This week I came across the original contractor’s design for our yard layout. The landscape architect really took his job seriously as I counted over 300 bushes and trees in his plan. At the time I thought he did a pretty good job and as we were moving in couldn’t help but be pleased with…
Many who have come into my office have asked about a small green sweater that is framed and hanging on my wall. It seems a strange item for a financial planning firm, but the story behind it plays a significant role in my philosophy towards investing. In 1921 my grandpa Jones opened a small knitting mill…
We were on the mountain this week and Jayden and his friend wanted to go for an ATV ride. It was late afternoon so I let them go on condition that they were back by dark. Later on, as the sky darkened I was wondering when the boys might get home and realized I had…
I went for a lovely bike ride on one of my favorite trails this week. It is a paved city trail that follows a river for about 11 miles each way. On this particular day I felt like I was really on top of my game. I seemed to have unlimited energy as I clipped…
While closing the hangar door after a trip I saw a little mouse run under at the last minute. I know the little guy was thinking that given the summer heat, life inside an air conditioned hangar was looking like a great option. What he didn’t realize was that we hangar owners don’t care much…
On September 11th, 2012 an automated text message from the mayor of Santa Clara, Utah warned that the dam above my house was about to break. I raced home but before arriving received a call from my neighbor. He was normally quite a jokester but there was no joking in his voice when he said…
I recently attended an investing conference where an economist gave a speech entitled, “It doesn’t get any better than this.” He pointed out all the great economic news that seems to be the standard for the past couple of years. One of the items was the very low unemployment rate. According to economists, our country is…
Years ago I decided to participate in an investing competition sponsored by one of the leading financial firms. The rules were pretty simple. You were given $250,000 in pretend money that you could invest and at the end of 90 days whoever had the most money won. It sounded like a fun idea so I…
August has been a month of thunderstorms and on a recent afternoon flight home from Salt Lake City I knew there was a high likelihood I would be deviating around them once again. On this one-hour flight I left early in hopes of avoiding the weather, but storms can build very quickly and by the…
I love a good thunderstorm. The power of nature is beautifully inspiring and extremely humbling. Humans can feel a bit arrogant until nature reminds us that we puny little creatures are completely dependent on greater things for our survival. A little humility goes a long way toward achieving a successful outcome here. There are few times…