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…
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…
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…
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…
My family loves theme parks. We have learned to travel prepared so we have a special backpack that I carry, that has within several items that might be useful throughout the day. I have rain ponchos, sun screen, spare phone batteries, chapstick, sweatshirts, socks, bandages and Tylenol. You never know which of the above you…
I have been blessed this week as I took some time with Launa and our daughter Jaimee, who is my illustrator, to do book readings at local elementary schools. We wanted to share the special message of my new book, but after each reading we found that we were the ones being educated. I began an…
In a report this week on public school financial education, my home state of Utah was the only state to get an A+. We’ve come a long way since the 90’s when several states began to mandate financial education in their public school system. I applaud these efforts, having seen first-hand the ruin that can…
While flying home from Salt Lake City yesterday a fellow pilot taught me a valuable lesson in investing. First of all, it’s important to understand that airplanes do not typically fly in a straight line. There are roadways in the sky to facilitate the organized flow of traffic. But like most of us, pilots love…
My dad was an orphan and spent his youth in the St. Francis home for boys in Detroit. The home was a safety net for boys, but it was far from an ideal upbringing. The trials, loneliness and sometimes abuses of that home left indelible marks on his life and taught lessons he worked tirelessly…
A couple years ago the Department of Labor issued the Fiduciary ruling. The purpose of the ruling was simple; to require financial advisors to act in best interest of their clients. Unfortunately, the politics involved took a reasonable idea and created a confusing policy that is still tied up in the courts. I support regulations that…