This Is How I Reached My Goals

Proven Behaviors, Tools and Tips to reach your goals

Creating a set of goals is relatively easy, actually achieving them is the hard part. The key to reaching goals is setting up a structure to support your efforts. Last year I researched tools, tactics and behaviors to support my goals Here’s what worked.

1. Self Journal

My Wife and I live by our Self Journals.

I start each day, by completely allocating my day, by 30 minute task increments. These tasks filter up to three wildly important goals I am working towards. I check my calendar for any meetings I have, and check my task list that I left for myself the night before. I then take a moment to write out three positive things that are happening in my life. I am not verbose in any of this, its mostly a few words and bullets.

2. Deep Work

Last year I read Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport and it profoundly changed how I approach my work. Newport defines two styles of work:

Deep Work: Professional activities, in a distraction-free environment that pushes your cognitive abilities

Shallow Work: Non-cognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted

When scheduling my day, I focus my “deep” work in the morning between 7:30 and noon. I use this time to focus on my clients’ goals/problems/planning and developing solutions for them.

During my “deep work” I have several rituals to keep me focused:

• I put my phone on “Do Not Disturb“ mode.

• I pop in my ear buds and spin up a quiet acoustic guitar play list.

• I turn off all notifications on my laptop. I don’t check email, ESPN, the WSJ, Facebook or anything else.

• I wear a watch so that I can see the time at a glance and how I am progressing on my schedule.

• I keep my journal opened and beside my laptop so that I can be reminded of what I need to be doing, and for adding any to do’s as they pop into my head.

I normally have lunch at the end of my deep work session. And then shift over to my “shallow” work, where I focus on administrative tasks.

3. Rest

Another book that has been a big influence on my work is Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Pang.

Between 3pm and 8pm, I focus on what Pang would refer to as “rest”. My goal during this time, is to lose myself in the minutiae of daily life, clear my head. This is time for my subconscious to churn through my earlier work. I may take a walk around the neighborhood, workout at Decatur Crossfit, cook for the family and/or help the boys with homework.

I then close out the day, by listing out actions items and thoughts for picking back up the next day, in my Self Journal.

At the end of each week, I check my leading metrics (things that I can control, and will influence lag metrics, which are my goals). E.g., I want to get 30 new clients this year is a lag metric. Meeting perspective clients is a leading metric. And I take the opportunity to list out any wins/losses and lessons learned. I also take the time to update my score board, so that I have a reminder, both of my goals and how I fare as I am working towards them.

This may seem like a lot, but once you start seeing progress, its incredibly satisfying. And the tactics and planning have all been tried out and tested. It’s a great recipe for success.

Are you intentional in your daily routine, that has a proven track record of driving to success?

My 15 Goals for 2020

I’m always talking to my clients about their goals because without a concrete set of goals it is difficult to drive and sacrifice what is needed to reach financial independence. I also occasionally think that people think that goal setting can be a wasted effort, given either past failures in reaching goals, or the limited value in the results. It’s only fair to share my own goals as a good example — with the added benefit of external accountability.

my 3 areas of development for my life:

1. Work Hard

2. Love my friends and family

3. Have fun and stay fit

Work Hard

For my “Work Hard” category my key objectives are providing my current set of client families with the best service possible and growing the number of families I serve.

1. With my current client families, I aim to be an even more involved, high touch planner, by having quarterly touch points. The more context I have about a family, the better my advice can be.

2. My long term objective is helping 100 families reach a level of financial security that allows them to focus on their family values rather than on chasing the almighty $. I currently work with 30 families. I aim to double that number in 2020, to 60 with a revamped marketing plan.

3. I also believe that Decatur is a great hot bed of small entrepreneurial talent and I want to be a positive influence in that scene. With that in mind, I will continue to hold monthly coffee meet ups for the "Decatur Entrepreneurial Network (DEN)”. If you want to be added to the invite, send me an email.

Love My Family and Friends

My overarching objective is to develop and maintain deep, meaningful relationships based on honesty, openness, investment of time and encouragement.

1. With my wife, I aim to connect for an hour, just the two of us, outside of the house, twice a week.

2. With the boys, I want to connect for 30 minutes, individually, three times a week.

3. With my Dad and sister, I aim to spend a weekend together once every other month.

4. With our family in different states, we will host cousins week this summer.

5. We will host Thanksgiving at our house.

6. Will spend two weeks in Fl with my in-laws.

7. With our “framily” in the neighborhood, I aim to host “clean out the fridge Friday” or “Sunday supper” twice a month. And link up with my guy crew twice a month.

Have Fun And Stay Fit

For my family, fun is travel. We have scheduled trips to:

1. New Orleans

2. Kenya.

Trips that are not only fun, but also give our boys unique insights into the world, and allow Jenn and I unique opportunities to connect and experience the outside world.

Staying fit and healthy keeps me on top of my game in all aspects of my life, especially as I get older. I aim to stay fit (and have fun) by

1. Working out twice a week at xFit

2. Playing soccer and/or basketball each week.

There they are, all 15 goals. I don’t want to bore you with all the details. But they are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound. And they are things that you can hold me accountable for over the course of the year- like when you see me at YDFM or at a kid’s sporting event.

I want to help you reach your goals

I have seen great success for families with a shared set of short/mid/long term goals.
Download my free financial goals worksheet It provides a structured outline for your goals with tasks, milestones and accountability. 

Check out the strategies and tactics below for common family goals:

• Goal: As a couple, get on the same page with our finances
  Take The Smart Couples Finish RichFinancial Assessment

• Goal: Buy A New Car
  Buy smart. Read my car buying guide and save.

• Goal: Get your family's spending under control 
  Read: How to Start Budgeting (designed for people who hate budgeting)

• Goal: Get your finances in order
  Read "Tidying Up" Your Financial House

• How to Keep Your New Year's Resolution
  Want to be in the successful 35% that keep their resolution? Read 

Do Your Investments Match Your Values? Meet ESG Funds

There has been a growing movement among investors, to put their money where their mouth is by investing in companies that align with their morals and ethics. In this case, people who are interested in seeing responsible change around the areas of the (E) environment, (S) social justice and (G) governance, have started to buy “ESG funds”. The goal of these mutual funds is to buy into a set of companies that score well in these areas, while refusing to invest in companies that rank poorly. The basic notion - I am interested in being diversified across a set of companies, I want to have something that is managed, and I am interested in financially supporting companies that are aligned with my thinking.

Are you putting your money where your mouth is?

Did you know that buying a standard SP500 index fund, is putting money into cigarette makers, companies who hire child labor in foreign countries and gun makers?

To reach this objective, companies are scored based on how they measure up. MSCI is one company that provides a fairly standard measure. A mutual fund company will then invest in a set of companies that meet some criteria related to those measures. As an example, SUSL, a iShares ETF, only invests in companies that rate higher than “BB” in the MSCI ESG ratings. And expressly excludes companies deemed to be involved in problematic areas such as tobacco, alcohol, gambling, etc.

An interesting thing to note about many of these funds, is that they actually tend to perform as well as, if not better than the standard index/funds that invest in problematic companies.

You might think that it would be more costly to invest in these sort of funds. However, with a little research, you can find both super effective and inexpensive ETFs that meet ESG objectives, that actually have low expense ratios. Eg, SUSL, mentioned above, as a .10% expense ratio.

Yes!!! Investing in ESG funds can actually lead to better performance and be relatively inexpensive.

If you are interested in learning more about aligning your investing with your values, let’s schedule some time. ESG funds may be a perfect way to you to put your money where you mouth is.

Can You Fill A School With Artwork?

I was reminded of the benefits of a life well lived, while walking through Charlie’s school last week. The walls are covered by Steve McCurry’s art. You may not immediately recognize that name, but you definitely know his iconic artwork. This project was conceived and implemented by a friend, Massoud Besharat. Massoud strongly believes that kids need to be exposed early and often to art. Given the limited amount of time many school systems set aside for art, Massoud created a program to give away a large set of beautiful images, framed and installed, to elementary schools. Every day, the kids are exposed to this art as they walk around the halls. If you have not seen it, you really should walk through Talley St Upper Elementary as soon as possible.

A life well lived, is a beautiful and inspiring thing. Have you reached the point where you can easily give away a substantial gift, with the intent of helping many? And even better, right in your community?

With planning, sacrifice and heart, you too can reach this goal. Are you prepared to take the steps? How do you switch perspectives from accumulating to giving? How long will it take to accumulate this much? Who needs your help?

Lets set up some time to talk about how you can reach this goal.

Is the First Week In December the Ideal Couples Getaway Time?

Jenn and I have friends who are jetting out of Decatur and heading to the beach. The first week of December. I mean the family just left a few days ago from Thanksgiving celebrations., right? The house is finally cleaned after the melee. The holiday decorations are out, the tree is in the stand, the Elf on the shelf rules the mornings.

There are receipts to collect from day care and doctors offices. There are last minute projects at the house/office that need to be completed before the end of the year. The car needs to be serviced and needs new tires. Leaves!! So much raking needs to be done.

And they are going to the beach …

Brilliant!! I am glad to be surrounded by friends smarter than I.

Let me count the ways this actually makes sense:

1. The grandparents are in town, they can watch the kids

2. Thanksgiving can be stressful, its time for a quick pressure release

3. Christmas is right around the corner and can be stressful

4. It just turned cold, and a bit of sun and warmth is a good reminder of fun times to come

5. It is a good forcing function to get some family chores done

6. It has been a long year, and we have not had as much couples time as planned

7. It is a great time to evaluate the year

8. It is a great time to plan out the coming month

9. Everybody else just completed their travel, so it is not crowded or super expensive

10. The best books of the year lists are out … now you have some time to read one

This type of trip did not get factored into our yearly vacation budget. And next year’s is going to be pretty depleted after trips to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and Kenya in the summer.

But maybe Jenn and I need to discuss this for next year … what do we need to sacrifice to make this happen?

If only we had a few days at the beach to discuss at our leisure…

Are You Burned Out At Work? Take the Assessment

Most of us have to work. There are bills to pay. Kids to feed. Places to see. Food and wine to enjoy. Healthcare. Sometimes it’s because we love it (prior to starting my own financial advisory business, I believed this was mostly platitudes). Sometimes it can burn us out. A recent survey by millennials, found that work and finances were the 2 highest sources of burnout.

Do you wonder if its worth it? Is your job killing you a little bit every day? Are you feeling burned out?

A little of my own story

When I graduated from GA Tech, I already had a job. I worked at GE my final quarter of college, driving through traffic up to Windward Parkway during the week, learning about Cisco routers. And cramming in my final two courses in the hours between work. I then proceeded to work my tail off for the next 20 years, never really taking a major break. My tech career required that I always be plugged in. I worked with people in India, Israel, France, West coast … when I woke up in the morning, my inbox was filled. When I went to bed, if I was lucky, I had mostly cleared out the 400 emails that I received daily. Vacation was just another way of saying that I was working remotely from a desk with a cool view. By my early forties, I was making “good” money and making a difference at work, but I was feeling bogged down. A general feeling of malaise, that even fun travel destinations, could not shake.

I ended up taking a year off, to reevaluate and regroup. And came out of it in a much better situation.

What is burnout? Mental or physical exhaustion. There are 5 stages …

How do you know if you are entering that burn out stage? Are you currently burned out? Here are some things to look out for:

1. Are you constantly tired?

2. Are you not sleeping well?

3. Is your productivity slipping?

4. Are people you used to like at work, constantly irritating you?

5. Do you feel like you are constantly “on” and never get any time away?

6. Do you have a list of the 5 things you would prefer to be doing?

7. Do you dream about work and wake up in a cold sweat?

8. Are you self sabotaging?

9. Find yourself fantasizing about getting fired?

It is not an easy problem to solve. As is generally true, half the battle is realizing the situation. Are you talking to anyone about it? Are you mapping out a strategy to solve the problem?

Several things to consider:

1. Talk to your boss about it

2. Find a mentor and talk to them about it

3. Take a long vacation and completely unplug

4. Find a safe place to dream about what you really (realistically?) want to do

5. If finances cause you stress, wrap your arms around the problem. Is it debt? Keeping up with the Jones’? Expectations?

6. Buckle down and save 6 months worth of expenses. Then take a long break. Sometimes removing yourself from the situation will allow you to see more clearly.

7. Detach yourself from work. Set aside time during the day that you don’t check your email or Slack.

8. Make room in your day to meditate, work out, nap, play guitar … Rest is one of my favorite books on the topic.

9. Go easy on yourself

If you are feeling burned out, there are many ways to make forward progress. Know, that you only have one life, and it is up to you to solve the problem. Finances are a means to an end … your money is there to help you reach your goals. If you stash a huge pile of gold, it won’t add up to much if you are not using it for the things that make you happy.

7 Tips for Last-Minute Year-End Financial Planning

Thanksgiving is over. The turkey leftovers have all been used. The family has returned to their distant homes. And you have exhausted your Black Friday and Cyber Monday budgets. Now is the time to take a breath and make sure that your family is going to finish out 2019 strong. Are you ready to get started?

1. REVIEW YOUR OPEN ENROLLMENT OPTIONS AND OPTIMIZE YOUR SELECTIONS

2. Make sure that you and your spouse are coordinated on health care and dependent spending and 401k and Roth saving goals.

3. ADJUST YOUR TAX WITHHOLDINGS

   If you have had a child in 2018, been through a divorce, changed jobs or had a change in income, you will likely need to adjust your withholdings.

4. FUND LONG TERM SAVINGS VEHICLES (401K, ROTH IRA, IRA, SEP IRA, 529S).

   Contribution limits for your 401k increased to $19,000 and IRA is $6,000. Beware that there are limits on IRAs depending on your income. Remember that 401k and IRA contributions go in before taxes, which can increase the amount your money grows over time. Your Roth IRA contributions go in after taxes, which means you never have to worry about taxes in the future. If you are self employed, take the time to fund a SEP IRA, which has much higher limits than a standard IRA or 401k.

5. CHECK YOUR HEALTH AND DEPENDENT CARE FLEXIBLE SPENDING PLANS

   Track down your receipts and enter them now. I like to use this wind fall to fund Christmas. If you have not used all of your money, its time to do it now. You still have some time to get in all the spending, but these are “use it or lose it accounts.” Also, if you have hit your health care deductible, it may make sense to hit the doctor one more time to take care of anything you have been putting off.

6. SET AN END OF YEAR BUDGET.

   There is a lot going on: gifts, travel, family events, parties, family pictures. Start to think, at the very least, about some guard rails that you want to set. This is the time of the year that most Americans put on the majority of their weight … and incur the majority of their debt. Make this year different. You will feel great come January, when you wont have to create crazy goals to overcome the splurges.

7. START PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR

   Set up a meeting with your financial planner. Now is the time to start setting some longer term goals for next year and help secure your retirement for tomorrow. Let me guide you through the process and monitor your progress.

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