Charles Murphy, an investment banker in New York City, recently leaped from the 24th floor of a hotel to his death. According to the Wall Street Journal, Murphy was worth tens of millions of dollars, and, made millions each year. Yet, according to his friends, Murphy was frequently concerned about not having enough money. The measuring stick we use is […]

“60 Minutes” did a segment on Fake News that highlighted the dilemma we now face of determining real news from lies. Their report highlighted people who have discovered that making up sensational headlines can make them millions of dollars, even though the news they promote are lies! One expert that was interviewed claimed that virtually anyone can be snared by […]

United Airlines experienced a public relations nightmare in April when a video went viral of a paying customer being dragged off a plane. When Dr. David Dao was asked to leave a flight he had paid for, he refused because he had patients to see the next morning. Dr. Dao was manhandled by security, and injured, then dragged down the […]

A radio commercial recently tried to entice me to sign-up for a course on “how to get rich buying real estate without using any of your own cash.” These get-rich-quick schemes are usually tied to the concept of borrowing your way to financial freedom. The reality is that this practice usually leads to financial bondage! As a former banker, I […]

When I was a banker I financed several homebuilders and their subcontractors. The subcontractors typically were to be paid within 30 days of when the homebuilder was paid. The reality, however, was closer to 60 to 90 days, if not longer. One of my most profitable builders, however, was unconventional. He intentionally paid his subcontractors almost immediately upon receiving his […]

A new friend shared with me how his broadcasting business during the 2009 recession took an unconventional approach to slashing payroll. They decided to retain all employees by cutting their staff’s pay, but they chose not to cut anyone’s pay who made less than $30,000 a year. What surprised management, however, was that many of these lower paid employees asked […]

Roger, a new friend of mine recently shared with me about how his company handled the economic downturn in 2009. Their business was significantly impacted and needed to slash payroll. But leadership chose to look beyond the conventional employee layoffs. After much thought, leadership chose to retain all employees by cutting wages. The highest paid workers took the biggest pay […]

Although the Old Testament encourages us to give at least 10% of our income to God’s work, studies claim the average individual gives less than 2.5% of their income. Personal giving, however, far exceeds corporate giving. In 2015, according to Commerce Department and National Philanthropic Trust data, I calculated corporate giving at only 1.12% of net income. Many shareholders have […]

On a recent vacation, my friends, Phil and Gina, were discussing the importance of observing people and events with a quiet mind. For example: The young captain on their dinner cruise who was as enthused as the guests when whales were spotted! Or when the captain gave the wheel to one of his crew members while he helped serve dinner. […]

My friend, Roger, and I were trying to help a couple with their finances when Roger shared that “Husbands often operate like a periscope. They’re looking out on the horizon for what’s next to determine which direction to head.” “Wives, on the other hand,” Roger continued, “are like microscopes. They’re concerned with the immediate and real needs of the family […]