"I am my ancestors' wildest dreams." Brandan Odums

Good morning,

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

After the Bank of Canada decision to raise rates here again in Canada, we are in for another exciting week with decisions being made at the U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank meetings later in the week. We are now realizing risk free yields in the 5%-6.5% range, which is certainly a wonderful place to be whether you are investing across your Family Enterprise, implementing a strategic HoldCo and Trust strategy, or saving for yourself or your children, our ability to generate higher income on treasury, cash management and fixed income strategies is a welcome development in this new era of the global economy.

A number of weeks ago, one of my best friends and neighbors, Professor George Fletcher, shared a quote that resonated with me. "I am my ancestors' wildest dreams.". A saying originated with Brandan Odums, a visual artist, activist, and filmmaker from New Orleans. As I write this morning, I’m watching as an ambulance has pulled into my other neighbors house, which certainly prompts even more reflection on such powerful words.

When we say that something is in our 'wildest dreams,' we are usually talking about something out-of-reach, something that is incomprehensible and that one could never conceive of it happening. When we think about what our ancestors' 'wildest dreams' were when they were alive, we finally get a sense of how far we have progressed, within both our society and our individual families, through the generations. Overall, our ancestors' deepest, wildest dreams were that their descendants would somehow have it better than they did, and that their children would continue to strive to help the next generation achieve more through the years.

“Oftentimes, the most important decisions are the most difficult to make - for, your future, and the future of the generations that come after you, hinges on the outcome of those decisions.” J.E.B. Spredemann, Englisch on Purpose

It’s your legacy to define

It’s our job at Henderson Family Wealth to ensure you have an understanding of what Wealth means to you and we have a formulated strategy that we are able to implement to ensure that you are able to enjoy your life and that of your family to the absolute fullest potential. It’s our job to focus on the management of your financial capital, it’s your job to invest in yourself.

If I said to you, you get to prioritize one investment today, what would it be? For many of us, the answer might be continuing to grow my business, perhaps starting a new enterprise, or buying more real estate. While these are certainly a big part of our planning and those actions are important to building wealth, the energy you spend improving yourself can provide far greater returns for you and those around you.

Warren Buffett has said, “the best investment you can make is in yourself”. And, of course, research links longevity and overall well-being to healthy habits like exercising regularly, eating well, getting enough sleep, maintaining social relationships, and having a purpose that brings you joy and gives your life meaning. As you focus on improving yourself, those habits can translate to other areas of your life, including your financial well-being.

How to be sure we find purpose and happiness in our quest of life? Frederick Herzberg, asserts that the powerful motivator in our lives isn’t money; it’s the opportunity to learn, grow in responsibilities, contribute to others, and be recognized for achievements.

I thought I’d share a few practical tips to jumpstart your self-improvement journey, all of which may seem obvious and I have written about at length, but we could all use a reminder as we cruise into a new week.

Create a Strategy for Your Life: Keep the purpose of our lives front and center as you decide how to allocate your resources. Your decisions about allocating your personal time, energy, and capital ultimately shape your life’s strategy.

Embrace lifelong learning: Education should never end, you should always be learning and building your knowledge and your skill set to feed your passions.

Set boundaries: Creating a balanced and fulfilling life requires awareness of our needs and priorities and effectively communicating them to others.

Develop healthy habits: The key to exercising regularly, being more productive, achieving financial success, and attaining any other goal begins by recognizing our habits. In the book “The Power of Habit,” author Charles Duhigg explains how even one small behavioral change can have a ripple effect on other areas of our lives.

Invest in community: Society and our connections to others are critical in shaping who we are and who we become. Whether you volunteer in your neighborhood or participate in a professional network, staying connected and engaged with your community allows you to learn from others, gain new perspectives and develop a greater appreciation for the value everyone brings to the table.

Surround yourself with a trusted advisors and mentors: Developing relationships with key trusted advisors and mentors are essential for anyone looking to grow and succeed. Ensure you have the right people around your table that are aligned and can propel your vision. Solid advisor team and good mentors can offer guidance, share valuable insights, and help you navigate the challenges and opportunities.

Practice gratitude: Practice gratitude regularly to help you gain perspective and feel comfortable about where you are at in life. As Morgan Housel says, it’s important for us to “try to stop moving the goal posts” and be reflective of how far we have come and we much cherish the moments and…..celebrate where we are today.

Celebrate your wins: We are often so focused on what’s coming next that we forget to pause and celebrate our accomplishments whether big or small. Celebrating our wins allows us to gain perspective and appreciation for each day, approaching every moment as a new learning opportunity.

With appreciation also comes wisdom — the wisdom to identify what matters the most: health, family and community. Ultimately, recognizing and appreciating our progress motivates us to continue charting the path toward reaching our goals.

“There is no shortage of good days. It is good lives that are hard to come by. A life of good days lived in the senses is not enough. The life of sensation is the life of greed; it requires more and more. The life of the spirit requires less and less; time is ample and its passage sweet. Who would call a day spent reading a good day? But a life spent reading -- that is a good life.” Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

You are your ancestors' wildest dreams

As we head into the week, we’ll be focused on the financial elements of your world and watching the markets closely. This week, make a point to decide how to invest in yourself. Whether your investment is in expanding your knowledge, developing positive new habits (while breaking negative ones), or getting organized for the exciting summer ahead, it’s your responsibility to give back to yourself before you can give your time and energy to other people and things. Big ambitions, low expectations, and high standards are a powerful combination for living your best life.

It’s been said that “Reality minus expectations = happiness. You will never be happy unless your expectations are exceeded. If you think the world owes you something, you're going to end up disappointed. The world doesn't owe you anything. You can't sit around waiting for the world to come and hand you what you think you deserve. If you want something to happen, you have to take action. Go positive and go first..”

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.“ Pericles

Be well & enjoy the moments

Derek