Who Do You Spend Your Time With?

I recently ran across this interesting chart that shows how much time people spend with others at different points of their lives. Alone time and time with your partner, children, family, coworkers, and friends. It’s apparently from an annual ‘Time Use Study’ by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At first glance, I was a little depressed to see the ebb & flow of the lines … Continue reading Who Do You Spend Your Time With?

Positive Habits That Lead To Happiness

There are a lot of ‘checklists’ published on retirement, but I thought this one was worth a read: The Atlantic espouses ‘7 Things That Lead To Happiness in Old Age’. The advice is pretty straightforward. Nothing a kindergartener wouldn’t understand. Don’t smoke, don’t drink, maintain a healthy weight, exercise frequently, manage your stress, keep learning, and cultivate positive relationships. It’s amazing we have to be … Continue reading Positive Habits That Lead To Happiness

Fertilize The Family Tree?

The personal finance radio host Dave Ramsey often talks about creating ‘generational wealth’ as the final step in his Total Money Makeover. He encourages people to think about how they can fundamentally “change their family tree” by building an uber portfolio that allows them to pass money on to their kids and even grandkids. I like to listen to Dave Ramsey and think he generally … Continue reading Fertilize The Family Tree?

Holiday Charitable Giving – Where To Focus?

The holidays are the giving season for charitable organizations, and if you are like us, your mailbox is overflowing with requests. We split up our charitable giving among causes that are close to us and ones that do good in the world at large. One of the challenges we have is weighing the relative impact our dollars can have on causes that are distant and … Continue reading Holiday Charitable Giving – Where To Focus?

Board Meeting Busy Time

I always think of the few weeks between Halloween and Thanksgiving as relatively ‘quiet weeks’ relative to the holiday hoopla that comes in December, but it is a very busy time of the year for board work. It seems that every board I’ve worked with picks these same few weeks to get in quarterly meetings before the end of the year. Board work has been … Continue reading Board Meeting Busy Time

40 Little Pieces of Purpose

People thrive with purpose. When you are working or have kids at home, your purpose is often derived from those things. When you early retire or become empty nesters, you need to find new sources of purpose. Some people do non-profit work, some get involved with their church, and some work on improving their community. People spend a lot of time looking for the right … Continue reading 40 Little Pieces of Purpose