The Power of Thanksgiving

I am continually impressed with how powerful Thanksgiving can be.   Below are just a few things I am personally thankful for:   I’m thankful for my family because they support me no matter where I am in my journey and I know they will always have my back. I’m thankful for our clients because they give our work meaning.  There is no better feeling than […]

Lessons Learned from my Father’s Passing

Papa John and his grandson Jack at the Lookouts in 2008   When a loved one passes often those left behind are left wondering, “What do I do now?” or “How am I going to manage without him/her?”  Sometimes the shock is so great that it takes days, weeks or months to come up for […]

College Funding 101

Like many Tennessee residents, you may have found yourself doing a bit of shopping last weekend. Tennessee’s annual “Sales Tax Holiday” is a great time to load up on clothes, school supplies, and other necessities for the kids and grandkids. This annual event held during the last weekend in July signals the end of Summer […]

How Goldilocks Keeps the Bears at Bay

Our “Goldilocks” by the campfire.  She’s not too worried about the bears. This past Fourth of July weekend, we enjoyed a dad’s and daughter’s camping trip at Fall Creek Falls.  As Sydney is getting older it seems we have less opportunity for daddy, daughter time, so I jumped at the chance to spend the weekend […]

It’s Time to Talk About Aging

We are all, inexorably, marching toward old age. By 2030, 72 million Americans will be age 65 or older.1 The good news is longevity has been improving, and people are remaining healthy and vibrant at older ages. The bad news is cultural perceptions of ‘old’ people have not kept pace. A 2016 analysis by the World Health […]

Lessons from Jack Nicklaus

A few weeks back, Jennifer and I took our kids to Boca Raton for spring break.  This break just happened to coincide with an LPL Financial trip rewarding its top ten percent of financial advisors and it was the kids first trip of this kind since Sydney and Jack were little.  I enjoyed getting to […]

What Christmas Means for Us

For our kids Christmas is a time to eat lots of sweets, decorate the tree and  eagerly await the day when they can receive the presents they most dearly desire.  Each year brings new joys and different experiences. Last year, Sydney developed a crisis of confidence with regard to her belief in Santa Claus.  We […]

Do you have a loved one with a disability?

Sometimes the government gets things right. Recently, federal legislation has created a new investment vehicle called ‘ABLE Accounts’ (Achieving a Better Life Experience) to help families save for future expenses related the needs of a loved one with a long-term disability. For the first time, eligible individuals will be allowed to establish savings accounts that do not affect […]

Turning Death, Divorce, and Multiple Lawsuits … Into a Positive Experience

Eight years ago this weekend my father passed away in a horrible car crash. My brother Tim and I worked diligently to settle items in the estate, closing down a plastic surgery practice, dealing with fallout from various business interests, winding up the domestic relations order from his recent divorce and working through the probate […]

Proud to be an American

Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all, By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall;  In so righteous a cause let us hope to succeed,          For heaven approves of each generous deed.                                                                 John Dickenson This past weekend, Jennifer and I made the pilgrimage to Bristol to see the Volunteers play against the Hokies in […]