The Wealth Consigliere

I was diagnosed with MS one and a half years ago.  The shocking news took a while to sink in, but the M Scott Peck quote has continued to reverberate in my head – “Life is Difficult”.  Our blog this week hopefully educates you on MS and the support that the million plus patents in the US need.  This is NOT a pity party, but it will share many items that I think we can use in our Wealth Management business as well. Snowflake Disease When my Dr. told me I had MS my initial reaction surprised her.  I shared that I regretted never contributing to The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon .  She smiled and said that telethon is for Multiple Dystrophy not Multiple Sclerosis. I needed to do some research on MS.  I was frustrated and scared by what I found on the internet.  It seemed like everyone who had MS experienced different symptoms.  Some were in a wheelchair, but some appeared to be fine. ...

Last week’s financial services industry news of Schwab and other brokerage firms cutting commission rates to zero reminded me of one of the two books I read in High School (no Cliff Notes).  The book, Lord of the Flies , described how a group of marooned kids organized themselves.  They utilized a shell, The Conch, to signify who could talk at their large gatherings.  The meetings were organized by Ralph who would limit the time each kid took.  This week I will discuss who has The Conch and what they are telling us to do.  I will play the role of Ralph and decide when its time to pass The Conch. Wall Street Wall Street has had the conch for years.  They created high margin products and “sold” them to their clients.  This structure was exposed during the Financial Crisis and opened the door for competitors to educate their clients about these conflicts of interest.  The other area Wall Stre...

Perfect conversations and Podcasts are in the eye of the beholder.  My podcasts and my children are perfect in my humble opinion.  I continue to simplify this monthly summary to organize the list and hopefully you will agree with me.  Apple has a head start with their star based rating system. Twitter followers and downloads matter too.  This month has some new items I hope you like too. Business Podcasts My new favorite is Naval - How to get Rich .  I've found that this podcast delivers ideas that will cause you to think and falls into my perfect podcast group.  My advice is to listen to each podcast numerous times.  Our first impression might be wrong. Dramas  We all need a break from our daily life and from academic content.  I love movies and live theater as an  escape from daily life.  Drama podcasts with a good script and good actors are perfect.  My favorite is 1619 .  This podcast is a double whammy...