One of our most precious freedoms in the U.S. is the freedom of enterprise and the access to financial markets that leverage hard work and creativity into a way of life and standard of living that is unprecedented anywhere else in the world. If you need a mortgage for a house, or a small business loan, or insurance, or a checking account, most all of us can get one. Imagine for a second if you couldn’t.
Did you know that 2.1 billion people live on less than $2 per day? If that was you, how would you help yourself fight your way out of poverty? How would you start your own small business? How would you buy seed to start a farm? How would you buy a cow to produce and sell milk?
Fortunately, there are many different organizations and companies across the world that help people do just that – help themselves. They do it by basically taking our great system of finance and economy and shrinking it into smaller points of access. Where there is no economic system to support those who want to work their way out of poverty, the prolific (and growing) microfinance industry provides tiny loans and other financial products that help people get themselves out of despair.
Microlending is not a handout. Loans are required to be repaid and reports delivered to lenders and investors just like we do here in the U.S. Microlending help is designed to help those who help themselves. Want to learn more? There are many fine organizations out there but www.kiva.org is one of the best and one of the easiest to follow and then help (you can support loan requests for as little as $25 and then you’ll be given progress reports on their repayment). Here is my latest involvement as an example of ways that you can make an impact in someone’s life:
Magdalena Agsunod is from the village of Arcon in the Philippines. She is 52 years old, is married and has seven adult-aged children. To make a living, she owns and operates a general store, selling a variety of different products in the local community. She has been engaged in her business for over ten years and earns approximately $115 a month for these activities. In 2008, Magdalena joined ASKI (a non-profit aggregator of micro loans) to gain access to financial services to help improve her living situation and ability to engage in business activities. Magdalena had been granted and has already successfully repaid a previous loan of 9,000 PHP (Filipino currency) from ASKI. This previous loan was used to purchase additional products to sell.
Magdalena is requesting a new loan of 11,000 PHP which will be used to purchase additional products to sell. This will be her 5th loan from ASKI. She plans to use the additional revenue generated from the business to financially support immediate members of her family.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
My wife and I just returned from a trip to Prague, Czech Republic. Beyond the fact that the city is beautiful, historical, and unique, we found it very impactful to meet and talk with local residents who have experienced living in conditions we only have read about here in the U.S.Visiting the old Jewish Town and touring some of the monuments to the tens of thousands of local citizens who lost their lives in camps during WWII was gut wrenching. Nothing makes history more “real” than standing in places where things actually happened. There is an unfortunate history of repeated religious persecution over hundreds of years and it kind of numbs your brain a bit pondering how people can do things to each other that just don’t make sense.
On the other side of the coin, it was inspiring to be taught how much progress and improvement has been made in Prague having been released from the grips of communism only 21 years ago. Our local friends described for us the ways they were educated in school, their lack of religious freedom, their lack of access to even basic things like ketchup, and their inability to design and control their own occupations. We were shown the very few buildings that looked run-down with broken windows and blackened walls and our local friends told us that all of Prague looked that way just 21 years ago. Now, most every building is colorful, cared for with great pride, and demonstrates a level of art and engineering that is such a strong part of Czech heritage.
The reason I mention this is because it really reminded me how lucky and blessed we are to have opportunities that some people just never get. Most of us are taught that we can achieve whatever we want. Most of us have access to opportunities that we can forge into tools to achieve our self-defined success. Most of us have the luxury of planning for the future and living as we please because our basic needs and safety are provided for. Travelling to beautiful Prague showed me how precious this is and it motivates me even more to be more in control of how I want to live so that I take full advantage of the opportunities just laying at my feet here in the U.S.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
A Full Life
I have great admiration for people who seem to be making the most out of life and I enjoy reading stories of adventurers and those living “non-traditional” lives. Like the family who sold everything and is biking from Alaska to the southern tip of Chile. Or the family who builds schools in Afghanistan. Or the twin accountants from Colorado who are trying to ski each of the world’s 7,000-meter peaks. Or Laird Hamilton, the guy who surfs all the time.
Not all of us want to live just like that, but we each have the same opportunity to live just as fully. If you could design your own full life, what would you do with it? With whom would you spend it? Do you have a tugging in your gut that is telling you that you want to live differently? Whatever that may be, that is your adventure.
What does this have to do with insurance? Nothing directly. But we have seen dreams of adventure, of retirement, of career changes postponed or cancelled because of unfortunate losses uncovered by insurance because of poor planning.
Too often the insurance part of your financial plan is seen as the wet blanket, as the conscience that keeps you from doing what you want. But we see it completely different than that. If you want to be in control of your own adventure, having a good insurance plan means you don't have to stop if something happens. In fact, we think having confidence that your risk plan is up to snuff gives you greater freedom to pursue more of what you want.
Making sure all wheels of your financial life are turning at the same speed is important, and we're but one small piece of your financial puzzle. But when called upon to help you design an insurance plan that fits your goals for living, we'll be there! You dream it, we’ll help plan it.
Not all of us want to live just like that, but we each have the same opportunity to live just as fully. If you could design your own full life, what would you do with it? With whom would you spend it? Do you have a tugging in your gut that is telling you that you want to live differently? Whatever that may be, that is your adventure.
What does this have to do with insurance? Nothing directly. But we have seen dreams of adventure, of retirement, of career changes postponed or cancelled because of unfortunate losses uncovered by insurance because of poor planning.
Too often the insurance part of your financial plan is seen as the wet blanket, as the conscience that keeps you from doing what you want. But we see it completely different than that. If you want to be in control of your own adventure, having a good insurance plan means you don't have to stop if something happens. In fact, we think having confidence that your risk plan is up to snuff gives you greater freedom to pursue more of what you want.
Making sure all wheels of your financial life are turning at the same speed is important, and we're but one small piece of your financial puzzle. But when called upon to help you design an insurance plan that fits your goals for living, we'll be there! You dream it, we’ll help plan it.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Non-profit of the month: Renton Area Youth & Family Services
Our non-profit for the month of August was the Renton Area Youth and Family Services (RAYS). Our $250 monthly donation to a local non-profit was made to RAYS last month. In addition, we give $5 to the monthly non-profit for every referral we receive from our clients, so thank you! Who is RAYS and how did we learn about them?
The mission of Renton Area Youth and Family Services (RAYS) is to strengthen the lives of children, youth and families by restoring hope and stability in the face of emotional conflict, substance abuse and poverty. In partnership with the community, RAYS transforms the lives of kids and families through comprehensive counseling, training and support.
Mark Bratton, owner of BlueLine Communications (http://www.bluelinecommunications.net/) and President of the RAYS Board of Directors, is a great friend to Wall Financial and is perhaps the Puget Sound’s leading expert in copywriting and communication strategy. Through him we were attracted to RAYS. Says Mark , “I was initially drawn to support RAYS because of their mission, but it was the amazingly talented and dedicated people who are working every day to fulfill that mission who made me want to become more deeply involved with the organization.”
RAYS has served the greater Renton community for 40 years and is proud to have recently received the Business Excellence Award for Best Non-Profit from the Renton Chamber of Commerce. To learn more about RAYS, visit http://www.rays.org/ or contact Jolene Bernhard at 425-271-5600.
The mission of Renton Area Youth and Family Services (RAYS) is to strengthen the lives of children, youth and families by restoring hope and stability in the face of emotional conflict, substance abuse and poverty. In partnership with the community, RAYS transforms the lives of kids and families through comprehensive counseling, training and support.
Mark Bratton, owner of BlueLine Communications (http://www.bluelinecommunications.net/) and President of the RAYS Board of Directors, is a great friend to Wall Financial and is perhaps the Puget Sound’s leading expert in copywriting and communication strategy. Through him we were attracted to RAYS. Says Mark , “I was initially drawn to support RAYS because of their mission, but it was the amazingly talented and dedicated people who are working every day to fulfill that mission who made me want to become more deeply involved with the organization.”
RAYS has served the greater Renton community for 40 years and is proud to have recently received the Business Excellence Award for Best Non-Profit from the Renton Chamber of Commerce. To learn more about RAYS, visit http://www.rays.org/ or contact Jolene Bernhard at 425-271-5600.
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