Sunday Thought – This Is The First Day Of The Rest Of My Life

First and foremost, I must absolutely share this:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” is the famous opening line of Charles Dickens’s 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities. Set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution, the story captures the deep contradictions of human life, law, and poverty. It was a time of stark contrasts—both the best and worst of times, an age of wisdom and foolishness.

I see a similar tension today, both personally and in the world around me. Personally, the joy of my first grandchild has rekindled a flame that had been slowly fading under the weight of aging, wear and tear, and my own human failings. At the same time, the world seems to be worsening economically, socially, and politically. My work is to look through that darkness, draw sound financial conclusions, and offer light to those searching for guidance.

In financial services, there are only two kinds of people:

Those who say what they believe and accept the consequences, and those who say what people want to hear because it sells.

I know I am in the first group, which is far more difficult, especially when many investors come not to learn, but just to hear what confirms what they already believe.

That challenge feels especially real now, as my own mortality is front and center., Tomorrow no longer feels as certain as it did in youth. That awareness is compounded by a world in which openly expressing faith has become risky enough that many avoid mentioning it in financial matters.

Because I believe the Holy Bible is life’s manual—and because finance is addressed in more verses and parables than even Heaven or Hell—I carry it openly in my daily work. I will never be ashamed to stand with it front and center.