In “Money Conversations with Our Parents” I am sharing part of a longer conversation I recently had with George Torok. George hosts an excellent podcast called “Your Intended Message” focusing on communication skills and delivering clear messages. You can check out George’s podcast here: Your Intended Message with George Torok

The conversation that George and I shared focused on conversations about money and personal finance relating to three distinct audiences: our kids, our partners and our aging parents.

This episode focuses on the basic money conversations we have with our parents and our ability to keep them safe from the multitude of scams that target seniors. These conversations can affect our relationships with our parents and if not dealt with effectively – can leave them vulnerable to be taken advantage of. After all, our parents looked out for us when we were vulnerable and now we have the chance to repay them and help keep them safe as they age.

So with that said…. Happy listening!

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In “Money Conversations with Our Partners” I am sharing part of a longer conversation I recently had with George Torok. George hosts an excellent podcast called “Your Intended Message” focusing on communication skills and delivering clear messages. You can check out George’s podcast here: Your Intended Message with George Torok

The conversation that George and I shared focused on conversations about money and personal finance relating to three distinct audiences: our kids, our partners and our aging parents.

This episode focuses on the basic money conversations we have with our partners and our ability to not allow money to become a wedge or a weapon in a relationship. Those conversations can affect our relationships with our partners and if not dealt with effectively – can cause long term damage and even destroy our relationships. After all, what we learned (right or wrong) as kids about money does affect our future adult relationships and behaviour in them. It’s not that we can’t unlearn lessons learned as children – but if we can help create a healthy relationship with our partners (and with money…) – all the better.

So with that said…. Happy listening!

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In “Money Conversations with Our Kids” I am sharing part of a longer conversation I recently had with George Torok. George hosts an excellent podcast called “Your Intended Message” focusing on communication skills and delivering clear messages. You can check out George’s podcast here: Your Intended Message with George Torok

The conversation that George and I shared focused on conversations about money and personal finance relating to three distinct audiences: our kids, our partners and our aging parents.

This episode focuses on the basic money conversations we have with our kids and our ability to impact their thinking about money. Those conversations can affect their long term relationships with money. After all, what we learn (right or wrong) as kids about money does affect our future understanding and behaviour with it. It’s not that we can’t unlearn lessons learned as children – but if we can help create a healthy relationship with money early – all the better.

So with that said…. Happy listening!

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In “Can You Hear Me Now?” I’m sharing thoughts on listening and how doing more of it can lead to better results.

If I mentioned the name Paul Marcarelli – would you have any idea who I am talking about? What if I said “Can you hear me now? Good.” You would likely say “Hey, it’s the Verizon guy…”. A ubiquitous tag line that we still remember from 20 years ago (yes, it was that long ago…). Paul Marcarelli was the Verizon Guy for 10 years, doing over 250 different versions of that ad and my guess is right now you are thinking “so what?”

As we are well into our second pandemic year, one of the keys to our business survival is our ability to sell our products and ourselves. Since we are always looking for ways to increase our sales, let me offer one that is virtually foolproof: start listening to your clients. Based on feedback from financial industry clients I have spoken with recently; it sounds like listening is a rarity. A significant competitive edge can be yours if you make a habit of listening more.

So with that said…. Happy listening!

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In “Sticky Is Good” I’m sharing thoughts on resilience and how being more like a postage stamp can be a good thing.

“Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.”—Orison Swett Marden

I hadn’t thought about this particular quote in a long time and might not have at all had it not been for a unique set of circumstances two weeks ago. We ordered take-out from a pub we’re supporting during these Covid times in Oakville, Ontario , and along with dinner we ordered “pudding”—the Brit word for dessert. Fortunately “sticky toffee pudding” was on the menu. Once finished, I asked her what she thought and she replied: “Sticky is good”.

I know you are thinking two things: 1) What’s my point? 2) How does this relate to the quote? I’ll deal with the second one first. Orison Marden is credited with many things, and I believe one of the most significant is the word:“stick-to-it-iveness”.

So how does it relate to the quote? Well…. Happy listening!

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In “Calming Covid Shocked Clients” I’m sharing thoughts on how financial professionals can readjust their perspective on what is happening in the lives of their clients during times of crisis and anxiety.

Let’s take a trip back in time, shall we? Back, way back, to 2020 BC.

As in 2020 – Before Covid. It was a simpler time. My wife and I were sitting poolside in Mexico, celebrating her recent retirement after 37 years of teaching. The gentleman next to us said,

“Have you been reading anything about this new Coronavirus?”

“Cornona-what? No. Never heard of it.” “Seems to be some sort of flu, apparently it could be a big deal…”

Well, that might have been the understatement of the century… to date. Within eight weeks the world as we know it had changed in ways that could possibly affect the trajectory of global economies for the next 2-3 years – or longer. COVID-19 has exposed flaws in the global supply chains, exploited gaps between ‘have’ and ‘have not’ nations and for a short time brought the world to a screeching halt. We picked up new phrases – ‘flatten the curve’, ‘reproduction number’ and ‘social distancing’. I know what you are thinking – what, if anything does this have to do with my clients or investing?

Without giving too much away, the answer to to the last question is “Serve. Not. Sell”. Happy listening!

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In “The Glass is Half Full (Part 3)” I’m sharing some snippets of a longer conversation that I recently had with Richard Killen, a Licensed Insolvency Trustee with Richard Killen & Associates. Our conversation spanned a wide range of topics centred on the personal finance space and this episode will wrap up the three-part series of Glass is Half Full.

This episode starts off with the with what a I call an “impact question” about personal finance –  “What is the Value of Time?”, then we tackle one of my favourites, “What is the deal with Goals?” and wrap up this series of episodes with “What is the value of speaking to a financial advisor?”

Without giving too much away, the answer to to the last question is “to help us make better decision that move us along a path”. Happy listening!

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In “The Glass is Half Full (Part 2)” I’m sharing some snippets of a longer conversation that I recently had with Richard Killen, a Licensed Insolvency Trustee with Richard Killen & Associates. Our conversation spanned a wide range of topics centred on the personal finance space and I’m hoping to present a few insights over this and the next episode of Money, Motivation and More.

This episode will start off with the what I often call the “big question” of personal finance –  “What is the biggest single thing to create a better financial future?”, then we tackle “How do I save money?” and wrap up this episode with “Why is money so emotional for so many people?”

Without giving too much away, the answer to to the last question is “too many people use money to keep score!”. Happy listening!

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In “The Glass is Half Full (Part 1)” I’m sharing some snippets of a longer conversation that I recently had with Richard Killen, a Licensed Insolvency Trustee with Richard Killen & Associates.

Our conversation spanned a wide range of topics centred on the personal finance space and I’m hoping to present a few insights over this and the next episode of Money, Motivation and More.

This episode will start off with the insightful question “Just what is the big secret to financial success?”, move along to “How does time become a factor in personal finance?” and wrap up this episode with “Is it Possible?”

Without giving too much away, the answer to to the last question is “yes!”. Happy listening!

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In “In Transit” I’m sharing some thoughts about movement and moving. The word “transit” is defined as: “the act of passing over, across, or through” and its associated action of “transition” is: “passage from one form, state, style, or place to another”.

At any given time, all of us are “in transit” to somewhere or something. On any given day, we transition from being spouse beside the person we wake up next to, to parent of the children we drop off at school, to commuter as we join the workday mobs heading to the office, to employee at the

Coach, son, daughter, friend, teammate, sister, brother, mentor, etc., we

The definitions both refer to “passage” from one state or being to another and it’s the process that we go through. But knowing that we are “in transit” doesn’t answer the bigger question: “transition to where?”. Let’s start there…. happy listening!

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