I grew up in urban southern California. We did not have a barn on campus to house our 4-H animals. The idea of any competition ending with awarding belt buckles is still somewhat confusing to me. However, I am always down to try something new, and Texas has given me many opportunities to do so.
A few years ago, my wife and girls were out of town, so I decided to try my hand at fishing. Thankfully, Joel, a friend of mine, was willing to take me under his wing and show me the ropes. We went to Academy, got a pole and tackle. A few days later, he and I were standing on the banks of a small pond with his young son. After a few casts, I hooked something; it was exhilarating. The bend in that rod, the line getting tighter and tighter, all pointed to one thing: I was about to set a Texas state record for largest freshwater catch. After a fierce, prolonged battle, I reeled up a fish that couldn't have been much bigger than a stapler. Not sure at what point the fish I hooked and the fish I reeled out swapped places, but boy was I confused. Nonetheless, I stood there, rod in hand, fish dangling down, shouting over to Joel, "I got one!"
I had not yet considered what the steps would be after you reel in a fish. I felt like a dog that actually caught the car it was chasing. I yelled over to Joel again, "What do I do now?" He looked down at his six-year-old son and motioned him to come over to me. There is nothing more emasculating than a grown man watching a small child unhook a tiny fish from his line. The young boy looked at me and said, "Do you want to keep it?" I shook my head, and he tossed it back into the water. I have not touched a pole since.
A common saying in our culture is "give a man a fish, feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." I am glad Joel taught me to fish. I learned in that process that I am not a fisherman, and that's ok. The point of this story is that you have to do things to know. Education is a result of experience.
I want you to experience financial planning. I want you to experience investments. You will benefit from the education that experience in those things provides. The best first step is to schedule a meeting with us to discuss how your goals and investments work together. If you are a reader, another great place to start is with our book "Investing with Purpose" on Amazon. You don't have to be a fisherman, you may not want to be a fisherman, but experiencing what fishing is will help you make more informed and hopefully more productive decisions about fishing... and investments.