As my wife was reading my latest post, commenting on how I sound like Suze Orman (who is now retired and living the Bahamas, btw), I was looking ahead at the next few days on what will be a bit of a hectic personal schedule. Three Christmases with two children under seven means lots of family time. But the next couple days before we get fully into the Christmas swing will be busy for a different reason. We’ve had three deaths affect our family over the last week. My stepfather’s brother (cancer), a good friend’s father (in poor health for some time), and a classmate of my first-grade son (accidental gunshot). I’m old enough now to realize these moments tend to dart in an out of our lives, just long enough to remind us of our mortality and then eventually wither back into the noise of everyday life. Of course, we eventually settle back in and move on, but as I get older, they stay with me a bit longer. Perhaps because of the ever closing window of my own life. Or perhaps, because in order to look back and fondly recall memories, we better get busy making them.
Financial health should be the battery power for making these memories, not for status or self-esteem. There is more to life than bull and bear markets. Time is our most finite resource. Just a quick reminder to hug a little tighter this holiday season.
– Adam