As
evidenced from the lack of new posts, it’s quite apparent that I have taken a
hiatus from this blog. However, I see value in resuming the disciplines I had
several years ago when blogging about the books I was reading led me to put my
thoughts into words on a regular basis.
The
past two summers have proven very memorable with international travels to six
countries in Europe and a touch of Asia (several ports of call in Turkey were
on the Asian part of the country). I explored medieval walled cities on islands
in the Aegean Sea, sailed into a volcanic caldera with picturesque whitewashed
stone villas with blue-domed roofs clinging to the cliffs, toured the ancient
ruins of Ephesus and Corinth, climbed the Acropolis in Athens, walked the
streets of Rome, stood in the shadow of St. Peter and St. Paul at the Vatican,
rekindled relationships with second- and third-cousins living abroad, swam in
pristine lakes in Scandinavia, had train mishaps and adventures across the
midsection of Sweden, got myself lost on a 3-turned-10-mile run in Amsterdam at
midnight, nearly was left behind in Norway because I again ran a large loop
away from the ship right before “All aboard” was called, stood head-in-the-clouds
in the midst of a downpour on top of Pulpit Rock which juts out two thousand
feet above one of the world’s deepest fjords,
and witnessed the majesty of God’s creation in the Flåm valley amidst
towering snowmelt waterfalls and lush greenery and quaint villages.
Recently
I came across a book online at work that caught my eye: The Story of Rich: A
Financial Fable of Wealth and Reason During Uncertain Times. In this book,
author J.D. Joyce has created a story that creates analogies from many of the
different activities that have kept me busy since I moved away from the
blog—including topics such as traveling, cultivating natural beauty, serving
the church and community, seeking counsel, estate planning, watching
professional sports, and training for a marathon. However, as I made my way
through the chapters and made connections to my own life, I realized that
perhaps I haven’t seen the forest for the trees because I’ve allowed my focus
to shift on what’s right in front of me instead of thinking about the bigger
picture.
In
this story, which is a fictional account of a business owner named Rich fresh
off of selling his company and entering retirement, the main character has
encounters with people who offer him advice through their own experiences and
how their choices affected their bottom line in the retirement years. While
retirement for me is a long ways off, there are still valuable lessons to be
learned by avoiding the mistakes other people have made and by making wise
choices for the long-term that will put me on the right path. I was able to put
to good use right away one of those lessons that came from the marathon chapter
as I ran the Chicago Marathon last week. The point was that just as successful
runners spend much time in preparation and know how to establish a consistent
pacing strategy so they have enough energy to complete the race, so too
planning and pacing come into play in investments. It’s true—in my first
marathon I started out much too fast to maintain that pace for 26.2 miles and
by mile 14 I had to take walking breaks, but last week when I ran the Chicago
Marathon I set out on a manageable pace and was able to shave over a minute per
mile off my previous time when I ran without a good strategy! I can only
imagine that the same is true for the world of finances.
I found this book easy to read and relate to, given the wide variety of life situations Rich and his family encountered. There were also good explanations on stock market trends and the various types of investment mechanisms available today. After reading this book, I feel more prepared to go out and make wise decisions how I approach the use of money in these uncertain times.
