I’m simply in awe of how quickly this year is passing by.  I remember as a child that my great-grandmother (also an Amy) told me the years go much quicker the older you get.  I now understand what she was talking about!

 In this week's Monday Morning Quarter-Buck, our Financial Planner and Chief Operating Officer Matt Fizell writes about chasing returns versus chasing habits.  His article made me think about a quote that I recently read that said “a good diversified portfolio means you will always have to be apologizing for something.”  That quote is so true, this year US bonds are reacting the way they historically do when interest rates are on the rise (negative performance), when our economy slows, it will be the stocks that react negatively - so we will always be apologizing for something.  However, since we don’t have a crystal ball, diversity is our best defense.

As I mentioned yesterday, five of us spent last week in St. Louis at a conference.  One of the five happened to be Kerrie Beene. Kerrie joined the firm just a few weeks ago, but she fits in like she has always been a part of our team.  Kerrie and I were previously in a College Planning Group together, this is where a bunch of planners get together to talk about the challenges, policies, and solutions that surround college planning.  Kerrie feels that pain! As she mentioned in the podcast recording launched last week (see Episode 34), Kerrie feels the pain of those individuals planning for college, as she is one of those individuals!  We hope you enjoy listening to Kerrie’s journey and reading about her dance. Perhaps it will inspire you to change your dance steps too?

“Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.” - Oliver Goldsmith

 This is edition one of two for the weekly Monday Morning Quarter-Buck.  Last week about half the team was away at a conference where we talked a lot about our vision, both personally and professionally.  So it was extremely fitting that Financial Planner and CPA Kim Anderson wrote about having a vision of retirement.  We so often think of it as a date, but in reality, it is a journey.  Kim’s closing comments are so true, we often forget to remind you that although the numbers are scary sometimes, we are here to help.  Stay tuned for an upcoming Podcast with Kim to get to know her a little better.

In this edition of the Monday Morning Quarter-Buck, Planner Kate Welker explores courage.  It’s funny how life is so circular sometimes! One of my favorite quotes is “Be kinder than necessary for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle in their journey," which is exactly what Kate’s “be kind” comment suggests.  I’ve noticed in my life that courage comes easier when you don’t go it alone, so perhaps that is one of the answers as well.

“Life is about events, supported by dollars and cents.” - Amy Irvine

Last week Brent and I spent the week traveling through Massachusetts visiting with clients as well as enjoying a little vacation time.  Normally when we travel, I work and he drives; but this “workcation” was different! We were traveling through areas that had no cell service, thus no internet and no work.  I was required to sit back and enjoy the view (or smell the roses) and it was delightful!

The weather was hot and sunny, which as many of you know is exactly what I enjoy.  We wandered back on Friday enjoying a different path than we had ventured on the way out there.  Although I always enjoy visiting Cape Cod, if you have never been to the hills of Massachusetts, I would highly recommend it!  

“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance.  It’s helping them to learn rather than teaching them.”  Tim Gallwey

I am honored by all the comments I received a few weeks ago regarding the Monday Morning Quarter-Buck and unexpected events in life.
 
In that article, I mentioned that I have been working with a couple of coaches myself this year, as well as interviewing a number of them on the podcast.  In Episode 26, we interviewed a career coach - Carla Sessions.   Carla is a “career changer” or what I like to call encore career, it’s worth a listen if you would like to enhance or change your career: Wine and Dime Episode 26 - Coaching with Carla Sessions
 
Why am I bringing this up now?  Well, we are very excited to announce the addition of three “career changers” to our team.

This week we’d like to introduce Kim Anderson to you.  Kim is a northern Minnesota native who has lived in the Fargo/Moorhead area since 1994.  Kim graduated from MSU-Moorhead with a degree in Construction Management and obtained her CPA designation in 2012.  Kim has been involved in both business accounting and personal finance for many years.  

"Though small was your allowance, you saved a little store: and those who save a little shall get a plenty more." William Thackeray

In our household we save our loose change for vacation. We have a special savings fund for the big expenses, like hotel and travel, but the change is for the extra fun money. My bank does not want the change rolled. That is nice when it comes to the time that requires, but I miss the satisfaction of sorting and counting out the piles.

Coming out of college, many recent graduates land their first “real job,” and with that job generally comes a nice paycheck.
 
It’s tempting to consistently go out and treat yourself because for the first time in your life you all of a sudden have “so much” money. Especially when you are used to living off a budget that consists of eating Ramen noodles. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t reward yourself for all of your hard work and dedication, but just be conscientious of how often and how much you are treating yourself to.

This was not the blog I had prepared for today, nope, that was about the importance of taking a vacation.  Instead, I’m sharing an experience I had on Saturday morning.

I’ve been on a mission this year to “be brave.”  To push me when I’m feeling insecure, I’ve hired a coach and I’ve interviewed lots of them on my Wine and Dime Podcast:

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career.  I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed.  I’ve failed over and over again. That is why I succeed.”

-Michael Jordan

We’ve all been there before… Whether it is coming up short on a personal goal like retirement or taking a vacation, failing to land the job we interviewed for or not getting the promotion we expected, not getting a passing score on an exam, we all have our failures. The thought of failing is always in the back of our minds and as human beings our brain has a natural instinct to protect us from pursuing the possibilities of improving our lives. The truth is, without failure we will never be able to succeed and some of the most successful people we hear about in the news are just really good at failing.  If you have ever let a failure hold you back from trying again, this is the article for you!