Just getting by.

My father used to tell this fascinating story about pursuing wealth
to anyone who would listen. It stuck with me, and I found a
well-articulated version on our amazing Internet...

A businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village
when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small
boat were several large tuna. The businessman complimented the
Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to
catch them. The Mexican replied only a little while.

The businessman then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch
more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's
immediate needs. The businessman then asked, but what do you do
with the rest of your time? The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep
late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my
wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine
and play guitar with my amigos; I have a full and busy life, señor."

The businessman scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and I could help you.
You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a
bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy
several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.
Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell
directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You
would control the product, processing and distribution. You would
need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico
City, then LA and eventually New York City where you would run your
expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But señor, how long will this all
take?" To which the businessman replied, "15-20 years." "But what
then, señor?" The businessman laughed and said, "That's the best
part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell
your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would
make millions."

"Millions, señor? Then what?" The businessman said, "Then you would
retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would
sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with
your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could
sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "Isn't that what
I'm doing right now."

Fifty is the new thirty.

Fifty is the new thirty

Baby boomers continue to redefine our culture, because there's just so many of us, we're used to being the center of attention.

Add into that the fact that we're living much longer and careers are becoming more flexible and it's pretty clear that in just about every cultural respect, fifty year olds are living, acting and looking more like thirty year olds every day.

This changes more than personal financial planning. It changes the marketing of every service and product aimed at consumers--and yet most traditional advertisers are stuck in the mindset that thirty is the end of your chance to find a new customer or build a new brand

Source: http://sethgodin.typepad.com


Speaking of fifty, this dude just turned the big 5-0 a couple of weeks ago!:

KONY 2012

Kony is a monster beyond any imagination, and being one for the past 26 years without being noticed by the world!