DON’T IGNORE THE LITTLE THINGS

Have you ever been on a commercial flight waiting for it to push back and have the steward go around asking for a couple of volunteers to move to a different seat? Unlike any other transportation device, airplanes are very sensitive not only to weight, but to how that weight is distributed. A small regional…

A PERCEIVED RISK CAN BE JUST AS REAL

Last week I went with two of my brothers to Jackson Hole to do some whitewater rafting. The stretch of river we rode has several miles of class 2 and 3 rapids, which means it is enough to be exciting but not really dangerous if you follow the rules. As we approached each rapid, the guide…

DON’T REPEAT PAINFUL HISTORY

When the recession of 2007 hit, one of the harsh realities that struck many Americans was that they had been living beyond their means, buying houses and luxuries they could only barely afford, and setting aside very little for an emergency. As the economy stalled, businesses cut back and jobs were lost, people were unable…

QUESTION “WHY” WITH YOUR INVESTMENTS.

When my daughter Jaimee came into my office some years back and announced her decision to join the Marines, my first response was, “Why? Why the military? Why the Marines? Why not the Air Force? And why leave such a nice opportunity here at the family business?” But Jaimee had always wanted to do something…

THE RISKS AND REWARDS OF CREATIVE DESTRUCTION

I stumbled across some old boxes from my investment days dating back to the early 80’s. I found dozens of notebooks on which I had written down my daily market trades. Every page was filled with stock ticker symbols and pricing, as well as the financial results of each transaction. I smiled as I remembered…

DEVELOP STRONG FINANCIAL ROOTS FIRST

​Launa and I went up on the mountain above Cedar City, Utah this week to escape the desert heat. Most of the homes on the mountain are surrounded with an abundance of trees, mostly pine. Each year the forest service removes trees to help with fire protection and we were amazed at how quickly an…

FINANCIAL SNAKE OIL

Sometimes the highest risk to your finances can come from legitimate companies with less than perfect intentions. In the 19th century it was common for travelling salesmen to come to town in a wagon promoting special elixirs that purportedly would heal “all that ails you.” One of the most common elixirs was made from snake…

FINANCIAL “WELL” CHECK-UPS

One of my biggest sacrifices when I became a pilot was accepting that I would be committing to routine medical exams for the rest of my life. I was never a fan of going to the doctor unless I was bleeding uncontrollably or a bone was sticking out somewhere. I didn’t see the value in…

INVESTMENTS ARE NEVER PERFECT

When our family lived by the river in Santa Clara, Utah we were in a continual battle with wolf spiders and cockroaches. Both are harmless but also creepy when you come across them in the middle of the night. Cockroaches are easy to kill with proper treatment but impossible to completely eradicate. Spraying for spiders…