SUCH IS THE WAY OF THE WORLD, YOU CAN NEVER KNOW

SUCH IS THE WAY OF THE WORLD, YOU CAN NEVER KNOW

As we enter June, it would suffice to say that on an individual level, we have collectively had ample time for introspection. At 50 years of age, I was moderately confident that I had seen it all, or most. Today as I sit here and write this I am convinced; I have not. Boom times, economic and geopolitical crisis; love, peace, horror and terror; success, and failure. Our current, collective global gut check was not something anyone could have ever accounted for.

JUST WHERE TO PUT ALL YOUR FAITH AND HOW WILL IT GROW

A year ago my 13-year-old daughter received a cancer diagnosis and very positive prognosis. For my family, this was a personal gut check and were some of our hardest days. Our family, faith, friends and community rallied around us and brought us to a place a year later where we can look upon that most difficult time as a blessing. It took a while, but with hindsight we are now able to view this time as that of enormous personal growth and discovery. We learned first-hand how to drown out the excessive noise of the day and make deliberate and impactful decisions as to how we would move forward. The depth of our personal experience brought a clarity to our lives, a focus and purpose unlike anything we had ever experienced. Life’s toughest times can allow you to pull back the curtain and see the wizard as he really is. A chance to re-evaluate the facts such as they are in technicolor. Life has no dress rehearsal, but it can be forgiving and provide the blessing of clarity. Such a gift can provide us with the opportunity to take inventory and make that plan for a better tomorrow for ourselves our families and those people and causes we care most deeply about.

GONNA RISE UP, BURNING BLACK HOLES IN DARK MEMORIES. GONNA RISE UP, TURNING MISTAKES INTO GOLD

As we all know, life is full of ups and downs. During this particularly dark time, I encourage everyone that wants a better future to take the time and memorialize just what that looks like. Put pencil to paper and define what YOUR ideal future actually looks like. I have done precisely this with hundreds of families over the past two decades. Believe it or not, a carefully constructed, comprehensive financial plan is worth its weight in gold. Asset allocation, tax location, estate planning, education planning, insurance planning, tax planning, long term care planning, charitable giving. All of these items strike me as critically important and cannot be left to chance to a DIY website or roboadvisor.

GONNA RISE UP, THROW DOWN MY ACE IN THE HOLE

This is my call to action. My gift to you. I encourage you to take stock of your personal financial life, your family’s needs and hopes and dreams and put them into action. Wishful thinking is not a plan. Be all in, throw down your ace. Today’s clouds will pass, so be prepared to meet tomorrow head on.

Written by: EDDIE VEDDER