TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting

Have you ever felt like you're talking, but nobody is listening? If you have, you might want to check out Julian Treasure’s TED talk entitled ‘How To Speak So That People Want To Listen’. In this useful talk, the sound expert demonstrates the how-to’s of powerful speaking -- from some handy vocal exercises to tips on how to speak with empathy. A talk that might help the world sound more beautiful.

App I’ve Found Useful

On Monday I was up in the Yorkshire Dales for a day to cycle a route called The Struggle. The route lived up to its name with 108 very steep and hilly miles through what is a stunning part of the country.

It wasn’t just the cycling that was a struggle; when owning an electric car, occasionally logistics like arriving late Sunday night, cycling all day Monday and then leaving super early Tuesday morning to come back to work need a little thought. Fortunately, the Zap-Map App came to the rescue and found me a charger exactly where I needed one. It is the best resource I’ve found for finding all chargers, from fast to slow, so you can leave the struggle for the bike!

Podcast I’ve Been Listening To

Back in June I recommended Adharanand Finn’s book, ‘Rise of the Ultrarunners’, and prior to that I had also read the brilliant ‘Running with the Kenyans’ - both of which are two of my favourite running books. So I decided to give his podcast ‘The Way of the Runner’ a listen too.

Whilst I think Finn’s talents lie more in the writing than the interviewing, there are a lot of brilliant insights to be gained by listening to them. I particularly enjoyed the episodes featuring top Ultrarunner, Beth Pascall, and Ironman legend, Chrissie Wellington. If you like your running, then it’s definitely worth a listen.

Quote of the Week

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”

• Jim Rohn

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

I was chatting to some potential new clients earlier on this week. They have an existing adviser that they actually happy with, but they came to me with a number of questions. They could essentially be boiled down to 2:

1. Will I have enough to retire in the style I want?
2. How can I leave a legacy when I am gone?

Whilst they have been receiving advice on their investments for years, they have never benefited from financial planning, hence the inability to answer these questions.

Planning is about the people whereas advice is about the products, so it is vital there is a plan in place, otherwise how can the advice be specific to their future? If you, or someone you know would benefit from finding more about how financial planning can help set up their retirement or their legacy, on 8^th October at 4pm we have a free live webinar entitled The Dream Retirement Webinar. You can register by emailing [email protected]. If you are failing to plan, you are planning to fail!

What I’ve Been Reading

Richard Reed, one of the founders of Innocent Smoothies, published a book in 2016 entitled ‘If I Could Tell You Just One Thing’. It is essentially a book based on his encounters with remarkable people. From politicians and world leaders to comedians and rock climbers, he asked them all, if they could offer just one piece of advice, what would it be. The resulting book is probably the most diverse range of advice that you could hear, but what is interesting is that recurring themes keep arising. Easy to read or listen to in bite-sized chunks, there is something for everyone here.

A Good Cause to Support

Common advice is that roughly every 500 miles you should change your running shoes. It is also advised to use at least 2 pairs of shoes over a season, and ideally from 2 different brands, so that your feet develop more strength and you are less prone to injury. Whether you stick to this principal or not, it can mean a lot of good running shoes going in the bin.

When chatting to professional Ironman, Laura Siddall, she introduced me to Soles4Souls, a charity that turns unwanted shoes and clothing into an opportunity, by putting them to good use - providing relief, creating jobs and empowering people to break the cycle of poverty. So if you have unwanted running shoes, please donate them with a donor form to:

Soles4Souls @ Neuff

3 Abbots Close

Lee Mill Industrial Estate

Ivybridge

Devon

PL21 9GA

Another way running can make the world a better place!

What I’ve Been Watching

Over the winter whilst on the turbo trainer, I watched a number of the Derren Brown specials. I love the psychology behind them trying to highlight how we are often manipulated into doing things that we wouldn’t usually contemplate. One such special was ‘The Push’ where he engineers an audacious social experiment, demonstrating how manipulation can lead an ordinary person to commit an appalling act. The question is, can Derren get a good, honest person to push another person to their death? Watching it unravel, and the planning that goes into it is incredible viewing!

Quote of the Week

“We are, each of us, a product of the stories we tell ourselves”

• Derren Brown

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

I was chatting to a client earlier this week who had a large holding in property. He was concerned about his Inheritance Tax (IHT) position, as he didn’t want a fire sale of his assets to be forced on his children when he was gone.

Many people choose to sell additional properties during their retirement, as they can often get similar returns, less risk and hassle and mitigate IHT more easily, but it isn’t always possible or desirable. Unlike with cash, putting properties into trust can often be a messy and expensive move. However, there is one last chance solution to mitigate the tax -using what is known as a ‘Whole of Life’ policy you can ensure that, on death (whether that is soon or long into the future), there is a lump of money sat in trust, ready to pay the tax, in exchange for what can often be a relatively small monthly premium. It buys you time to reduce your estate through gifting, allows you to hold assets pregnant with gains, and, in some instances, can just be seen as a good way of creating a legacy for the next generation.

If you, or the generation above you, want to look at ways to save IHT, there are many different routes, and we are happy to help you navigate the best ones. Rarely is there a ‘one size fits all’ solution so it is more often a blend of different approaches that we can help you with.

I will be hosting a live webinar on 8^th October at 10am on IHT planning and creating a legacy, so if you or someone you know is interested, please contact [email protected] to secure a place.

This week’s Friday Footnotes contains a TED talk and quote from the incredible late Sir Ken Robinson. Taking the time to find your element, as he describes it, can make for an amazing life, whether that be in finance, sport, science or nutrition. I can safely say the people featured in this email have all found their element!

TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting

In an early Friday Footnotes, I shared my all-time favourite TED Talk by Sir Ken Robinson, ‘Do Schools Kill Creativity’. His books, especially ‘The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything’ are nothing short of brilliant, so I was devastated to hear of his death last week.  He was an educationist who argued that children’s creativity is stifled by school systems that prioritise academic achievement, but he was largely ignored by politicians of both main parties, which I have always found highly frustrating.

A magician with words, his second TED talk ‘Bring on the Learning Revolution!’ is almost as brilliant as his first, and again is a must for anyone with a vague interest in education. The world is definitely a poorer place without him.

What I’ve Been Reading

A few weeks ago I recommended ‘The Man Who Cycled the World’ about Mark Beaumont setting a new world record back in 2008 by cycling 18,000 miles around the world unsupported in 195 days.

What I didn’t realise at the time of buying that book was that in 2017 he went back and, with a support crew, brought the record down to an astonishing 78 ½ days. You didn’t misread that, he took over 100 days off his previous record, averaging over an incredible 240 miles a day!

The story of this latest record is told in his book ‘Around the World in 80 Days: My World Record Breaking Adventure’ and is equally as brilliant as the first book. I have loved listening to the audiobooks of his incredible adventures whilst on my bike, as I feel that I have almost enjoyed the journey with him.

Podcast I’ve Been Listening To

A few weeks ago I mentioned the endurance fuel 33Fuel as being a high a source of high quality nutrition. I have been listening to some of their podcasts, which are really worth checking out.

Warren and Erica’s enthusiasm for a healthy and happy life is infectious, and the quality of their products reflects this. I particularly enjoyed the episode where Warren interviewed ultrarunner, Zach Bitter, as Zach is renowned for his low carb, high fat and protein approach to nutrition. The discount code that 33fuel set up for me is ‘TA33’ if you decide to give it a try.

Quote of the Week

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”

• Sir Ken Robinson.

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

Divorce can be a very painful experience from many perspectives. Making sure the wellbeing of any young children are at the centre of the process should obviously be the primary concern, however the financial aspect of the process often takes up a large share of the worry.

What will life look like financially on the other side is a massive worry for those going through the divorce process, so it always amazes me when a solicitor refers the client to a financial planner right at the end of the process. They have had to deal with the worry of, “will I have enough” throughout the duration of the divorce when that element could have been addressed so much earlier.

At Efficient Portfolio we have a Resolution Accredited Financial Planner in Henry Elliston, which means he specialises in helping people negotiate this difficult time from a financial perspective. Henry is being featured in a Divorce Financial Workshop showing you how to make the Divorce Finances Less Scary. There are limited spaces, but if you or someone you know would benefit from attending, you can find out more here.

We always say, the earlier we can get involved in the divorce process, the more financial worry we can take away so that they can focus their attention on more important matters, like their children.

This week’s Friday Footnotes feature has ended up with a theme of inspirational women running through it. I hope you enjoy!

What I’ve Been Watching

As you can probably tell if you regularly read Friday Footnotes, I don’t watch a lot of mainstream TV; however, one series I have started to watch that I will definitely return to is Incredible Medicine: Dr Weston’s Casebook. In particular, I was watching episode 4 where she uncovers the extraordinary cases that are revealing new discoveries about the human body, including a girl with two hearts, a man who can sing two notes at once and the most bendy person in Britain. The person that spiked my interest the most was Dean Karnazes, the man that ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days plus other incredible running feats.

Podcast I’ve Been Listening To

I am not sure if I am late to the party, but the quality of podcasts seems to have jumped up a notch lately and there are so many brilliant ones to choose from.

Recently I started listening to the Her Spirit Podcast and not only have I been really enjoying it, but so has Caryl. Hosted by BBC Breakfast presenter, Louise Minchin, and BBC Triathlon presenter, Annie Emmerson, its aim is to inspire women everywhere to live a healthier, happier life. I’m not exactly the intended audience but I can highly recommend it. I particularly enjoyed the episode with adventurer, speaker and mischief maker, Anna McNuff, and Caryl’s favourites were the episodes with Iron Gran and Dame Kelly Holmes.

TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting

Why do teenagers seem so much more impulsive, so much less self-aware than grown-ups?

Cognitive neuroscientist, Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, compares the prefrontal cortex in adolescents to that of adults, to show us how typically "teenage" behaviour is caused by the growing and developing brain in her TED talk ‘The mysterious workings of the adolescent brain’. If you have teenagers, or children that will become teenagers, I recommend checking this TED talk out.

Quote of the Week

“I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.”

- Estée Lauder

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

Caryl and I have our life and critical illness cover with the insurer, Vitality, who offer unique product whereby the more you exercise, the cheaper the policy becomes. With increased exercise, additional perks also become available to you including discounted products like Apple or Garmin Watches, discounts off gym memberships, free coffee once a week at Starbucks and even free cinema tickets.

Since no one could utilise the cinema tickets in lockdown, Vitality introduced a weekly Rakuten voucher. I’d never heard of this service before, but it is essentially another movie streaming service.

As a result of our fitness regimes we get a voucher each week to watch one of the latest film releases, many of which would be £10+ on Amazon even as a Prime member. Who’d have thought insuring your life and health could prove to be so much fun?

If you’d like us to review your current cover to see if something like this might be a good move for you, we’d be more than happy to. It isn’t suitable for everyone, but it probably is the most fun you can have buying life insurance.

Friday Footnotes

This week’s Friday Footnotes feels like a nice gateway to the weekend. I have a discount on a beer for you, a request to ‘not tell me the score’, a hope that you enjoy the last dance, and if that fails, you can bore your mates about international currency fluctuations whilst tucking into a Big Mac at the end of the night! Enjoy.

Drink I’ve Been Enjoying

Pre-lockdown I had started to drink more alcohol-free beer than alcoholic beer - certainly at home, that was pretty much all I drank. Lockdown only exaggerated this, and so by now I like to think I have tried most of the interesting free or low alcohol beers on the market. Some have been horrid, most have been pretty good and the odd few stood out as being very good.

My absolute favourite has become Lucky Saint. The taste is fantastic; it’s an unfiltered lager with real character, the bottle looks great, and at no point do you feel like you are missing out… well except on the hangover. They have been good enough to give us an exclusive discount code of LUCKYTRI20 so fill your boots while it lasts! I know I will.

What I’ve Been Watching

Whilst I haven’t quite finished it yet, I have been loving The Last Dance on Netflix. I am no basketball fan, but a school friend of mine was during the Michael Jordan era, so I followed the Chicago Bulls through osmosis. This docuseries chronicles the rise of superstar Michael Jordan and the simultaneous struggle of Scotty Pippen in the 1990s Chicago Bulls. If you like sport, you will love this.

Podcast I’ve Been Listening To

I was introduced to the Don’t Tell me the Score podcast after interviewing the ultra-runner Kerry Sutton for a podcast that will be released shortly (more on than soon). She described it as “What can sport teach us about life and how best to live it?”. Each week Simon Mundie sits down with an expert and uses sport to answer life’s big questions. I have been listening to the incredible cancer recovery story of James Golding, and will definitely be coming back to this series for more.

Quote of the Week

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”

• Michael Jordan

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

The Economist, rather brilliantly, came up with the idea of using a Big Mac as a “basket” (a combination of goods in the form of ingredients and services in the form of McDonald’s staff wages). The below graphic shows that according to this measure the pound was 25% undervalued relative to the dollar.

The good news for those holding pounds and pound assets (like bonds or UK property) is that the pound is roughly as undervalued as it has been for the past 33 years. The bad news is that if you go back further, there have been periods of undervaluation far worse than this which reinforces that a fall from here is certainly possible. From a long-term perspective, there is some support for sterling appreciating over the long-term. There is, however, an even stronger case for not betting solely on such an outcome and maintaining a healthy degree of currency diversification in your investments.

Friday Footnotes

The more I learn about sport and the more top athletes I speak to, the more I’ve come to realise that mental strength is at least 50% of the battle. The same applies to business; with the right mindset you can achieve so much more. Hence the underlying theme of this week’s email.

What I’ve Been Reading

I have just finished reading ‘The Inner Game of Tennis’ by W. Timothy Gallwey. I don’t play tennis and don’t intend to take it up anytime soon; although I find I am keener to do so after reading this book. The reason I decided to read it was because it has become a highly acclaimed book amongst all sports as well as in business, with wisdom that could be applied to golf, triathlons and life. Gallwey has also released ‘The Inner Game of Golf’, which I will definitely be reading in due course.

Podcast I’ve Been Listening To

This week I was listening to an interview with Ironman age group athlete and doctor in Internal Medicine, Dr Jeff Krebs, on IM Talk. He talks about how he overcame gastrointestinal problems, what life is currently like on the frontline of dealing with COVID-19 in the US and how he has applied his endurance fuelling knowledge to making him a better doctor. A really interesting conversation, even if you don’t follow Ironman.

App I’ve Found Useful

Occasionally, I like to revisit a book I have read/listened to previously – in some cases, even going back to them each year. Blinkist allows you to listen to a book summary in a fraction of the time. I’d never use it instead of reading the book, as you would miss way too much, but as a way of refamiliarising yourself with the content, or to determine whether a book is worth buying, it acts as a great summary, either in written or audio form.

Quote of the Week

“The more I practice, the luckier I get.”

• Jerry Barber

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

In ‘The inner game of tennis’, Gallwey talks about focusing on the outcome, not the process. It is all too easy to blame a bad shot on poor footwork, the wrong grip or a bad backswing, but he tells us that, in order to succeed we need to focus on the target, not the process. You are better off leaving the process to the expert: your subconscious. It learns what it needs to do from watching and from experience, not from specific instruction. In fact, when you are in your flow, playing out of your skin, the one thing you are not doing is thinking about is the process.

Financial planning is the same. It is more important to focus on where you want to go in the future and design a plan with that in mind, than it is to focus on the details of the pension or the ISA. You can leave that to the expert: the financial planner (aka your financial subconscious). That way you are set on hitting a specific future that is important to you and are more likely to actually achieve it.

Whether it is a goal or a bucket list, you need a compelling future to pull you forward and guide you toward living the best life possible. After all, we only get one shot at it!

Friday Footnotes

It seems that the UK has gone cycling mad!

On a ride around Rutland and Northants on Sunday, I think I passed four times more cyclists than I did cars. If this continues, it has got to be a huge benefit on so many levels for the country as a whole. On that note, here are a few cycling themed things you might find interesting.

What I’ve Been Eating On The Go

Since getting into cycling and triathlons, I have struggled with finding foods that are easy to carry and consume but are also still healthy for me.

Most energy and protein products look like a chemistry experiment and some gels seem cause more digestive issues (short and long term) than there are cyclists in Rutland – in fact, the one thing that nearly cost me completing the Ironman last year was my stomach. However, I recently found www.33fuel.com who are trying to change this.

Superfood based endurance fuel; their chia seed gels are fantastic, their bars delicious and their powders packed full of only the finest ingredients. They also have some great resources on their site. If you use code ‘TA33’ when you checkout, you’ll get a discount too.

What I’ve Been Reading

Whilst cycling down in Cornwall, I listened to the audiobook of ‘The man who cycled the world’ by Mark Beaumont; the story of his world record breaking, 195-day ride around the globe in 2008. So captivated was I, that I would often have to remind myself I was actually cycling through Cornwall, not New Zealand or the Middle East. He has since beaten this record, and written another book, so that is next on my cycling reading list!

TED Talk I’ve Enjoyed

If you want to live to age 100, cycling (safely) can certainly help; but another way is to study the world's ‘Blue Zones’, communities whose elders live with vim and vigour to record-setting ages.

To find the path to long life and health, Dan Buettner and his team study these Blue Zone communities and in his talk ‘How to live to be 100+’, he shares the 9 common diet and lifestyle habits that keep them spry past age 100.

Quote of the Week

“Ride as much or as little, as long or as short as you feel. But ride”

• Eddy Merckx

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

Investing directly into stocks is a tricky game. Unless you have a lot of time to research the companies and build a properly diversified portfolio of investments exposed to different sectors, countries and currencies, you can have far too many eggs in one basket.

Just looking at the news recently:

• BP have cut their dividend; bad news for people relying on the stock to generate an income, but good if you want capital growth in the future. That said, the share price has dropped over 50% in less than a year!
• Diageo have released disappointing sales figures, and their share price has fallen by over 5% in a day.
• The value of shares in Zoom have quadrupled in just a few months.

The market cycle will affect different companies in different ways, which is why having a properly diversified portfolio is vital, so you can spread your risk. See diversification as the investment equivalent of a cycling helmet; it may not feel ‘cool’, but it can save your life if something unexpected happens!

App I’ve Found Useful

I am currently in Cornwall and my favourite App when I am down here is Magic Seaweed. It gives you detailed surf forecasts, tide times and live webcams so you can choose your beach or your activity based on the likely conditions in advance. I just wish my surfing was as good as the predictions!

TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting

‘Brain Magic’ by Keith Barry is a brilliant TED talk where he shows us how our brains can fool our bodies and involves the audience in some jaw-dropping, dangerous and hilarious feats of brain magic.

What I’ve Been Reading

I recently finished a book called ‘Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace’ by Ken Honda which really made me think about money differently.

For many of us the subject of money is unavoidably stressful. Managing our personal finances is complicated, time consuming and often (particularly in the slow countdown to pay day) dispiriting. The good news is that in Japan - where a Zen approach to life is more widely practiced - a pathway to a better relationship with money is being carved by Ken Honda. If you want rethink your attitude towards money, I suggest that you give this fascinating book a try.

What I’ve Been Watching

Being back by the sea for the first time in ages is a wonderful thing; so I apologise for those of you have will have to wait a little longer. The sea is such a magical, powerful and mystical body, and so many people craft their careers from it. Fishpeople is a brilliant documentary that tells the stories of a unique cast of characters who have dedicated their lives, in one way or another, to the sea. It is beautifully shot, and shows the transformative effects of time spent in the ocean.

Quote of the Week

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”

• Rabindranath Tagore

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

Many of our clients take it for granted, but the Wrap Platform is one of the most powerful concepts ever to enter the world of financial services. People quickly forget how, before they met us, they had 3 pensions, 4 ISAs, a few unit trusts and maybe an investment bond. Each company sent them valuations, demanded forms to be completed and required monitoring.

The Wrap platform allows our clients to see all of their money in one place, to have one central investment strategy to all of their money, regardless of the tax wrapper and to move money between those different tax wrappers to maximise their allowances and minimise tax. They really are a powerful weapon in the financial armoury, but amazingly one that many people are still missing out on. This is still not the norm for most people, so enjoy the freedom the Wrap brings, and please don’t keep them a secret!

The unbelievable spell of sunshine seems to have come to an end as the lockdown rules are gradually eased. Haven’t the government done well to organise such good weather while we can do little more than exercise and stay home! This week I have been able to get back into swimming, albeit in some unusual open water settings, so there is a loose swimming theme to this week’s footnotes.

What I’ve Been Watching

In a previous Friday Footnote, I recommended Sean Conway’s book ‘Hell or High Water’, where he tells his incredible story of becoming the first man to swim from Land’s End to John O’Groats. This week I was fortunate enough to interview him and, in order learn more about his incredible challenges, I watched On the Edge and Europe or Bust. The former tells the story of him setting the world record for the longest ever triathlon; cycling, running and swimming the entire coast of Great Britain unsupported. The latter recounts him breaking the world record for cycling across Europe; 4000 miles starting in Portugal and cycling to the east of Russia in an incredible 24 days. What I love about watching these challenges is the combination between travelling, adapting to the circumstances and the endurance requirements - both of which are available on Amazon and make compelling viewing.

Podcast I’ve Been Listening To

Even the best in the world need a coach, so bestselling author Michael Lewis (Moneyball, Liars Poker, The Big Short, Flash Boys to name a few) has taken a look into the concept and application of coaches in his new podcast series ‘Against the Rules’.

What I’ve Been Reading

If you want to improve your swimming, no matter your current level, there is no better book to read than ‘Swim Smooth’ by Paul Newsome and Adam Young. Make the most of lockdown by learning or improving your technique.

Safe Open water Swimming

So far, I have enjoyed swimming in Tallington Lakes and the River Nene. As a way to keep safe, and keep your valuables safe and dry too, get yourself a swim bouy with dry bag attached like this.

Quote of the Week

“The struggle ends when the gratitude begins.”

• Donald Walsch.

Swimming can become monotonous, so I’ll often focus on listing 20 things I am grateful for while on a longer swim to help the time pass.

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

It’s not so long ago that I was by far the slowest swimmer in the group I regularly train with. Training regularly with the help of an expert designing specific plans for me has meant that I have risen from by far the slowest to one of the fastest. This is the compound effect of regular good habits. Building a great financial future is very much the same.

Putting in place brilliant habits that get your money working harder, saving tax all under the guidance of an expert may not seem to make you huge immediate progress, but research shows it can have massive long term compounded effects. Small marginal gains in each area of your finances can help you build a strong financial future. We have just finished building ‘The 1 Minute Wealth Builder’ a free online tool to help you identify steps you can take to build a better financial future. It also includes identifying the financial equivalent of your swim buoy, just in case the unexpected happens like a cramp in the open water. You can try ‘The 1 Minute Wealth Builder’ by clicking here.

Have a wonderful weekend; hopefully we aren’t getting too wet, other than when venturing into rivers and lakes!

As yesterday my new book ‘Entrepreneurial Happiness; How to Build and Abundant Business and a Fulfilling Life’ went on sale, it seems appropriate to have a theme of Entrepreneurial Happiness running through this week’s Friday Footnotes. If you want to buy your own copy, you can find it here. If you decide to buy a copy, send us proof of purchase and we’ll send you a free gift in the post too.

TED Talk That’s Inspired Me

Let’s kick off the theme with a TED talk on ‘What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness’.  What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? If you think it's fame and money, you're not alone – but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you're mistaken. As the director of a 75-year-old study on adult development, Waldinger has unprecedented access to data on true happiness and satisfaction. In this talk, he shares three important lessons learned from the study as well as some practical, old-as-the-hills wisdom on how to build a fulfilling, long life. You can watch it here.

App I’ve Found Useful

As I talk about in Entrepreneurial Happiness, time is our most valuable resource; if you aren’t convinced, ask someone that is sick.

Anything that can save me time has great value in my eyes, and this week Google Lens did that. When I rose for my morning bike ride I was greeted by a massive beetle on our landing. This large brown fuzzy insect with weird tentacles was happily going about its business, but was also happy to be transported atop my iPhone back to the great outdoors. After escorting it outside, my next thought was ‘do we have cockroaches in our house?’. What could have taken hours of identification however was solved in seconds with Google Lens. I uploaded the photo using the iPhone google App, and was immediately told that our intruder was in fact a Melolontha. Apparently the European Cockchafers also belong to this genus… good job I didn’t Google that I suspect! Anyway, once you have the Google App, click the symbol to try it.

Podcast I’ve Been Listening To:

If you have big goals, you might feel correspondingly big pressure, but there’s a way to think of your time that can free you up and get you focused. In their podcast entitled ‘Why Entrepreneurs Should Think In Terms Of Frameworks, Not Deadlines’, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller talk about the positive effects of adopting a 25-year framework. This single concept can have a massive difference on the way you think about the future. You can listen to it here.

Quote of the Week

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

• Benjamin Franklin

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

Carrying on from the quote above, there is no better example of this than in your finances. One of the 13 principals of creating Entrepreneurial Happiness that I talk about in The Better Future Framework, the core system of the book is that it is vital that you plan. If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.

It is vital that with regards to your finances, your business and your life you have a clear plan of where you want to get to, why that is important to you and how you are going to get there. If you create a clear plan, and continually re-evaluate it, you have got a much better chance of actually achieving it and creating a better life as a result. Having a financial plan and regularly reviewing it is what ensures you achieve the most important goals in your life from a finance perspective, but having a financial planner working closely with you can also ensure you achieve it in ways that are nothing to do with the money.

So ensure you have a plan, and the help and guidance of a professional to help you achieve it; it could just lead to a much better future!