campaigns : Campaign Archive

Dear ,

As is our practice in this country, November heralds our time of Thanksgiving. It is an opportunity to reflect and offer gratitude for our blessings and abundance.

If I can't sleep at night, one of my favorite practices is to begin naming all the things for which I am grateful.   It takes my attention off whatever is whirling around in my head keeping me awake. I can never finish, as there is always more to be grateful for and soon I drift off into peaceful sleep.

This month my Calling all Open Minds article includes a summary of the SRI (Socially Responsible Investing) in the Rockies conference.   We were blessed with presentations by some of the most forward thinkers in our industry. I hope you enjoy the article. If you would like more information on any segment, please call me. I can also order you a CD recording of the session.

Be sure to also view our updated website. We are excited that it now reflects our new logo and look forward to further upgrades to the website in the near future. We'll keep you posted!

In gratitude,

Mackey

Calling All Open Minds

Enjoy the Journey Together

I just returned from the annual SRI in the Rockies Conference (Conference), the premier annual conference focused on socially responsible investing.

Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), is an investment philosophy that incorporates rigorous financial analysis side by side with investor values, such as ethics, corporate responsibility, environmental impact and social justice. This kind of investing recognizes a fundamental truth, where we put our money matters!
The conference includes traditional sessions on quantitative information, such as alpha, beta, and P/E ratios, and goes further into the pressing social issues of our time and how the investment community impacts these issues.

For this month's article, I have provided a quick summary of the keynote sessions. I just wish you could have been there with me!

Summary of key points:

Mel Miller, CFA Investment Officer, Heartland Financial USA reviewed economic data and presented his forecast for the coming year. Signs are positive for a continued surge in the US stock market, particularly the large global companies in the S&P 500. As always there are factors that could change this analysis! Continued expansion of international holdings is warranted.
Richard Sandor, PhD, Chairman and CEO, Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) reported on the founding and growth of the Exchange. CCX is a voluntary exchange, using market solutions to contribute to reductions in global warming and cleaner air. Members cross many sectors including business, government, non-governmental organizations and a growing number of oversees companies. For you futurists out there, look for us to trade things we once considered free, such as air and water.
Community Investing (CI) is alive, well and growing. Foundations such as the Heron Foundation are developing ever increasing ways to focus their investments toward populations underserved by the traditional capital markets. Great examples of achieving competitive returns while screening opportunities for impact in this market segment were shared.
Rebecca Adamson, founder of First Peoples Worldwide, and Keepers of the Earth Funds, shared about the state of Indigenous People (IP) around the globe. In our country, IP are Native Americans. 80% of the bio diversity left on the planet is in on IP land. Keeping IP people on their land is an important component of slowing climate change.
The Moskowitz prize, awarded annually for excellence in academic research on a SRI topic was given Alex Edmans of the University of Pennsylvania for his research and analysis in demonstrating the connection between the 100 best places to work in America and superior investment returns.
Phil Angelides, Former CA State Treasurer and President of Riverview Capital, and Winston H. Hickox, Former Secretary of State of CA EPA, Senior Portfolio manager, CalPERS shared their views on The Green Industrial Revolution. They echoed Richard Sandor of CCX's prediction that the future will be very different from our past. Both shared that the US is likely to enact a cap and trade carbon system soon. If not before the 2008 election, soon thereafter. This will raise the price of carbon forms of energy, spurring investments in renewable sources and efficiency. While this shift will first focus on risk management, attention will then turn to the massive numbers of new technologies to be employed in the post carbon world.

More notes on the conference:

The conference was held just outside of Albuquerque, in a Hyatt Regency built in partnership with the Tamayame pueblo. The hotel was sited near the Rio Grande, and with a picturesque view of the mountains to the east.

Each morning I walked in the Bosque, the indigenous word for woods. The second morning I heard a familiar sound, and looked up to see three Sandhill cranes headed toward the Rio Grande. Shortly thereafter, a single crane came, and in a short period, 5 more. Within 30 minutes, 25 cranes gathered together on the Rio Grande to refresh and prepare for their days' journey to the south.

The squawking made during the gathering was loud and persistent. Those that had arrived called for those still coming. Birds in flight squawked as they flew. Once they all arrived, silence fell over the gathering. About 10 minutes later, they gently lifted off the ground in unison and formed a perfect V as they headed south. The beautiful sounds began again as they journeyed.

For as long as I can remember, I have always preferred a walk in the woods to an amusement park. To witness the gathering of the Sandhill cranes for me is a moment of reverence and inspiration. When I was young I simply marveled at the plants, animals and scenery on my outdoor adventures. As I have aged, I have come to ask, what is there for me to learn?

What is there for me, for all of us, to learn from the Sandhill crane?

The good of the whole is paramount to the individual. Sometimes we must wait on those that are slower to join the group, so all can be taken care of.
Your family is more than the family you were born into. It includes your community.
Travel together, it makes journeying more enjoyable and easier. There are times for noise and there are times for quiet.
Take action in sync with one another.
We must each do our part.

As we embark on a new era, one where we rise to the challenge of a post carbon economy and find solutions for the challenges of our time that appear to have no solution, let's do so using the Sandhill crane's wisdom. Let's consider and include all the peoples of the planet, holding the good of the group above our own personal self interest. Let's travel in sync together, helping each other as we go. And when things are confusing and we feel lost, let us quiet and reflect together.

We have a great heritage of solving unfathomable challenges. Remember when John F. Kennedy proclaimed, "We will put a man on the moon by the end of this century?" Climate change is our next adventure and opportunity. Let's all do our part.

PS:

For those of you that have always seen "Wall Street" as a place where people with little or no ethics go to make more money, you would find the Conference a paradigm altering experience! Next year's conference is in Whistler Canada should you be inclined to join us!

by Mackey McNeill

Go Green

Forbe's Magazine reports on the greenest (and not so green) States. Take a look at this startling article. Keep reading Go Green to learn ways we can help to improve this situation.

Practical Prosperity

Budgeting Tips for the Self-Employed

Being a small-business owner can be tough. You worry about product offerings, overhead, and the local economy. While putting concern on your business, you often forget about yourself. After all, if you are working 60 hours per week on your business, shouldn't you understand how it's affecting your financial life now and later?

Budgeting can be challenging for business owners that don't have a steady, predictable income stream. We have a few tips that should help you wrap up 2007 and burst into 2008 feeling wildly prosperous.

1)    Add up your projected Self-Employment, Federal, State, and Local Taxes. If you divide this by last years gross income you have a great ballpark figure for how much of your money needs to be saved every year to pay taxes. All you have to do now is save that percentage of your earnings every month regardless of how much you actually made.

2)    Decide how much you would like to contribute to your retirement plans. This number can be easily added to your tax figure and saved monthly.

3)    Use a high interest savings or money market account to keep your dollars safe and growing as much as possible until you pay those quarterly taxes and make that retirement contribution.

It's important to keep in mind that some months it might be hard to make the mortgage payment, let alone save money. You should not let that get you down. While you may have to make exceptions one month, having an outlined, regular plan will make it all the easier in the months where cash isn't so tight!

by Andy Pulsfort

Buy the Book

Mackey's new audio book, The Dynamics of Money, gives you the power to discover your personal key, unlocking the door to your true potential for unlimited prosperity.Through the power of the Narrative Tradition of the Enneagram you will hear three exemplars of each of the nine personality types sharing their unique perspectives on the subject of money and prosperity.

Order your copy now!

If you are finding roadblocks to you personal prosperity and feeling of abundance, then use my workbook, The Intersection of Joy and Money, to change your relationship with money.

On sale for the holidays!

Hear Me Speak

14 Keys to Prosperity

Live Teleseminar Tonight

Thursday, November 15 8pm EST

The Dynamics of Money Workshop

with Mackey McNeill and Dr. Deb Ooten

Saturday, December 1, 10am-5pm

Newport on the Levee Community Room