Values
Goals and Dreams
March 8 – “Values are personal choices we make about what’s most important to us. Being guided by your highest values can bring immense satisfaction and meaning to life. Identifying your top values is a shortcut for identifying your top goals. Examples of lifetime values include: family, friendship, health, wealth, learning, career, community, faith, integrity, creativity, adventure and love.” Anonymous
What is most important in your life? Those are your values. Do your current goals reflect those values? Or, do you need to revise your goals? Today is a good day to start.
Fun
Goals and Dreams
March 1
“Fun is fundamental.” Doug Hall
If we don’t make time to meet or get to know people we meet (see last week’s blog), do we make time to have fun? Or if we could make time to have fun doing things we enjoy, might we not meet more people who enjoy the same things we do?
Remember when you were a kid and fun was running in the rain or making mud pies or….? What makes you happy today? What makes you smile? How do you create more fun in your life - now?
Have fun this week and play in the rain!!
Bridges
February 22
"What a world this would be if we just built bridges instead of walls." Carlos Ramirez
Too often we don’t make the time to get to know people we meet. Or maybe we don’t make time to even meet new people. Who have I met that I would like to get to know better? How can I make that happen? Is it over a cup of coffee or maybe taking a walk? Or how can I meet new people? Where do I go or what do I need to do? Work on building a bridge to someone else instead of hiding behind your own walls.
Who Knew You When
February 15
Who knew you way back when? Who believed in you before you believed in yourself? Who gave you your first break, or your first order, or bet on your future, or told you how really good you could be? These people meant the world to you at one time or another. Today, a heartfelt "Thanks" from you, out of the blue, would mean the world to them.
Dan Zadra
Did you have a teacher or coach or mentor who helped you along the way? Was your biggest supporter a family member? Who, from your past, distant or recent, would you most like to thank? Why not send them a note or email now? Remember, don't procrastinate!
Simplify
Goals and Dreams February 8
Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify. Simplify.
Henry David Thoreau
Our lives have become much too hectic and overwhelmed with the detail. We are inundated with information from many source - so much so that it becomes difficult to move forward because we are bogged down in minutiae.
What are some ways you can simplify your life and move forward?
Procrastination
In an effort to help all of you with your goals and dreams – and, in particular, identifying those goals and dreams from your past – we will be sending a weekly quote and question for you to ponder and, hopefully, answer. The questions and quotes are designed to help you identify what is truly important in your life and the things you want to make happen.
Respond to the thoughts either privately or share them on the blog. This is your opportunity to take a few minutes to think about you and what is important to you. Enjoy!
February 1 – “Action is eloquence.” William Shakespeare.
We all procrastinate, especially when it is something that may not be very pleasant. Maybe, for you, it’s going to the doctor for a checkup or saving for retirement or taking that trip to Europe - not exactly an unpleasant task but one you have put off because “the time isn’t right.” When will the time be right?
What things will you commit to stop procrastinating about - today?
Charitable Contributions
One other step you should take if you aren't completely familiar with the requesting organization, is to verify their non-profit status. Many times, I've had clients come in with letter receipts saying that a donation was made but upon further scrutiny have found that the "charitable organization" is not listed in the IRS database of authorized non-profits. To check out the status of a non-profit organization go to www.irs.gov/charities. On the left side of the screen you will see a link to "Search for Charities". Click this link and you can search for the charity by name, city and/or state. Please note that there is also a list of recent revocations and deletion and a list of suspensions. Check these lists carefully to ensure that you are making a deductible contribution to a valid charity.
If you have further questions about this, please contact Kathy and she will be happy to assist you. Happy Holidays!
Life Changes
In this blog I'd like to share some thoughts about how we can be of more value to you, and your family.
Far too often clients share things with me after-the-fact that we either could have helped them with, or would have helped us in our planning and investment approach - if only we had know what was going on with them.
A recent experience illustrates that point. One of our clients will have a prostate operation in the next couple of days. His concern about this and various test results have obviously been on his mind. However, we didn't know any of this and continued to follow the plan established some time ago. There were recent changes in his outlook and temperament that confused us and created an uncomfortable situation in working with him.
If only we had known about what was going on in his life we could have worked with him to reduce the multitude of anxieties he was experiencing - including his financial situation, which needed to be adjusted.
I share this with you because our sole purpose in this profession is to help our clients have the best life possible in every way. However, we can't do that if we don't know what is happening with you. It's kind of like trying to put on a parachute after you've jumped out of a plane. It can be done, but things would have been so much better and easier to have put it on first, and then jump.
Kathy, Erica and I all love our work and are committed to taking the best care of our "Summit Family" as we can. However, we can only do this if we know what is on your mind. We need to know your fears, concerns and criticisms if we are going to be able to work together to make things better for you.
Sometimes our quarterly (?) meetings may seem a little like a "social hour". I don't see them that way. It is a time when I learn about you and your beliefs and concerns. These meetings help me give you better advice because I now understand you - instead of just giving an answer.
So I ask that you please do two things that are extremely important:
1. Let us know what is on your mind
2. Come in for your quarterly meetings
Happy Thanksgiving,
Jim
IRS Email Scams
This email is so prolific and aggressive, her contact received it on his IRS e-mail address. Is that gutsy or what?
Remember, the IRS will NEVER contact you by e-mail about a personal return issue. Consider any e-mail you receive from the IRS to be a scam.
If you have any questions about this, please call Kathy at 253-589-1401.
A little bit sideways
I have expected a really large drop in the market for months and that has not happened. The moves yesterday and today are good examples of the difficult market we are in right now. While we are having good days and some bad days - the market has mostly gone sideways as of late.
As I've mentioned before, I remain very concerned and cautious about the market and whether or not we are seeing a true recovery or simply a set-up for another drastic fall. Since it is impossible to determine right now, I've chosen to remain very conservative with the portfolios.
Still, with everything above, I plan to try to take advantage of the market drops and move more SLOWLY into the market a LITTLE more. The only big bet I'm making is to remain cautious.
I am in Texas visiting my son and his family this week. However, as you might be able to tell I'm continuing to keep an eye on the market and the portfolios. I will be back in the office next Tuesday. Until then, remain calm and enjoy what's left of our summer.
Jim Suits