To Inspire: You’ve probably heard the saying “it’s never too late to learn something new,” but actually diving into new hobbies or trying to learn new skills as adult can seem challenging. According to Tom Vanderbilt, author of Beginnings, one thing that often stands between us and learning a new skill is mindset, and embracing […]

To Inspire: Let’s continue our reflection on beauty as an important part of a great life. There are so many ways to experience beauty in our lives – allow me to offer five: Get outside. Every morning I take Ike, our 3 year old Bernese Mountain dog, to Wolfe park for a walk. It’s an […]

To Inspire:   I (Matt) came across this March 2019 blog post from a freelance journalist, Eric Carlson and thought you would enjoy it. Entitled Why Beauty is Important for our Lives and our Cities, Eric touches on a theme we’ve often reflected on – the importance of beauty in living a great life – […]

To Inspire:   One afternoon in March 2021, Ekiben restaurant in Baltimore got an email. But instead of an order, or catering request, it was a man asking for a recipe. The man, Brandon Jones, was writing for the recipe for tempura broccoli topped with fresh herbs, diced onion, and fermented cucumber vinegar. Brandon was […]

To Inspire:  Years ago, one of my college-age sons invited his girlfriend at the time to our family Christmas gathering. After dinner, we all sat around playing Catch Phrase. Are you familiar with it? You divide into two teams and when it’s your team’s turn, one of your teammates gets 60 seconds to offer clues […]

To Inspire: Last week Lisa and I (Matt) spent Sunday afternoon with our family out at Lynd’s Fruit Farm – picking apples, going on a hayride and enjoying time with our children and their families. It was a beautiful fall day and we LOVED the entire outing. There’s a reason F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote that “life […]

To Inspire: Most of us recognize Milana Vayntrub as the quirky lovable Lily from those fun AT&T commercials. But it’s her work helping refugees that’s really making a difference. In this issue of WealthNotes we share that part of her great life – via excerpts below from an article by Jessica Toomer and posted back […]

To Inspire:   You may already know the story of Gander, Newfoundland and its role in 9/11. After all, the story was turned into a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and that musical has now been made into a movie, just released on streaming service Apple TV+. I was fortunate to originally hear this story from […]

To Inspire: This weekend is a time to remember the many lives lost twenty years ago on 9/11 as well as their family members and the many first responders. We recall with gratitude the great sacrifices made and the sacrifices that continue to be made to help ensure that such an event never happens again. […]

To Inspire: I’m a reader, I love books – real books, not eBooks – and I tend to want to buy and keep them. But when I do clear some out, I make sure they go to a good home – a friend, the local library, etc. I can’t imagine throwing a book in the […]