As this week is Mental Health Awareness Week, it seemed obvious to have a theme of mental wellbeing running through this edition’s core. Weird times lead to weird reactions in our mind. As I saw on an anonymous post recently, ‘lockdown can only go one of 4 ways; you’ll come out a monk, a hunk, a chunk or a drunk. Choose wisely!’ It isn’t always that easy, so here are some resources that may help, regardless of which path you are currently taking.

Something to Share:

A great resource that I stumbled across, and shared with my team earlier in the week, is a page put together by The Mental Health Foundation called ‘How to look after your mental health during the Coronavirus outbreak’. You can share or read it here.

TED Talk That’s Inspired Me

‘The Surprising Science of Happiness’ by Dan Gilbert, author of ‘Stumbling on Happiness’, challenges the idea that we'll be miserable if we don't get what we want. Our "psychological immune system" lets us feel truly happy even when things don't go as planned. You can watch it here.

Something That Made Me Laugh

Apparently laughing is one of the best antidotes to stress and I was recently reminded of this story. In lockdown we have all been a little tempted to try things at home we’ve never done before…but don’t try this! Read the story here.

What I’ve Been Reading

Caryl tends to read quite a lot around the subject of mindfulness, and I asked her for a recommendation for a book that you can just pick up from time to time to give you a pause for thought. She recommended ‘The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse’ by Charlie Mackesy. Richard Curtis described it as 'A wonderful work of art and a wonderful window into the human heart'. Enter the world of Charlie's four unlikely friends, discover their story and their most important life lessons here.

Quote of the Week

“Life (or golf) is not a game of perfect.”

Dr Bob Rotella

How I’ve Been Improving My Mornings

Research shows that the first minutes of us being awake are some of the most important for our overall mood for the day. If we dive into news, emails or social media, this has the potential to immediately lead us down the wrong track.

Since lockdown began, I still rise at 5:30 every morning, but feeling a little less pressure to get my exercise done before the school run or getting to the office, I have taken to journaling for 10 minutes each morning before I head out on the bike or for a run. My research (and trial and error) has led me to the following structure so far - although often I won’t do them all:

1. Gratitude: 3 things I am grateful for
2. Best things: 3 best things that happened yesterday
3. Lessons: lessons that can be learnt from yesterday
4. Today: the most important things of the day ahead
5. Conscious stream: just write (learn more here).

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

One of the things that stresses us out about money most is the question, ‘will I have enough?’.

Whether you are 20 years from retirement, on the verge of it, or already in amongst it, the same concern runs through us. Whilst detailed lifetime cashflow forecasting is the best way to alleviate that worry, we wanted to create something quick and easy to help anyone and everyone. Enter ‘The 2 Minute Retirement Plan’ a newly revamped tool to help you determine whether you will have enough which you can try or share here. Please don’t keep it a secret!

Stay happy and healthy, and enjoy a sunny bank holiday weekend.

As lockdown starts to gradually unwind, how worried should we be about a second wave, and what can we be doing to help us get back to normal life as quickly as possible? That is a difficult question, so hopefully there might be a few elements of this email that might help.

Podcast I’ve Been Listening To

On 7^th May, Tony Robbins put together a panel of leading scientists, epidemiologists and doctors on the front line (including a Nobel prize winner) for his latest podcast. Whilst this mostly relates to the situation in the US rather than the UK, there is a lot to be learned that relates to COVID-19; how concerned we should be, who should be concerned and the best strategies to deal with it. It is long, but definitely worth a listen. You can find it here.

Boost Your Immune System

When I decided to take my health seriously back in 2011, I started taking wheatgrass and Omega 3 pretty much every morning. For the following 6 years or so, I stuck to this strategy and in that time, I picked up just 1 cough on a flight but not one other illness. After a while, I started to wonder whether it was other healthy aspects of my life that had stopped me picking up the regular bugs I had experienced before 2011, so I decided to drop both supplements.

What I noticed, 2 years later, was that I had started to pick up the odd bug again. So last summer I decided to restart taking wheatgrass and Omega 3 around 4 mornings a week. Since then I have been through the winter bug-free. This could of course be a coincidence, but the evidence for me is starting to look more compelling.

If there was ever a time to boost your immune system, it is now. If you want to add some wheatgrass to a smoothie at breakfast time, the most palatable and effective way to do this is with frozen sachets, which I buy here. The powder alternatives are like drinking soil and also offer far less nutrients.

What I’m Reading

I am interested in how fasting can improve your health, and so recently finished reading ‘The Fast 800: How to combine rapid weight loss and intermittent fasting for long-term health’ by Dr Michael Mosely. One thing you will learn from the podcast I mentioned above is that being overweight will definitely impact the affect COVID-19 has on you, and your likely recovery.

I am not a big diet book reader and didn’t read it in order to try and lose weight - but if that was my goal, this is the approach I would take. If ever there was a good reason to get down to your flighting weight, it is to ensure you are in the best place possible to deal with an illness like COVID-19, as an example. You can buy it here.

Quote of the Week

“All the money in the world can't buy you back good health.”

• Reba McEntire

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

With all this talk about health, I can’t help but think about what happens to our finances if we suffer a serious illness, or worse.

There are so many financial protection products out there, it can be horribly confusing, and some of them that just aren’t worth the paper they are written on as they probably won’t pay out in your moment of need. The most expensive insurance you’ll ever pay for is the one that doesn’t pay out! Being a simple person, I always try to think about this in its simplest form, and I think it this boils down to 2 questions:

1. What capital would be needed if I died (e.g. repaying debt) or was ill (e.g. for recovery)?

2. What income would be needed if I died (e.g. to support those dependent on me) or was ill (e.g. to pay the bills)?

If you give those 2 questions thought, and model through each scenario, you need to be sure that you have each base covered. If you aren’t sure whether you have or not, we are more than happy to help.

This week I seem to have ended up learning a lot about religion. Not for any specific reason, other than pure happenstance. Religious or not, I hope there is something here that you find useful or interesting… and I also have a request for your help. Happy Friday!

What I’ve Been Reading

After a conversation in a pub one night, I bought the book ‘A Little History of Religion’ by Richard Holloway then never got around to listening to it. For whatever reason, on a bike ride last week, I decided now was the time, and have since almost finished it. What I have loved about it, is that it has massively broadened my knowledge on a subject upon which I previously felt undereducated.

Learning more about the different religions and their origins has given me a much better understanding of the people that we share this planet with. What I found particularly interesting was the commonalities between them; they really aren’t that different at all. Whatever your thoughts on organised religion (over the years it has caused a huge amount of bloodshed and a huge amount of good), this book has helped me understand the playing field a little better. You can read or listen to it here.

The Life Library

Reading ‘A Little History of Religion’ got me thinking - something I do a lot of when on the bike or running - what other subjects, whilst not being my core focus in life, should I expand my knowledge in? What books would be in a ‘Life Library’, if you like. What books should everyone have read to give them a more diverse knowledge of the world around us? Immediately springing to mind were books like Bill Bryson’s ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’ which I read years ago, and ‘The Body: A Guide for Occupants’ which is currently on my reading list, ‘The E-Myth Revisited’ for business, ‘Man’s search for Meaning’ for purpose, ‘Born to Run’ and so many more.

On this basis, I decided I would like to put together ‘The Life Library’ to broaden my own knowledge, to share with others - in particular my team at Efficient Portfolio, and for the next generation entering the world of work.  So, I need your help. Please could you suggest any books you think should be in the Library of Life, and why? All recommendations gratefully received, and once complete, hopefully next week, I will share it with you, so you too can benefit from the same. Thanks in advance.

What I’ve Been Watching

By coincidence, Caryl and I watched the film ‘The 2 Popes’ last week, for no other reason that it was well promoted on Netflix, and it featured one of my favourite actors, Sir Anthony Hopkins. Knowing nothing of its story, I was surprised to find that I was watching the true story of how Pope Benedict XVI forms a friendship with the current Pope Francis, and then becomes only the second Pope in history to retire. A captivating film, that you can watch here.

Quote of the Week

“Live. Give. Forgive.”

• Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

Something that is often talked about in religion is the concept of tithing. It is said in the Bible you should give 1/10^th of your income to your local church because sacrificing a portion of our income helps us look outside our selfishness and makes us more aware of the needs of others. Not only that, but by tithing, the giver will prosper with more than just money as a result of the mindset it creates.

Regardless of your religious beliefs, there are some important financial lessons here. It is easy to feel like you cannot afford to save; after all, you are spending everything you earn and sometimes more. I cannot overstate the change in mindset towards money when you know you are saving something for your future, regardless of how small an amount it is. You know you are earning more than you need, and I can personally speak of the power that brings to your mindset.

The same applies to giving money to charity regularly, whoever the benefactor. Giving money regularly to charity tells your subconscious that you do have more than you need, and the ironic thing is that mindset will lead you towards having more money. Crazy as it sounds, it is true - so make sure that unless you are retired, you are saving something (automatically is best) every month. Also make sure that something each month is going towards a charitable cause. It may just come back to bless you!

This week’s Friday Footnotes has a general theme of happiness running through it, so I hope it will make you smile.

TED Talk I’ve Found Inspiring

What better way to start a post on happiness than with a TED talk called ‘Why we Laugh’, by Cognitive neuroscientist Sophie Scott. Did you know that you're 30 times more likely to laugh if you're with somebody else than if you're alone? Scott shares this and other surprising facts about laughter in this fast-paced, action-packed and, yes, hilarious dash through the science of cracking up.

What I’ve Been Listen To

This week I’ve been listening to a series created by Dan Sullivan, founder of The Strategic Coach Programme, entitled ‘Always Increase Your Confidence’. Unfortunately, I can’t share this with you, as it was given to me directly by Strategic Coach and doesn’t appear to be available for purchase. However, it has reinforced the ideology around what makes us happy. I have been attending Strategic Coach for over 10 years now, and it has been instrumental in helping me build a better business and get a better work life balance. If you would like to learn more, here is a free gift from Strategic Coach, via me to you: Click here.

What I’ve Been Reading

I recently finished the book ‘Living with a Seal: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet’ by Jesse Itzler. I am not sure it will make you happy, but it will definitely make you laugh. As long as you can tolerate his language, Itzler recounts the time he invited a former Navy Seal into his home for a month to train him; it certainly pushed this highly successful entrepreneur to the limit! Very funny and easy to read. You can get here.

What I’ve Been Watching

If you are looking for a feel-good movie, look no further than ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ starring Will Smith and his real-life son Jaden. It is a rousing, true life success story of a man’s struggle for success. Watch it on Netflix here.

Quote of the Week

“It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.”- Dale Carnegie.

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

When you consume too much news, it is easy to slip into the mindset that things are getting worse in the world, not better. Actually, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only is the world becoming a better place, the pace at which it is doing so is exponential. Don’t believe me?

In the last 10 years extreme poverty has dropped globally by 15.7%, child mortality has dropped globally by 22%, there was a 90% decline in people dying of famine. The global life expectancy also rose by 2.7 years, more than 50% of the global population are now using the internet, wind energy rose by a factor of 3 and solar energy by a factor of 10! That is pretty amazing progress, and that doesn’t even take in to account that in the last year a paralysed man can now walk with a mind powered exo-skeleton, doctors treated a 8 year old girl suffering from a terminal brain disease called Batten with a drug designed, tested and approved for her in  less than 1 year and self-driving cars are already being testing on the roads.

And what is to come next? Uber are looking at using flying taxis by 2023, which will cost the same as currently running your car. By 2030, if Elon Musk’s ‘Neuralink’ is approved, our brains could be connected to the internet. That is insane progress.

Whilst there will be temporary blips in our lives, for example dips in the stock markets, the world as a whole is getting better and better, faster and faster. With that progress will almost inevitably come global growth, which is why investing your money into a diverse range of the best companies around the world makes investment sense. The more we do this, the shares for those companies just became cheaper. Happy investing!

Friday Footnotes

As I am sending this email on the 75th anniversary of VE Day, it seemed right to let that theme run through this week's Friday Footnotes. After all, the sacrifice so many people made during that time is in some way similar to the key workers putting their own lives on the line for the greater good.

What I’ve Been Listen To

What better place to start than Winston Churchill’s speech on VE day, 1945. A man that had such a way with words, he is the third most quoted source in history, after the Bible and Shakespeare. He said "we may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing, but let us not forget for a moment the toils and efforts that lie ahead". You can listen to his speech here.

TED Talk That’s Inspired Me

Simon Sinek is one of my favourite authors; in fact, I am currently reading his latest book ‘The Infinite Game’. In this TED talk, Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership - starting with a golden circle and the question: "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Wright brothers. You can watch it here.

What I’ve Been Watching

Would you be willing to sacrifice 1 life to save 5 others? This dilemma is seeing more discussion than ever with the introduction of autonomous cars. You can watch a brief clip about this problem here. What if that life were your own; would you be willing to sacrifice it for the greater good? Would you take a bullet for another person? This is something illusionist, Derren Brown, explored in his brilliant psychological experiment called ‘Sacrifice’. Find out if he can manipulate an ordinary person into taking a bullet for a stranger by watching it here.

Quote of the Week

It would be wrong not to quote Churchill this week, so some of my favourites are:

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

“One always measures friendships by how they show up in bad weather.”

“Things are not always right because they are hard, but if they are right one must not mind if they are also hard.”

Winston Churchill.

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

Sacrifice and financial planning often go hand in hand. You sacrifice spending all of your money today to create a better future for yourself. You sacrifice some of your money today to protect you and your family, should the unexpected happen. You sacrifice trying to make a killing in one single investment by diversifying your investments so that you also cannot be killed by any one investment. And finally, you sacrifice time and money today to get your estate in order, so that the people you love do not have a mess to clear up when you are gone and they are more focused on grieving.

Life is about making sacrifices for the greater good. What we can learn from both the World Wars, and the current COVID-19 crisis is that most of the people around us are actually amazing, probably much better than we thought, and that they too are willing to make sacrifices, some big and some small, for the greater good.

TED Talk I've Found Valuable

David Cameron: The Next Age of Government- a talk done prior to him becoming Prime Minister. Did he deliver on handing the power back to the people? Well maybe on one topic, and it was the end of him.
Interesting with the benefit of hindsight. Watch it here.

App I’ve Found Helpful

Text Expander: A desktop app that allows you to create shorthand for your PC. For example, I type, ‘I have CC'd in Victoria, my PA, and I will ask her to organise the logistics’ a lot, so now I just type ‘zvictoria’ and
the rest is done for me. Download it here.

Podcast I’ve Found Useful

Goop episode featuring Dr Steven Grundy called ‘Could Changing Your Diet Help Autoimmune Disease.’ According to Dr Grundy, plants are both vital to our diet and also a huge source of disease as a result of the
lectins- a self-defence mechanism against being eaten, like gluten. A fascinating subject on which I need to learn more. You can listen to it here.

Quote of the Week

“Not dead, can’t quit.” Richard Machowicz

Finance theme I’ve been considering:

Lifetime Cash-Flow Forecasting, the tool we use to give clients clarity on what their financial future looks like, thus whether they are on track to have enough money in the future, is the single most powerful tool
to give people peace of mind that they are going to be OK, from a financial perspective. So why don't more of our industry embrace it?

I hope you are flourishing. Have an outstanding weekend.

TED Talk I’ve Found Valuable

This week I have been talking to clients about their bucket lists, initially inspired by a talk I saw at our industry’s global conference from Ben Nemtin. Ben talked about the secret to creating a better life through a bucket list, and it caused me to rethink my own bucket list, and how we help clients with theirs. Ben also did a TED talk, which you can watch here.

App I’ve Found Helpful

As some who is dyslexic (why do they make that word so hard to spell) I always struggled to read books, maybe getting through one a year. Around 2006 I discovered audiobooks, and life has never been the same since. The Audible App just makes that even better, giving me access to my entire audiobook library of over 240 books, and any new ones I buy, wherever I am. You can download it here.

What I’ve Been Listening To

On Wednesday night, Caryl and I went to see The Lumineers play at the O2. To my amazement, everyone I told about this, including people older, younger and also around my age had never heard of The Lumineers. They have been one of my favourite bands for several years, and were on my bucket list to see. I can liken them to a cross between Mumford and Sons and The Kings of Leon, so if you like either, check out their latest album ‘III’ or ‘Cleopatra’, both of which are brilliant.

Quote of the Week

“Where attention goes, energy flows.” Tony Robbins. The areas where you focus your attention are where the magic happens!

Finance theme I’ve been considering:

Sticking with the bucket list theme, I was talking to clients at our Client Review Workshop this week about their bucket lists. You may wonder how this links into their financial planning, but it absolutely does. If we know what is on our clients' bucket lists we can try and align their financial plan to be able to deliver their goals. That is the difference between financial planning and financial advice. Sadly, most of our industry focuses entirely on the latter, which means they often miss the most important stuff!

I hope you are flourishing. Have an outstanding weekend.

TED Talk I've Found Valuable

After hitting on a brilliant new life plan our first instinct is to tell someone, but Derek Sivers says it's better to keep goals secret. He presents research stretching as far back as the 1920s to show why people who talk about their ambitions may be less likely to achieve them. I am not sure I agree with him, but it does give a different perspective to goal setting, which I believe to be incredibly important at this time of the year, so you can watch it here.

App I've Found Helpful

Headspace. One of my goals for 2020 is to meditate more, not only do I know it makes me better at what I do, but some of the most successful people on the planet do it too. Over the years of dabbling in meditation, the best most accessible way I have found to do this is through the App Headspace. Just 10 minutes a day can make an incredible difference to your well being, happiness and productivity. Find out more here.

What I've Been Listening To

In line with the previous recommendation of the Headspace App, I would also highly recommend Andy Puddicombe’s book ‘The Headspace Guide to... Mindfulness & Meditation’. I’d encourage you to listen to this rather than read it, as Andy’s voice is almost hypnotic, and his stories make for compelling listening. If you are curious about mindfulness, meditating, or just becoming happier, I encourage you to check this book out. You can listen to it here.

Quote of the Week

“Moonshot thinking starts with picking a big problem: something huge, long existing, or on a global scale.” - Astro Teller.

Finance theme I’ve been considering

If you want to make 2020 incredible, at the start of a new year it is vital to write out your goals; goals for each area of your life, such as health, wealth, relationships, have and do’s. For each of these areas you need a long-term goal, which could, for example, be a date that is perhaps 25 years from now. You then need to break each one down into 3-year, 1 year and quarterly goals, and revisit these quarterly goals every 90 days. Each one of these quarters is a 1% step towards your 25-year goals. They say you eat an elephant by taking one bite at a time, and achieve big goals is no different. Lots of small steps. Financial Planning isn’t just about helping you achieve the financial goals, it is about helping you achieve the goals in every area of your life. Let’s make 2020 outstanding!

This week’s Friday Footnotes has an underlying theme of a childhood hero of mine: Arnold Schwarzenegger. I hope you find something to help or inspire you in this edition.

What I’ve Been Reading

The core element that has inspired my ‘Arnie’ themed Friday Footnotes is reading his autobiography- ‘Total Recall’. I challenge to fine more incredible rags to riches story. Arnie’s rise from a poor Austrian household to Mr Universe, Hollywood superstar, and then Governor of California is quite astonishing. It is a fun read, with some incredible messages within. You can buy it to read or listen to here.

What I’ve Been Watching

Reading ‘Total Recall’ reminded me of a TED style talk that Arnold did back in 2018, which ‘broke the internet’. It is an inspiring 12-minute speech that one viewer described as being “more valuable than 8 years in school”, and it makes compelling viewing. You can watch it here.

Technology That’s Inspired Me

If you need to sign a PDF and return it by email, but like me can’t stand the idea of printing it out just to rescan it back in, I have the solution. Sejda allows you to edit the PDF, and then save a new version of it with images, text or a signature in place. You’ll need to save a scanned version of your signature first, but then you are away. Hasta la vista baby (to wasted paper)! Use it free here.

App I’ve Found Valuable

It’s a tenuous link, but if you want muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger, you need to work out. Whether your chosen regime is running, cycling or a workout in the gym, you will probably need sports clothing and equipment. The best resource I have found over the years for this, at massively discounted rates, is Sport Pursuit. You have to withstand getting an email a day from them, but in exchange you will get up to 85% of great stuff from recognised names like Rapha, Giant and Oakley, across all sports including golf and many more. Essentially the TK Maxx of the sports world, you can check it out here or in the Appstore.

How I’ve Been Connecting

I heard a recommendation on a podcast by Esther Perel, where she described how she’d started a lockdown a film club with her friends. They all watch the same film over the course of the week, and then meet on Zoom to chat about it over a glass of wine. I thought this sounded like a lovely idea, so inspired by ‘Total Recall’ I suggested that my school friends and I try the same starting with ‘The Terminator’- the film that really gave Arnie his big break into stardom. What a great film it was for its time. I am looking forward to catching up with my old mates on Sunday while chewing the fat over this classic film, which if you too fancy it, can be watched on Netflix here.

Quote of the Week

“Life’s six rules for success:

1. Trust yourself.

2. Break some rules.

3. Don’t be afraid to fail.

4. Ignore the naysayers.

5. Work like hell.

6. Give something back.”

And one that made me laugh:

“Money doesn’t make you happy. I now have $50 million but I was just as happy when I had $48 million.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

The reason Arnold Schwarzenegger was so successful in body building was because he worked out more often and harder than anyone else. He didn’t expect to become Mr Universe by just going to the gym a couple of times a week. He created a lifestyle where he did his workouts twice a day, every day, no excuses. It wasn’t one massive effort that helped him hit his goal, more a series of smaller efforts driven by good habits. Achieving financial freedom, and creating enough money for the future, is also about creating great habits. It’s about automating your saving and then revisiting them annually and increasing the amounts. That drip, drip, drip approach might not seem to achieve much in the short term, but it has massive compound effects over the long term. If you want to become financially free, you need to ensure that those habits are instilled, because when you eventually reach financial freedom, you too will feel like Mr Universe!

Stay happy and healthy.

TED Talk I've Found Valuable

With help from some surprising footage, Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started. (Hint: it takes two.) You can watch it here.

What I’ve Been Reading

The Plant Paradox by Dr Stephen Grundy. For those that want to embrace a vegan diet, I strongly suggest you read this beforehand. Whilst eating a plant based diet clearly has lots of benefits, it would seem that
certain plants, particularly grains and legumes, are actually bad for our health, unless we cook them in a certain way. You buy it here.

What I've Been Listening To

I have created a playlist life story; a song for each key stage of my life, and the people who have influenced it. It is then quite incredible listening back to them in sequence. If you are interested, you can see mine
here, although please don’t judge the music!

Quote of the Week

“The only way to fail is to not try.” Charlie Reading.

Finance theme I’ve been considering:

I was speaking to a client on Monday who hadn’t updated their Will, despite getting divorced a number of years ago.Whether you get married, divorced, have a child, or something else serious changes in your life, it is vital you update your Will. Had something happened, the consequences could have been dire. Keep your Will under review!

I hope you are flourishing. Have an outstanding weekend.