To Inform: If you’re like me, looking to the past can be a great way to find lessons on how to navigate the present. On Winston Churchill’s first day as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. The evacuation of British troops surrounded at Dunkirk was only two weeks away. Over […]

To Inspire:  Darrius Simmons was passionate about football, but after the coach of his high school football team told him he would never play, the Warren, Ohio native turned his focus to music. He loved the joy that music brought to people and wanted to experience that, even though he was born with just four […]

To Inform: By now, you probably have seen the CARES Act was signed into law last Friday, March 27th.  As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CARES stands for “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security.” The size of this economic relief is unprecedented as the legislation provides $2 trillion in funding. Similar to other financial […]

To Inspire: We have been so inspired by how many of our clients and friends are moving through this challenging time with peace, gratitude and hope. But we also know that many in our country are gripped with worry, fear, even panic. In her book, Rhythms of Renewal, beloved Christian author and speaker Rebekah Lyons […]

Stepping Back from the Noise As I type this, the Dow is up over 1,400 points and every single asset class on the tracking list I keep on my phone is green. It’s certainly nice to take a deep breath, but the rising market isn’t going to change one thing I planned to discuss in […]

To Inform: It was a bit surreal writing “March 19, 2020” at the top of this paper as the date marks the one-month anniversary of the all-time high in the stock market.  On February 19th, major stock indexes closed at their all-time high and economic numbers, corporate earnings, and consumer confidence were strong and showing […]

To Inspire:  At age 36, Debra Goldstein was appointed as one of the youngest federal administrative law judges and one of only 26 women in this role. For many, that would have been fulfillment of a dream. But for Debra, this began the process of her realizing she had always made decisions to please others, […]

To Inform:  The Stockdale Paradox is a concept popularized by the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. The name refers to Admiral James Stockdale who was the highest-ranking U.S. military officer in the “Hanoi Hilton” prisoner-of-war camp during the height of the Vietnam War. According to the concept, balancing realism and optimism in a […]

To Inspire Are we all ready for this challenging time? Deep down, do we have what it takes to get through this very difficult moment in history? We believe the answer is YES, if each of us avoids the temptation to let fear control us. Fear will lead to selfishness, hoarding and an “I’m going to get […]

To Inform:  After a week of 1000 point moves in the Dow in both directions, it’s strange seeing another down -700 points (as I’m typing this) but knowing the U.S. stock market is actually UP over 2% from where it was a week ago. We continue to pray for the people impacted by the coronavirus […]