Life happens, and, when it does, it sometimes has a tendency to get in the way of the things we are trying do for ourselves and our families.

It is no secret that the typical American is working long hours with little respite compared to other countries with large economies. Full-time employees report an average work week of 47 hours and four out of 10 American workers say they work over 50 hours a week.

There is no getting around it—health insurance is complex and complicated. You have to have it and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. And, when your child is living with a special need it makes the whole process even more complicated. Finding in-network specialists, scheduling exams, and keeping track of copayments and deductibles can be exhausting.

After the shock and joy immediately following the baby’s birth then all the other emotions set in as you mentally fast forward through the sudden expenses to be expected in the future...one of the biggest being the cost of education. Now, more than ever, a bachelor’s or a trade degree is essential for a future.

The tax code, with all of its hundreds of pages of regulations, stipulations, and loopholes always leave something be learned. Not only is the U.S. Internal Revenue Code massive, different write-offs and deductions occur at different stages in life, so it’s unsurprising if you don’t know the details of the IRA (Individual Retirement Account) charitable rollover.

Few consumer products are the object of a love/hate relationship as life insurance.  The thought of buying life insurance is not something that most physicians relish, yet, if it is done right, it can provide the greatest peace-of-mind a person can have. The key is to do it right.

For many Americans, building true wealth might seem elusive, even illusory considering that many people, who very recently were sitting on six and seven figure 401k plans and home equity values, now feel unprepared for retirement. The lessons learned from the financial crisis is that wealth can be fleeting.

Until recently, many retirees have been able to rely upon the three-legged stool of retirement income sources: A defined benefit pension plan that guarantees a lifetime income, their own savings, and Social Security.

In many respects, people can be their own worst enemies in their quest for financial security. When you consider that our lives are nothing more than a culmination of the decisions we make each day, if we tend to make more bad decisions than good decisions, or worse, if we can’t make decisions at all, it’s should be no surprise when financial security  remains elusive.

Although we are in the business of building wealth for our clients, we are always on the lookout for those “pearls of wisdom” from the ultra-rich that might bring some elucidation to those who wonder why they’re not.