Sometimes it’s interesting to think back to how our upbringing determined how we developed our specific set of ideals. After all, the situations and experiences we faced early in life can have a big impact on the paths we chose in adulthood.
Our earliest impressions of the world are an extension of the behaviors we observed and the lessons our parents taught us. As we grow older, our life experiences often align and reconfirm the validity of those early influences.
[CLICK HERE to read the article, “Do Children Just Take Their Parents’ Political Beliefs? It’s Not That Simple,” at The Atlantic, May 1, 2014.]
[CLICK HERE to read the article, “Who Had Richer Parents, Doctors or Artists?” at NPR, March 18, 2014.]
One aspect of growing up is finding people who share your same values, and this can create strong relationships. As financial professionals, we live and work in the same community as many of our clients, and in many cases, share the same values in terms of work ethic, prudence and money management. Having a similar belief system as our clients has enabled us to develop strong, long-term relationships.
As your financial professional, our goal is the same as yours: To help put you in the best position possible to have an optimal retirement.
[CLICK HERE to read the article, “More Students, Secular but Feeling a Call, Turn to Divinity Schools,” at The New York Times, Oct. 16, 2015.]
[CLICK HERE to read the article, “Race, guns, culture and change in S.C.,” at ABCnews.com, Oct. 16, 2015.]
While we can work together to monitor your financial situation, other aspects of life are left to chance and perhaps even determined before birth.
For instance, a recent study revealed that people with summer birthdays tend to have a higher birth weight and grow taller than those with winter birthdays. The contributing factor appears to be that their pregnant mothers were exposed to more sunshine in summer — and its inherent vitamin D, which has a measurable effect on childhood development and health.
[CLICK HERE to read the article, “People born in summer are taller than those with winter birthdays,” at The Telegraph, Oct. 12, 2015.]
Another interesting cause and effect: Economic downturns tend to produce better teachers. When jobs are scarce, there is an increase in highly-educated, well-qualified people seeking teaching jobs. Normally, the pool of people who want to become teachers is much smaller, in part because pay for teachers is relatively low compared to other professions.
While there are obvious downsides to growing up in a time of economic turmoil, quality teaching is one of the most positive influences a youth can experience.
[CLICK HERE to read the article, “Why recessions produce good teachers,” at World Economic Forum, Aug. 6, 2015.]
On the flip side, sometimes children can have an influence on us. Anyone with children understands how priorities change after entering parenthood. As they’re exposed to other stimulus in the world, the beliefs and values they develop can in turn have an impact on how their parents see the world.
The relationship between parent and child comes full circle, as parents impart their values on youth, and vice versa.
[CLICK HERE to read the article, “CEOs with Daughters Run More Socially Responsible Firms: An Interview with Henrik Cronqvist,” at Harvard Business Review, November 2015.]
It just goes to show you that while wisdom and experience are invaluable, we are never too old to learn something new — and no one is too young to teach us.
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