Financially Illuminating! (If you're into this sort of thing.)

Last Monday night, Stefanie and I went to a financial seminar in Salt Lake City with Doug Andrew, the author of Missed Fortune, Last Chance Millionaire and Millionaire by Thirty. Lets be honest, Stefanie hooked us up with this sweet seminar.

The evening was quite the spread of delectable snacks and free notebook-folder things. But really, the presentation was the show. Doug talked about maintaining balance between family, finances and everything else that draws on your attention. He then enumerated the rules of a successful investment: safety, liquidity and return. I've been to a lot of financial seminars, but this one was great.

The foundation of his presentation was optimizing your assets to follow these three rules. But we spent the majority of our time talking about the home equity. Investing in your home is a sound financial decision, but it isn’t liquid, it’s only safe if nothing happens to you home (and the market doesn’t go down, hmmm...), and although equity goes up over time, there is no consistent return. Doug questioned why everyone is so interested in adding extra money onto their monthly payments to pay their home off faster because there are significant tax breaks for mortgage interest.

Now, have an open mind for just a minute. I know we have some very defined values in the LDS church about morgages, and my parents have taught the “pay off your home strategy to life” since birth. But, Doug recommends a different approach, separating the equity from your home, to make your investment safer, more liquid and guarantee a return. We don’t take equity out of a home to consume rather to conserve. When you follow this investment strategy, you double the productivity of your assets. Because we need to guarantee the investment, Doug recommends insurance contracts. They can be linked to the S&P 500, capturing an average 10 percent return during bull markets and a guaranteed 1 to 2 percent during bear markets. Pretty nice, huh?


As you can tell, I am excited about Dougs ideas and I want to learn more. I am going to purchase his book Millionaire by Thirty. The book is written to people my age or younger with a entry level income. Lets read it together, any takers?

Anyway, I want to know what you think, that is if you care about financial planning. Do you think pulling equity out of your home to invest is every a prudent decision?

Locked Out at 4 A.M.

Friday morning there was too much to do and too little time. I decided that I would have to get up early and finish my school assignments before clocking in at work. I woke up at 4 a.m. and left for campus at about 4:30 a.m. I arrived at the Marriott School to work in my office about 4:40 a.m. to find myself LOCKED OUT! I have the key to my office, but the exterior doors were locked. It was cold so I headed to the Talmage Building – Locked, the JSB – Locked, the JSFB – Locked, the SWKT – Locked, and the Eyring Science Center – LOCKED.



I couldn’t help but laugh. And although it was cold, it was so beautiful. I had to stop and take a minute to soak it all up. The sky was deep blue with scattered stars. The moon’s light was illuminating the mountains surrounding Provo, and everything was perfectly still. It was so enlightening that I might consider another early morning jaunt in the future. Anyway, just before 5 a.m. I found an unlocked door into my building and I got a lot done.

Prop 8...We Have the Right to Speak

Sunday I went to Salt Lake City for a great pre-Thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of my cousins (Thanks, Marrills and Maughans), and the issue of Prop 8 came up again. I have given this proposition a lot of thought, and I have an opinion.

I support personal agency, but along with that, I asert my right to defend the issues I feel are important to me and my future family. Many members of the LDS church campaigned and donated to the Yes on Prop 8 initiative in California. They did what the founders of this nation hoped citizen would do, they participated in the democratic process - it was not just their constitutional right, it was their duty to uphold an issue they supported. (The same way No on Prop 8 supporters have the right to defend their point of view). But, I don't believe defending a point of view means attacking an organization's members for exercising their constitutional rights.

The demonstrators that I have seen in YouTube videos at the Los Angeles Temple in California are extremely alarming and disappointing. The protesters, some of which have damaged the temple grounds, ironically shout, "Stop the hate!" These No on Prop 8 supports are no longer upholding an initiative, they are simply attacking an organization that exercised their constitutional rights. Not to mention that the LDS church represented only part of the Yes on Prop 8 coalition in California. Why, why, why are members of the LDS church being targeted because they exercised their right to speak?

Church members' participation in the election did not stop gay marriage supporters' campaign, their participation allowed the political process to function by presenting both sides. One of which, seems to be the majority.

I have included some interesting facts about the election that I got from my sister's blog.

The Facts:

1. Mormons make up only 2% of the population of California. There are approximately 750,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 36 million.

2. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then out of a total of 5,661,583 yes votes, LDS voters made up 4.4% of the Yes vote and 2.3% of the total Proposition 8 vote (11,050,301).

3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign (except for a nominal, and legal, in-kind donation of $2,078.97, to cover the travel expenses of leaders coming from Utah for a meeting). Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.

4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $36 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.

5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.

6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.

7. African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.

8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).

9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims - all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California. Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.

10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.

11. The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church has always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.

12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do - we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.

Getting Back to My Roots

In a whirlwind of chance, my dad has decided, in spite of his cancer, to spend the Thanksgiving break down in Mexico. San Felipe to be exact.



I have to be honest, I am ecstatic! I love San Felipe. Our good friends the Taylors have a little house on the beach, and I've spent a good part of my childhood traveling to their beach shack for some of the greatest vacationing this redhead has ever known.

I still recall with fondness the time I ran a fence down with the quad, the time I hid a sand shark under our tent for like 5 days in the sweltering heat(sorry mom and dad), the time we broke down in that dirty border town for Thanksgiving(John, remember the squirts you got from those burritos), and of course the endless firework wars and disasters.


The Taylors Little House. It is nestled on top of a little hill, but you walk straight out to the beach.


It would be a sad, sad life to never taste the ambrosia created at Adriana's Fish Tacos. You can't put a price tag on taco pescados y camarones.


Building my own skim board for the great beaches.


And, of course, the view from the Taylor's house. I have visited a lot of places, but I've never been to a place as relaxing as this little haven. When you lay in one of the hammock being pushed by the warm sea breeze, the world stops for a sec and you finally find center.(I know this is cheesy).

So, anyway, for me this trip is getting me back to my roots.

Oh, James...Really?

So yesterday after school I was watching a movie when James called. He said he was on his way over for a visit. I was very pleased because I don't really see my friends that often, and rarely do they come to visit me.

Well, he came. Hmmm. I turned off my movie and tried to talk to him, but I guess he didn't really want to talk because he wouldn't answer my questions. Well, sometimes he would give one or two words, but other times he would just completely ignore them. Interesting? Yes.


Who is this kid?

Finally I just said, "So when you came to visit you kind of just wanted to sit here and not talk, right?" His answer was no, but I pressed it.

It turns out he actually came because he was coming to visit someone else...hmmmm. My company was just a place holder.

Can I just say, thank goodness we've been friends for long time. Ha ha. Wow. James is awesome, but I just don't think I'll ever understand.



Can you please explain him to me?

Decision Paralysis :(

Do you every have those times in your life when, for whatever reason, you just can’t make simple decisions effectively? I think you all know what I’m talking about. You’re standing in line at Panda Express looking at the menu, but you just can figure it out which meal option to get. The guy asks you what you want and you tell him one thing, and then another, and then ANOTHER. Then, once you finally know what to get, he asks you what sides you want. And that’s it, in that moment you realize you’ve failed one of life’s little tests. I KNOW, I know…ridicules, but do you get what I’m saying?

Well, this has been the story of my life for the last little while, which I might add, is very unlike me. I am normally quite in control, maybe even to a fault. But with graduation pending, a career search in full swing, internship responsibilities and classes that just won’t stop…I’ve been a little, well—overwhelmed.

But I’ve decided this simple cannot continue. I’m regrouping and it’s working. I don’t have everything figured out, but who need that. I listened to Bishop Burton’s talk at the CES Fireside and he says, “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” I can be disciplined, and maybe for right now that’s all I need to do.