Just last week I had the privilege of being part of the Celebration Service marking my brother in law’s life. He was younger than me, and as a keen cyclist and hillwalker, much fitter. He had been a secondary school teacher and guidance head for thirty-four years and was due to retire soon. He had … Continued
Words, language, lexicon all feature heavily in our fast moving, ever evolving world. I had never considered how our vocabularies could expand to reflect our daily experiences. I assumed our English language was ordered and protected by dictionaries whose role was to choose what words were real and just made up. Here is a quotation … Continued
“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow – that is patience.” Leo Tolstoy Guilty as charged. I’m not a very patient person. I don’t like queues. I really don’t enjoy practicing; I want to play guitar like John Mayer now – not … Continued
“If I was going there, I wouldn’t start from here!” is a legendary response to a request for directions. I’ve been mulling over the topic of maps, plans, and their hidden complexities prompted by US marketing and business guru Seth Godin’s recent blog post. It reminded me of an experience on our honeymoon which came … Continued
Understanding how different generations are shaped by their experience and events serve as milestones, marking out the history of social change. As multi-generational Financial Planners, we recognise the differences between generations; their values, and especially the way in which they plan. At present, for the first time in history, there are five generations in the … Continued
“When values, thoughts, feelings, and actions are in alignment, a person becomes focused, and character is strengthened.” – John C. Maxwell As personal values become a growing part of investment conversations, I began to think about where these values came from. I was intrigued to discover a piece of research undertaken by Valuegraphics. The idea … Continued
Optimistic I know – but you have to start sometime! It’s difficult to escape the “Groundhog Day” vignette or cameo being played out. It seems our whole lives are lived under an often-confused web of guidance, restrictions, and rules. Most of us had plans for this year that didn’t involve masks, hand gel, social distancing, … Continued
You may know people who at one point had retired, but then later returned to work through boredom. Those who had felt ready for retirement were, in fact, not. Most of their life up to that point had been consumed gaining recognition and reputation by building their career. They worked hard to pay the bills, to support their families, to enjoy holidays, setting aside what money they could for that day when they could finally retire. However, people can often find … Continued
Doughnuts – The optimist sees the dough ring. The pessimist sees the hole. The focus on climate change and developing strategies for sustainable living is inescapable. The global community’s response has been patchy at best. The UK government has set ambitious carbon reduction targets. However, while targets are one thing, a cohesive collaborative strategy that delivers sustainable … Continued
“An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn’t happen today” – Laurence J. Peter We know markets are unpredictable, but surely economic health is a sure-fire way of predicting the direction of share values? If only it was that simple. Let’s look at a 2021 report by … Continued
