I’ve written already about some tools to help you tell your story (or stories).

I thought I’d share a bit about how I’m doing with my own story-telling . . . and what I’m doing, specifically, to make my story-telling simply happen.

(It’s not easy! You definitely have to decide you’re going to take the bull by the horns and make him move in the direction you want him to.)

But I think it’s worthwhile. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been writing about some tools that can help you record your personal, family history.

I recently finished Bill Gates, Sr.’s book Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime. It’s not a particularly remarkable book among all the books one might read. But it struck me, as I read it: It is one man’s testament, one man’s summation of “lessons from life,” and it’s a good model of the kind of thing parents might do for their children in terms of memorializing family history, values, purpose, and so forth. Read the rest of this entry »

I had the privilege of attending the first FoundationWise^SM conference at Focus on the Family the week before last.

FoundationWise^SM is meant to help people who “own” and operate private foundations to do a better job.

As I looked at the various workshops available for participants, it seemed to me that there were to primary tracks: one having to do with succession planning–passing on the vision and purpose to the next generation, and one having to do, more, with success on the “business” end of things–keeping good corporate records, ensuring your within the bounds of the law, investing successfully, and so forth. I followed the “succession planning” track.

One of the key questions I hoped to answer had to do with passing responsibility to the next generation: How can I know that they will carry on pursuing a vision that I would want them to pursue? Put another way: if I’m leaving them significant funds for charitable purposes, how can I ensure that they won’t take those funds and potentially turn them to uses possibly diametrically opposed to those for which I would have given them?

I mean, it is so common for nonprofits to wind up doing things very differently than their founders intended!

Intermixed in this larger question: How do we encourage our children in the ways of generosity?I thought some of the answers were very insightful. Here are some of the things that people suggested (not necessarily in order): Read the rest of this entry »

A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call from a Generous Giving consultant. I was invited to join a group of 11 men who were going to visit the founder of a $2 billion company to talk about his and our philosophies and practices of giving . . . and of transferring our material wealth, our values, and our philanthropic perspectives to future generations.

As it turned out, we were to meet not only with the founder (a man in his late 60s), but with his sons, and one of his grandsons. The meeting occurred about a week and a half ago over the course of an afternoon and evening and the next morning.

As I’ve tried to work through the implications of what transpired, and as I’ve attempted to explain to others what occurred, I have realized I carried at least two lessons from the experience. This post is about the first–a lesson I’ve learned before, but never applied in quite this way to my charitable giving interests.

The lesson: That we benefit from participating in peer-level mastermind groups–groups of like-minded individuals who are willing to share their insights, experiences, knowledge, etc., in order to help each other attain a definite goal or purpose. In this case, then, to help each other improve our ability to make effective and generous charitable donations.

I was talking with my sister the other day and I mentioned how valuable this particular meeting had been for me “because I was meeting with fairly wealthy people who are already giving at a high level.”

“Why would that make a difference?” she asked.

“Because they are dealing with the kinds of issues Sarita and I are dealing with as we consider our giving,” I said.

“Like what?” she asked.

What follows is more or less what I discussed with her. Read the rest of this entry »

Some questions for evaluating “how you’re doing” in your life and “where you’re headed.” Read the rest of this entry »

We watched The Bucket List last Sunday evening. I wasn’t sure what to expect, considering that it stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. I was more than pleasantly surprised. Yes, there were laughs. What movie with Nicholson in it won’t have laughs?

But there was a lot more. Indeed, I was impressed that Nicholson was willing, actually, to be serious and, even, subtle. There were some very poignant scenes.

But I was most impressed with the entire premise of the movie: Read the rest of this entry »

Isaiah 38 and 39 in the Bible describes a period in the life of one of the kings of Israel when he had an infection that placed him on death’s doorstep. Hezekiah prayed, “Oh, YHWH¹, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.”

Then the word of [YHWH] came to Isaiah: “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says [YHWH], the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.” (Isaiah 38:4-5 ESV)

Cool! Hezekiah was thrilled.

Next thing we read (chapter 39): Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah.

And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. And he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. . . .

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of [YHWH] of hosts: “Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says [YHWH]. “And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, “The word of [YHWH] that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.” (Isaiah 39:2, 5-8 ESV)

And my eye stuck on that last statement: “The word of YHWH is good . . . for there will be peace and security in my days.”

Hezekiah didn’t care about those who would follow. It was all about him: “I will enjoy peace and security.”

May God protect me from holding such an attitude . . . whether in word or (more likely) in deed [preoccupation with my personal interests over my family's? unfaithfulness to my wife? refusal to eat wisely (in moderation; the right foods . . . )? unwillingness to exercise regularly and thus maintain my health and vigor? . . . ].

What might I do that would show a preoccupation with my own interests to the detriment of the interests of those who are to come after me?

¹ YHWH, also known as “the Tetragrammaton,” is the personal name of the God of the Bible. In modern English translations, it is usually rendered in small capital letters as “the LORD” . . . following Jewish tradition which reads the word as “Adonai” (“Lord”).

I have made it a habit, for many years, to place a box around “the LORD” wherever it appears in my Bible–and then to read the word as Yahweh or Jehovah–in order to cause me to pay attention to when one of the prophets–or God Himself–is speaking of God using His name . . . as opposed to when they are speaking of God in terms of His role or authority as Lord/lord.

I find the discipline helpful and enlightening. Return to text.

Boy! Was I naive!

Kind of like my thinking with respect to estate planning ten years ago, I thought writing an Investment Policy Statement should be pretty straightforward. All I needed, I thought, was some professional help to give me the right words.

But I’ve discovered that is not the case at all–a discovery that is both frustrating (because it means I have a lot more work to do!) and happy at the same time (because I made the discovery; I haven’t made any more foolish or irrevocable mistakes in this area . . . yet).

Way beyond getting the “right words” on paper, Sarita and I need to answer some very fundamental questions–questions far deeper than the average investment advisor is likely to ask or help us answer. Read the rest of this entry »