First Sunrise, Sometimes
Maine's Acadia National Park is distinctive in many ways. It is the first national park established east of the Mississippi River. The park is the only one featuring miles of carriage roads. The highest point, Cadillac Mountain, is the tallest mountain on the entire Eastern Seaboard (from the Arctic to the tip of South America).
Perhaps the most interesting feature is that from the 1,532-foot top of Cadillac Mountain, visitors can witness the first sunrise in the continental United States. This occurs from mid-October through early March. This distinction then moves to Mars Hill near the Canadian boarder. Obviously, as the sun and seasons change, so also the location of this "unique" claim to fame.
Our lives are the same way. Things are always changing, transitioning, moving, growing, upgrading, or downsizing. In other words, change is constant. Along with those changing life events, our finances also experience change. One could say that when life is in transition, money is in motion.
Money In Motion
With each graduation, promotion, birth, or new phase of life, we experience change or a transition to something new. It may be really good (having a baby), or really challenging (an unexpected change in employment). What I have noticed is the transition itself is less important than how we handle it. How well we handle the transition depends on our ability to anticipate, plan and prepare.
To help Clients with these critical steps, I have developed the Acadia Life Transitions. It is a comprehensive list of nearly every notable life event that can be considered a transition. All of the transitions have financial implications.
Anticipate: What transitions do you expect to experience in the next few years or in your lifetime? Brainstorm for a moment, and then review the list below to identify probable or certain transitions.
Plan: Once identified, we begin developing plans to address these transitions. A great example would be determining a savings goal for a child's college education.
Prepare: This step is one of action. We take necessary steps to essentially solve the transitions before they occur. Continuing with the college savings example, we would open accounts and begin regular funding.
This sounds great, but what if you did not expect a transition? In this situation, we move directly to planning. We assess the situation, determine options, and develop the Client's next steps.
I invite you to review the life transitions listed below and reflect on those that might be a part of your life soon. Just remember that when life is in transition, money is in motion.
Does this list of transitions cause excitement, or maybe a bit of stress? Do not worry. Simply make an appointment, and we will begin the process of anticipating, planning and preparing.
Laissez les bons temps rouler
Happy Anniversary!
In honor of Independence Day and all the freedoms it represents, we launched Acadia Financial Services on 4 July 2020. Thank you to all our amazing Clients who have made this financial ministry possible!
~Bill and Mary Jensen
Acadia Clients: Top Topics
The 3d quarter of 2022 is upon us, and we have a great collection of topics to discuss during your next Quarterly Review Meeting:
• One Page Financial Plan: A new way to holistically view your financial past-present-future on one clear page
• Holistiplan: A new tax evaluation service that provides insight on tax savings, planning, and scenario analysis
• Blog: We are in the process of adding all previous issues of Lagniappe to our website (and including a sign-up feature)
Mary's Recipe Corner
Electric Lemonade
This is a wonderful summer refresher, very popular in the Jensen family. The recipe is not exact as much of it is to taste.
• 1-1/2 cup sugar
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup lemon juice (about 5 lemons)
• Lemon rind (zest before cutting and juicing lemons)
• Fresh mint leaves
• 7-Up or Sprite, chilled (I like the smaller bottles, so I can easily adjust the amount I use)
Bring the water and sugar to a boil. Cool to room temperature. Add the lemon juice and rind from some of the lemons. Pour mixture in ice cube trays or divide among shallow containers. Freeze.
To make the Electric lemonade, add some lemonade cubes, few mint leaves, and 7-Up / Sprite to a blender. Only fill the blender halfway because this will blend over making a big mess … not that this ever happened to me. 😉 Adjust mint, number of cubes, and 7-Up / Sprite to get desired flavor and consistency.
bon appétit!
For Art's Sake
As some of you may know, I am an art enthusiast. If you grow up in New Orleans you learn to appreciate art (and food and music and parades, etc.), so it seems appropriate to share a bit of our culture with our readers.
I was perhaps eight or so when I stumbled upon a drawing by M.C. Escher (1898-1972). I was immediately mesmerized by his hyper realistic, yet impossible depictions. I was convinced I was missing some trick hidden within the drawing which would explain why my mind could not fathom the space or gravity defying drawings.
One of his signature skills was the ability to capture transitions from one object to another. In the small portion of Metamorphosis below, we see how he transitioned from simple to complex. To me, this visually represents how life transitions toward greater complexity.
