into the specifics, there are so many ways you can cut your spending. However, to be effective for the long term, it begins with changing our perspective and thinking.
We have to learn to think like our grandparents or great grandparents. We have to tap the wisdom of our great aunts and uncles.
The challenge really isn’t finding a new way to save money. The challenge is to find a new way of thinking about spending money in the first place.
Try this on as an opportunity. Make a date with an elder in your family. Sit with them and listen. Ask about their lifestyle, how they spent and saved money. Ask their opinion about debt and how they managed without it. Not only will you garner invaluable wisdom, you’ll warm the heart of someone that really matters in your life. There is nothing like a good listening to, to feel important. So go out there are make someone’s day. And in the process, change your prosperity, forever.
Most of my media requests are requests for tips for ways to reduce spending. When you get into the specifics, there are so many ways you can cut your spending. However, to be effective for the long term, it begins with changing our perspective and thinking.
We have to learn to think like our grandparents or great grandparents. We have to tap the wisdom of our great aunts and uncles.
The challenge really isn’t finding a new way to save money. The challenge is to find a new way of thinking about spending money in the first place.
Try this on as an opportunity. Make a date with an elder in your family. Sit with them and listen. Ask about their lifestyle, how they spent and saved money. Ask their opinion about debt and how they managed without it. Not only will you garner invaluable wisdom, you’ll warm the heart of someone that really matters in your life. There is nothing like a good listening to, to feel important. So go out there are make someone’s day. And in the process, change your prosperity, forever.
May prosperity be yours,
Mackey McNeill, CPA/PFS IAR
President and CEO, Mackey Advisors
www.CultivatingProsperity.com
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Focused on your personal net worth, or your banks?
If there was ever a time in history when it paid to budget wisely, it is now. With banks looking to enhance their bottom line, fee income is name of the game. Those steep fees come out of your pocket!
Read more at http://tinyurl.com/m9zn6p
Read more at http://tinyurl.com/m9zn6p
Monday, September 7, 2009
What do you really know about food?
Health is on everyone's prosperity list. With all the debate about health care, what has disappointed me the most is no one is talking food. Yes, food. For so many of our health issues arise out of the high carb, high sugar diet we in the western world have adopted.
The truth is we do no treat food as medicine. If we did, out health care if we did.
It is way past time for us to get in the kitchen and cook for ourselves. Eating at home saves money and if you are educated about food, eating at home can greatly increase the nutritional quality of your diet.
My favorite new source for healthy recipes is Sally Fallon's book, Nourishing Traditions. I spent the weekend making fermented vegetables. Try it out for yourself!
For more reviews, here is a direct link to Amazon.
http://tinyurl.com/ljnna7
The truth is we do no treat food as medicine. If we did, out health care if we did.
It is way past time for us to get in the kitchen and cook for ourselves. Eating at home saves money and if you are educated about food, eating at home can greatly increase the nutritional quality of your diet.
My favorite new source for healthy recipes is Sally Fallon's book, Nourishing Traditions. I spent the weekend making fermented vegetables. Try it out for yourself!
For more reviews, here is a direct link to Amazon.
http://tinyurl.com/ljnna7
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Journal idea to shift your prosperity
Take 30 minutes out of this three day weekend and try this exercise.
Journal on this question:
"What must I shift inside myself to feel worthy of ... fill in the blanks.... of what you want"
It is impossible to seperate money from your feelings about it. Sometimes in order to increase the flow of prosperity, you have to shift your feeling of worthiness.
Journal on this question:
"What must I shift inside myself to feel worthy of ... fill in the blanks.... of what you want"
It is impossible to seperate money from your feelings about it. Sometimes in order to increase the flow of prosperity, you have to shift your feeling of worthiness.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Consider refinancing
If you missed the opportunity earlier in the year to refinance now is the time to look again. Rates have fallen. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/krm4e4
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