Random Thoughts —
Shirley Anderson sent me a link today to an article about Studs Turkel, Chicago author and commentator. He is the author of Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression
and numerous other books. At age 96 he has a message for all of us. Read the article at:
http://www.aarpmagazine.org/money/fear_economy_studs_terkel.html
This is a great message […]
With the markets in turmoil and your clients worried, what do you tell them and what is your most important next actions. This podcast will help you focus your attention on what to do now in you practice.
The notes for this Podcast are here.
The following notes from the conference call today is an expansion of what I have been discussing with my coaching clients over the past several months.
Be positive.
Clients do not need you to parrot the negativity of CNBC or the local paper. They need hope in a times of crisis, not someone to shout “the […]
The press continues to encourage investors to watch what the institutional and hedge fund managers are doing as an indicator for what they should do. And because they are selling, so should the investor. This is foolish advice, because institutional managers, during the extremes of the market, are never doing what they personally want to […]
Wednesday, April 25th is Administrative Professionals Day. This is a great opportunity to say thank you to those team members who allow your processes to run smoothly, your brand to be delivered consistently, and your time to be focused on what is most important.
On page 167 of my book *[Attract Clients: A Financial Advisor’s Guide […]
Act Two of the [Three Act Planning](http://lloydwilliamsinc.com/2006/11/28/planning-a-three-act-play-2/) process is [Getting Things Done](http://lloydwilliamsinc.com/2005/11/11/getting-things-done/) (GTD) by David Allen. He created the best way to deal with the stuff that fills our lives. Merlin Mann of 43folders starts the new year with a great [recap of the GTD posts](http://www.43folders.com/2007/01/04/gtd-recap-07/) on his site saying,
>I’ve gotten several requests from readers […]
I am often asked at workshops, what are the best questions to ask a client or prospect? Too often we make the process more difficult than needed. [John McPhee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McPhee), author and contributing editor for the New Yorker is known for his ability to interview by asking simple questions. Canadian investigative reporter [John Sawatsky](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sawatsky) says reporters […]
Sometimes the best thing to do in a conversation is to say nothing. [Kathy Sierra](http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/12/two_more_words_.html) says:
>Things I learned from my horse trainers #42: practice saying, “Hmmmm… how interesting.” Say it when you’re frustrated. Say it when you’re mad. Most importantly, say it before you say or do anything else (including hit the “send” or “post” […]
Merlin Mann from [43 Folders](http://www.43folders.com/) quoted the [following](http://www.43folders.com/2006/12/31/starting-2007/) from the Scottish mountain climber [W. H. Murray](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._H._Murray):
>Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from […]
With all the activities that can occupy your day, where do you spend your time? Are you doing what you value the most? These questions occurred one evening and I sat down with pen and paper to discover the answers for myself. The following is a simple exercise you can do to answer the […]
One of the powerful features of technology is the ability to refresh or restart whenever needed. It cleans up the mess and starts everything over fresh. It would be nice to have a refresh button on our lives sometimes. For many years, I have used the first week of December to be my Annual Refresh […]
For the past thirty years, many have realized that the thirteen trillion dollars being passed from the WWII generation to the babyboomers, in predominately bank deposits and the family home, are not going to be retained by the children. Babyboomers do not roll over CD’s. The banks realized this early and started buying all the […]
Climate change has become increasingly important to all of us. The ability to coordinate the efforts of all the different environmental interests into a unified message, might have an impact on government officials.
For more information go to www.saveourclimate.org
WHAT IS WRONG WITH GDP?
Since its introduction during World War II as a measure of wartime production capacity, the Gross National Product (since changed to Gross Domestic Product — GDP) has become the nation’s foremost indicator of economic progress. It is now widely used by policy makers, economists, international agencies and the media as the […]
You might ask, what is a sketch crawl? I will let the originator, Enrico Casarosa, explain his innovatative idea and unique website, in his own words:
A year or two ago a good friend of mine had a fun bachelor party consisting of visiting ten bars and pubs along the N-Juda Muni tram line. He called […]
Creative writing is an activity that stretches your boundaries and does not allow them to return to their original shape. Like the Seven Secrets of Successful Retirement this activity does not have to be limited to your retirement years. The local writing group decided to select several pieces from a local gallery and have members […]
The Owl and the Mouse
The world does not have words…
Language, but no words.
-Tomas Transtromer
In February, a feral alphabet: a thin line
of mouse tracks scribbled across the flawless powder,
intersecting it, the signature of attack // caesura.
two lives met here, one, light-footed, earthbound,
the other, aerial, heavy-winged. Two lines
drawn together by hunger. On impact, the owl made
angel wings, […]
The world has lost a great man and a great thinker. At 96, he lived a long and fruitful life. Through his writing Drucker influenced business management large and small. The best compilation of his thought can be found in The Essential Drucker.
Professor Drucker, thank you for your positive impact on all our lives. You […]
Successful retirement is not a financial issue, it is about re-connecting to what is most important in our life. Though everyone has different interests, certain specific areas are common to all: relationships, family, faith, creativity, romance, travel, and knowledge. These hold a special place in our lives and how we deal with them determines our […]
What is happiness? In the United States and in many other industrialized countries, it is often equated with money.
Economists measure consumer confidence on the assumption that the resulting figure says something about progress and public welfare. The gross domestic product, or G.D.P., is routinely used as shorthand for the well-being of a nation.
But the small […]
If I can’t do anything useful, at least I would like to do as little harm as possible.
