______________________ In an initiative led by our Broker of Record Steve Foti, our office celebrates earth day annually by giving away trees to our clients, or anyone willing to plant them. This year, my personal allotment included a small bundle of American Elm seedlings. Out of curiosity, I Googled the American Elm to glean a rough idea as to how long I would need to wait before I might enjoy the fruit of my labour. Correlating the maturation cycle... View Article
_________________ If ever there was a moment or event that causes one to reevaluate one’s priorities, or at least remind us of them, this would be it. Although the coronavirus has been on our collective radar for several months now, count me among the group that still found myself surprised by the sheer scale of implications it has wrought on our lives, with more certain to come. I suspect I am not alone. Today, in what I truly hope hindsight... View Article
____________________________________________________ As parents, we sometimes fall into the trap of telling our kids you can be anything you want to be. High school and university graduation speeches are steeped in platitudes affirming to the gathered that their potential is limitless. Optimism abounds, and so it should. But is it true? Can I be anything I want to be? Can I be tomorrow’s leader? And what exactly is a leader? Fear not, I will not pretend to espouse what a good... View Article
___________________________________________ Three months after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the neighbouring Gulf Coast in 2005, I found myself driving along Mississippi State Road 90, which hugs the Gulf Coast from Pass Christian, Mississippi to Gulfport, and beyond. Having been familiar with the before, the after was a particularly devastating site that frankly, the nightly newscast could not adequately portray. Stately antebellum mansions were reduced to nothing more than a single set of brick steps leading to where the porch... View Article
Bankers, as Mark Twain aptly observed, are folks who lend you their umbrella when the sun is shining and want it back the minute it begins to rain. Rainy days are made for private bankers offering credit, when perhaps it has not yet been fully earned. Most business people have at one time or another, relied on a private banker, even if they referred to them as uncle, mom or dad, or in my case, neighbour. Momentum is... View Article
_____________ My high school days are almost 35 years behind me, so my recollection of the curriculum may be less perfect. I recall loving geography, struggling with French, and everything else falling somewhere in between. Curiously, two subjects I do not recall being addressed are the two I would argue to have the largest impact on a majority of students’ futures – personal finance and sales. The former is obvious. If we are not taught the value of money,... View Article
______________ Everyone likes to feel that the efforts they make for the benefit of others are appreciated and useful – particularly if they are volunteering. Most of my volunteering experience has taken place in an ice rink attempting to teach hockey players how to be a better player than I was. It is surprisingly common that we coaches expect our players to reach higher heights than we may have! Every once in a while something happens to remind us... View Article
__________ Rising Prices and Changing Expectations When I was young, Harlem (Manhattan’s northern neighbour) was synonymous with poverty. It was a working class borough with a well publicized crime problem which nonetheless served as an affordable hometown for those who had been priced out of the Manhattan real estate market. Harlem has changed. Today, the average per square foot price of a home in Harlem is well over $1000, or put into local perspective, 3 times ours. ‘What spurred... View Article
________________________ Betting on Yourself In her graphic design program, my youngest daughter was taught early and reminded often not to work for free. What may at first blush seem like an opportunity to impress a potential employer, is more often a dead end after the free sample has been provided. It is a train of thought common in many professions, mine included, and is often accompanied by catch phrases such as: “If you don’t value your work, why should someone... View Article
_____________ Six years ago, my wife and I traveled with our kids to Italy, and as part of a broader vacation, spent a week in an apartment in Positano. By North American comfort standards, the home was austere. What it lacked creature comforts – tiny shower, lumpy beds, basic kitchen, it made up for with intangibles – fresh figs in the backyard, and a view of the Mediterranean in the front. It was, and remains, our favourite destination of... View Article
