Monthly Archives: April 2022

Home QOTM Test Page 2022 April

Habits vs. Goals: A Look at the Benefits of a Systematic Approach to Life

Five takeaways:

  1. This article breaks down the important relationship between habits and goals.
  2. It is important to note “the problems with goals” – goals have definitive ends, they are often set unrealistically/impractically, and in some cases our brains can confuse goal setting with achievement– because setting the goal feels like an end in itself.
  3. Habits, on the other hand, are worth exploring for their benefits. For one– habits take otherwise difficult tasks like saving money- and make them easy in practice.
  4. Habits are compounding and create a lifelong framework for success. They can actually rewire your brain to become automatic behaviors.
  5. By switching our focus from achieving specific goals to creating positive long-term habits, we can make continuous improvement a way of life.

From Shane Parrish at the Farnham Street blog:
Read the whole story.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Retirement Is A Transition, Not A Destination

Five takeaways:

  1. This article provides a useful reframe of the idea of retirement and retirement saving.
  2. Life expectancy has never been higher, and thus retirement is now viewed more as a “reinvention” than a transition to one’s elderly years.
  3. As important as a financial safety net, is deep consideration of new motivation, activity, and purpose in retirement.
  4. The article cites author William Bridges, who said that every life transition has “an ending, a ‘neutral period’ or period of ‘unknown,’ and a new beginning.
  5. The article urges readers to look at their retirement as a new chapter in a life portfolio– one you need to periodically reevaluate as you would a financial portfolio. This means being forward thinking and willing to adjust.

From Dorian Mintzer at Forbes:
Read the whole story.

Note: At the time of this posting Forbes offers 4 free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

The Stories That Bind Us

Five takeaways:

  1. This article asks– what practical steps can we do to make families function more harmoniously?
  2. The single most important thing you can do for your family may be the simplest of all: develop a strong family narrative.
  3. Psychologist Marshall Duke developed the “Do You Know” test to predict childhood happiness and future success in young people; they found that the more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned.
  4. Dr. Duke said that children who have the most self-confidence have a strong sense of “intergenerational self.” They know they belong to something bigger than themselves.
  5. A family is more likely to be successful and harmonious if it tells a positive story about itself. Families need to “create, refine, and retell” this narrative to be able to bounce back from difficult moments or periods.

An interesting 2013 piece from Bruce Feiler at The New York Times:
Read the whole story.

Note: At the time of this posting New York Times offers ten free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Are We Trading Our Happiness for Modern Comforts?

Five takeaways:

  1. Here Brooks points out that while average household income risen over time, average happiness has fallen. Why?
  2. The General Social Survey has been measuring social trends among Americans since 1972, and shows a rise in unhappiness from 1988 to the present– despite many metrics showing an increase in quality of life.
  3. Brooks reminds us that although material comforts can provide a thrill or sense of security, they do not inject life with meaning.
  4. The rise of technology, similarly, promised a utopian vision of a happy and thrilling future; it has not delivered on that promise at all- in fact making us less happy and more socially isolated.
  5. Brooks offers three principles for warding off a life of empty consumption: 1. Don’t make frivolous, short-sighted purchases 2. Be skeptical of government or big tech companies whose sustenance involves taking your attention, winning your vote, and separating you from your money. 3. Don’t trade love for anything: love is the leading indicator of happiness known to man. It is never to be taken for granted and completely irreplaceable.

From Arthur C. Brooks at The Atlantic:
Read the whole story.

Note: At the time of this posting The Atlantic offers five free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.
Wealth Advisors | A Member of Advisory Services Network, LLC
Address: 10345 W. Olympic Blvd, Suite 110, Los Angeles, CA 90064
Telephone: 310-601-4095

© Copyright 2024 MAP STRATEGIC WEALTH ADVISORS