Banker turned entrepreneur Kim Pong Lim reinvented his second half of life by selling a business he birthed to become a core leader of the Halftime Institute. It is through Halftime Asia he speaks in a way for others to realize that the very best of who they are is the source of the very best that they can be. 

Here in Central Ohio, as fans filled out their brackets, one team was noticeably absent from the 64 (or 68 if you include the Thursday games) teams in the NCAA tournament – the Ohio State Buckeyes.  The Ohio State men’s basketball team got off to a rough start this season, losing three straight games in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational in November to supposedly inferior teams. Like the Ohio State men’s basketball team, the U.S. stock market also got off to a bad start – the worst start to a year in history as the market was down over -8% in the first 10 trading days of the year.  However, unlike the Buckeyes, the stock market is getting the chance to “start over.”

Virginia Tech may not be a March Madness contender, but head coach Buzz Williams shared with his team a valuable message for us all to remember during this exciting (and competitive!) time. While the fate of your bracket may rest on the final minutes of the game, let’s remember the most important moment occurs before the game ever begins.

We know markets are tough, but what areas are doing better than others?

Praising our spouses in public is one of the most important investmetns we can make in our marriage, our family, and our role as a leader. Here’s why…

The biggest question on clients’ minds – Does the rough start for the market this year foreshadow the coming of a bigger bear market? Looking at a graph showing some of the worst 10-day starts to a year remind us positive returns could be in store for 2016.

We can all think of times when we failed to make it to an event of some sort, whether it be a wedding, business party, or community gathering. But wouldn’t it be nice to be remembered as someone who habitually “showed up”, offering a smile, a hand, a high-five?

In the first four trading days of 2016, U.S. stock market indexes have declined approximately -5%, the worst four day start to a year for the Dow and S&P 500 in history, according to FactSet data going back to 1897.  The catalysts for the decline seem like an almost exact replay of last August’s correction – news of slowing economic growth in China, China devaluing their currency, and the Chinese government interfering with free operation of their stock market. Let’s look at each piece to discuss what is happening:

In order to become the best version of yourself in 2016 you will need to identify clear goals and strategies for the important areas of your life – spiritual, physical, emotional, relational. You also must avoid the key pitfalls that those who live great lives have learned to overcome. Renowned phychologist Dr. Heny Cloud identifies those in his book, Never Go Back: 10 Things You’ll Never Do Again. Those who live great lives strive to never again…

As this note is being written on the last day of the year, the Dow is down over 100 points, capping off a year of flat to negative returns for major stock indexes in 2015. Looking at how things stand in December, here are a few observations: