As we celebrate this Fourth of July, the challenges to us in our profession of financial planning are immense and seem to be coming from every direction.  The current state of the market, the energy wild card, nearly daily headlines raising the angst even higher, and fresh legislative and regulatory “fixes” all make for exciting times.  Let’s also throw in national elections with differing positions and opinions on positions to really roil the environment.  All of these factors contribute in making our profession a continuing challenge.

The Virginia Army National Guard recently hosted a weekend event and one aspect was to help educate our military families about the many aspects of their financial affairs.  Perhaps until you have the privilege of attending an event such as this, one may not fully appreciate the many hardships our fellow Americans who defend our freedom endure on our behalf.  The event was attended by approximately fifty-four couples from Central Virginia.  With the many daily expenses, children, mortgage payments, car payments, etc., they make ends meet the best they can.  Significantly, they left their jobs, their spouses, and children and spent a year or more in a war.  In talking with them, I learned that five of their friends and neighbors were killed in action.   They had done their grieving, and there was really not much talk of “over there”.  This weekend was about focusing on their family, looking at the future, and knowing there could be a next deployment.   The financial education I provided was not sophisticated, but no one had ever taken the time to explain the “ABCs and XYZs” to them.  I certainly took anyway many different emotions from the event: from pride of our great nation and those who protect us to the continued value and benefit of what we do in our profession for families.

We can spend the Fourth of July focusing on all the “challenges” we face in our profession, or we can celebrate that we are blessed to live in a country with our freedoms, faults and challenges.  We have had men and women in the past, present and hopefully future that set aside significant portions of their lives and many times lose their own life or become disabled, to serve on our behalf.   Hopefully, we, as financial planners, advisors, accountants, lenders and attorneys, will remember when we serve these individuals within our profession to take a moment and thank them for the sacrifices that they and their families have made on our behalf.

Wishing you all a Happy 4^th of July!