The USS Midway veterans association was the host a their 2017 annual banquet on the USS Midway flight deck. Three attendees received the distinguished medal and they were age 99, 95 and finally “Big Mike” at the young age of 91. I am sure the US Navy and The USS Midway officers and crew helped shape the character and wisdom that is the backbone of “Big Mike” in The Secret Asset. 
Ok, Big Mike is 85 and Mom turns 80 real soon. So where is their favorite place in the world to travel…Las Vegas. Every year since I went to college at The University of Redlands Las Vegas is on their itinerary for 2-5 weeks a year.
No, not days, weeks. Really!
Rememeber, what Mike says in The Secret Asset, “The person who controls the math, controls the deal.”
In the book I mention that I talk to my brother Tom pictured here almost every day and sometimes twice for the last 20 years. In the picture Tom stands in front of the pool at out hotel while on a trip to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in the early 1990’s. It’s been a while since I saw this one and at first I thought it was our Key West Florida trip from the 1980’s.
I like to say we grew up with a lot of love and No money. The truth is we always ran out of money before we ran out of month but we were happy as anyone could possibly want because of the leadership of Big Mike and mom.
It started me thinking about a conversation I had with a financially strong client who huffed and puffed about setting up a financial life insurance plan for his children. As a matter of fact he said something like this, “We have given those kids enough, let them make their own money etc etc etc!”
I had a great verbal exchange that ended positively with a plan where the kids got The Best Of Both Worlds — All the love and great parenting anyone could ever want along the way and a legacy plan funded by life insurance, at the parents death, to give the children a strong financial head start.
My brothers and I never had a financial head start and we would never wish that on any of our children as long as we have the resources.
We are intelligently leaving love and money.
Brother Tom in Australia
The best Italian cook in my world. Nanna, was the best as noted in strategy number 2 in the book. Big Mike’s mom, nanna immigrated from Italy through Ellis Island. In her 70’s and 80’s I would take her to The North End in Boston for Italian wine and cookies. Later we would just walk through the Italian neighborhood arm in arm, buy some fresh bread and enjoy life.
