By Garrett Gunderson If you’ve ever worked with a traditional financial advisor, you’ve probably taken a risk profile to determine how much risk you can tolerate. The idea, of course, is that the higher returns you want to enjoy, the more willing you must be to take on risk. This is backwards and illogical, yet so few people are able to … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2011
The Presidential Election of 2012, Part 2: Putting Aside Partisanship
February 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille This is Part Two of a two-part series. Read Part One here. Away from Arrogance With a Republican House, we now get to see if President Obama is only ideological (as some people claim) or if he has the ability to be a pragmatist. It is possible that President Obama is a pragmatist, but that he simply believes his own … [Read more...]
The Presidential Election of 2012, Part 1: The Benefits of Divided Government
February 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Oliver DeMille The Big Three Americans feel deeply and strongly about three things right now. All three have support on the right, the center and the left. These may well dominate the news and politics until the election of 2012, just as stimulus, health care and the midterm election overshadowed the discussions of 2009-2010. … [Read more...]
An Unsung Heroine
February 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Chris Brady Leaders lead because it is the right thing to do, because it is "in them," and because they were born for it. Sometimes, it even gets recognized. For this reason, I particularly like it when historians dig up lost stories of selfless sacrifice by unsung leaders. This exerpt from Alan Axelrod is interesting, partly … [Read more...]
Robert E. Lee and Self-Denial
February 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Orrin Woodward Robert E. Lee -- the Virginian, American and Civil War general -- was a great leader because he had great character. General Lee taught that you are not worthy to lead until you take your focus off yourself and focus on serving your team. Here are some thoughts out of H. W. Crocker’s phenomenal book called Robert E. Lee on … [Read more...]
The Allegory of the Fishermen
February 21, 2011 by 2 Comments
By David Grant In a small village in Scotland a lake that was previously void of life was found to have fish. Several entrepreneur/fishermen launched fishing businesses to take advantage of the rich natural resource. The first few businesses to launch made enormous amounts of money which caused more entrepreneurs to test the … [Read more...]
The Stairway of Selves, Part 3: Modes of the Spiritual Realm
February 18, 2011 by 1 Comment
By Steve D'Annunzio This is part three of a three-part series. Read part one here, and part two here. Breaking through the ceiling of the mental realm and into the spiritual realm comes through acceptance. Acceptance appears to be a very unreasonable mode to the mind, which is why this step is so difficult for most people. In acceptance … [Read more...]
The Stairway of Selves, Part 2: Modes of the Mental Realm
February 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment
By Steve D'Annunzio This is part two of a three-part series. Read part one here. After being in anger mode, you decide to move up by feeling that you’re entitled to a better life. “I deserve better,” you tell yourself, and you’re absolutely right — in the right context. Yet, the problem with the entitlement mode is that you develop the … [Read more...]
The Stairway of Selves, Part 1: Modes of the Physical Realm
February 16, 2011 by 1 Comment
By Steve D’Annunzio The Stairway of Selves represents the totality of the human experience in 12 steps, phases, or modes. The 12 modes are separated into three phases: the first four steps are manifestations of the physical realm, the second four are manifestations of the mental realm, and the last four are manifestations of the spiritual … [Read more...]
Reduce Expenses or Increase Production?
February 15, 2011 by 1 Comment
By Garrett Gunderson Most accumulation-based books and advisors teach you to decrease your expenses as much as possible in order to save more money for retirement. There is definitely merit to decreasing expenses, especially in a consumption-driven culture where most people are borrowing to consume. But I generally take issue with how … [Read more...]
