Do your clients desire to be rich? The word “rich” can be defined as possessing great material wealth, and it can also be defined as that which is abundant, meaningful, and significant. Therefore, what kind of wealth do your clients desire the most? Do they want to experience a life of riches or a rich […]
Money Quotient
Values-Based Financial and Life Planning
The strongest foundation for the financial plans you create will always be your clients’ heightened awareness of the nature, influence, and importance of their values. Therefore, in your discovery and data gathering activities, it is essential that you engage your clients in a process of thoughtful reflection to help them identify and clarify what is truly […]
Boomers and the Meaning of Life
In terms of adult development theory, turning 50 is typically a time in life when individuals rethink the direction their lives are taking, confront their own mortality, and dare to ask themselves, “Am I really happy?” However, what distinguishes Baby Boomers from previous generations is that they wear their mid-life angst on their sleeves. […]
The Power of Questions: Unlocking the Possibilities For Personal and Professional Growth
There is a lot of truth to the old saying, “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” Therefore, it is important to bedeliberate in planning for your personal and professional success. One of the easiest and most effective ways to shape your future is toask yourself powerful questions. In […]
When it Comes to Change, Your Client (and You!) Are of Two Minds
*Be sure to read the author’s note and special announcement at the end of this blog post! In the Happiness Hypothesis, psychologist Jonathan Haidt wrote that long ago he developed a metaphor to help him make sense of his often self-sabotaging behaviors: The image that I came up with for myself, as I marveled at […]
The Psychology of Giving
Although a number of studies have focused on the effect of income on happiness, Elizabeth Dunn, a socialpsychologist at the University of British Columbia, also wanted to understand the effect of spending choices on happiness.
For example, previous research clearly demonstrated that income has a predictably positive effect on level of happiness, but these levels remain flat over time even as income increased. This finding puzzled Dunn and she wanted to find out why happiness did not increase along with income.
Defining the “Why” of Your Clients’ Goals
Failing to reach personal and financial goals can be both frustrating and disheartening for your clients. And, to make matters worse, they often realize that they are their own worst enemies when it comes to sabotaging their dreams. However, research has shown that your clients can dramatically increase their rate of success by first determining a meaningful and internally motivated “why” for each goal pursuit.
The 3 R’s of a Successful Retirement Transition: Resiliency, Resourcefulness, and Renaissance Spirit
Individuals and retirement planning experts alike are recognizing that a successful and satisfying retirement experience depends on more than a healthy nest egg. In fact, financial reporter John Wasik contends, “Financial security and retirement are not the two peas in the pod they used to be.”
Instead, retirement should be thought of as a major life transition that deserves thought and preparation in all areas of life. For example, one study found that it was the size of a retiree’s social network—and not the size of his or her portfolio—that had the strongest influence on life satisfaction.
The Power of Appreciation in Money & Life
In the world of personal finance, “appreciation” has two important components: In the quantitative realm, appreciation refers to the increasing value of financial assets. In the qualitative realm, appreciation refers to feelings of gratitude for one’s financial resources and circumstances. Of course, both elements are extremely important, but it is actually the more qualitative “appreciative […]
New Year’s Resolutions and “Buying” Happiness in 2018
The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions goes all the way back to ancient Rome. In 46 B.C., Julius Caesar developed a new calendar and named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and endings.
Janus has always been depicted with two faces, one on the back of his head that allowed him to look into the past and one on the front of his head that allowed him to look into the future. At midnight on December 31st, the Romans imagined him looking back at the old year and looking forward to the new year. Therefore, he became the symbol of the resolutions made on the first day of each year when Romans asked their enemies for forgiveness.