Embrace The Journey-stories Of Life And Finance Introduction

EMBRACE THE JOURNEY

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EMBRACE the

JOURNEY Stories of Life and Finance

by

John T. McCarthy,

CFP ®

Maggie Publishing Co. Wauwatosa, WI

JOHN T. M C CARTHY

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Embrace the Journey: Stories of Life and Finance © 2007 by John T. McCarthy

Note: Embrace the Journey is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is published with the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other professional advice, including financial, is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or informational storage and retrieval – without the written permission of the publisher. Address inquiries to: John T. McCarthy c/o Maggie Publishing 8207 Brookside Place Wauwatosa, WI 53213 For copies of this self-published and distributed book, contact the author: John T. McCarthy McCarthy Grittinger Weil Financial Group, LLC 125 South 84th Street, Suite 130 Milwaukee, WI 53214-1498 Phone: Fax: E-mail: Website:

414-475-1369 414-475-0613 [email protected] www.mgfin.com

Edited by Chris Roerden Printed in the USA ISBN13: 978-0-9660577-1-3

ISBN: 0-9660577-1-6

EMBRACE THE JOURNEY

DEDICATION To my wife, Cathy.

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CONTENTS

Preface Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. Chapter 6. Chapter 7.

................................................... vii A Tour Down the Road ................ 1 The Journey .............................. 20 On the Path ............................... 63 River of Life ............................ 110 Around the Corner ................... 161 Follow the Sun ......................... 213 Winds of Change ..................... 261

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PREFACE

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t is the middle of the night. I have awakened from a deep sleep, my mind swimming with material for this book. After an hour of attempting to fall back to sleep, I give in. Bleary-eyed, I trudge down to my basement home office and put pen to yellow pad, trying to capture my thoughts. This preface is the result of the last of many nocturnal awakenings I have experienced over the many months of writing this book. Writing Embrace the Journey has served to remind me of how truly blessed I have been over the course of my own life journey, which began in May 1951. I was welcomed to the world as the firstborn of two phenomenally caring and strong parents. My childhood was a sheltering cocoon, where love was a constant. I benefited greatly as a member of a large, close, extended Irish American family. How rich it was to have all four of my grandparents live within a short hop and to spend precious time with them on a regular basis. My wealth can be measured in an abundance of family, from my six brothers and sisters to aunts, uncles, and two dozen cousins whom I count as friends. Their stories are a big part of the fabric of my life. My good fortune continued when I met and married Cathy. This year marks our silver, twenty-fifth year as husband and wife. I hope and pray we can go on to witness our golden fiftieth. Together, we have three beautiful children in Maggie, Martha, and Jack, each of whom makes life wonderful. Martha and Jack are truly gifted children, and we are proud of them and their accomplishments. Maggie, vii

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our firstborn, is a special gift. She has enriched our lives, as well as those of her siblings. Maggie is cognitively disabled, a grown woman of 22, with many attributes of a seven-year-old child. She is a star character, making many appearances in this book. You can go to the website (www.mgfin.com) to see our smiling, gold–medal-winning Special Olympian. A challenging chapter in my life story is that of a cancer survivor. Millions of people have been touched by cancer. In my case, I was knocked down, but thanks to my faith in God and the wonders of modern medicine, along with early intervention and top-flight care, I became an extremely fortunate survivor. Having been branded with cancer, I feel compelled to embrace fellow members of this vast community, be it tragic victims, fellow survivors, frightened families, or frontline medical personnel. These pages likely would not have been turned into a published book without the inspiration of two remarkable women and fellow victims of cancer. My friend and former neighbor, Shirley Leszczynski, has waged an intense battle against a dastardly cancer for the past year and a half. I placed a photo of a healthy Shirley at eye level on my writing desk. She is a profile in courage, and her will to live has provided me with a steady source of inspiration to persevere and finally complete this book. Although this is my third book, I do not consider myself a professional writer but, at best, a journeyman author. What I do possess is a treasure trove of life experiences and stories gleaned from the hundreds of clients I am privileged to know through our financial and investment advisory firm. Yet I am convinced this material would never have come to light in written form without the editing assistance of my friend Jan Lennon. Jan knows me, my voice, and what I am trying to say. Her enthusiastic support has been invaluable. We mark the milestones of our life journey by anniversaries. In October 2005, we celebrated the tenth anniversary of my founding of our investment advisory firm by hosting a dinner attended by 250

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clients, family, and friends. As part of the festivities, I presented an award to Jan to recognize her volunteer involvement in our community, especially with the MACC Fund, whose worthy mission is to defeat childhood cancer. That evening, Jan gave me a lapel boutonniere along with a handwritten note that I cherish and display on my writing desk. It reads, “Here’s to 5 years of renewed life, 10 years of business success, 20 years of friendship. Here’s to 20 more.” The very next day, Jan came to my office to confide in me her own cancer diagnosis. That day marked my determination to accelerate my efforts to make this book happen. Despite waging a heated battle against a difficult form of breast cancer, Jan persevered through treatment and plugged away with multiple drafts to move my project along. I felt some pressure to finish the manuscript, because Jan now has become a proud grandmother, directing her considerable energy and abundant love to doting on Audrey Kathleen. Another inspiring individual has been our daughter, Martha, who is heading off to college this fall. She excelled in both academics and athletics in high school and exhibited a talent for writing. Martha has been a valuable asset to me as a publishing assistant. She willingly typed countless pages of drafts, made numerous revisions and edits, and provided necessary research support. I am fortunate also to have Chris Roerden in my corner as a professional editor. Chris is tops in her field, as evidenced by her landing the prestigious 2007 Agatha Award. As a practicing financial planner, I have been blessed to pursue a career and a business that allow me to get to know personally and professionally many genuinely nice and interesting people. We are not in the cold business of strictly managing money; rather, we deal up-close and personally in our clients’ total lives. I am thankful to our valued clients. A piece of each of them runs through the pages of this financial life-planning book. I am indebted to all the members of what we refer to as our Anxiety Removal Team. For without the contributions of my partners Scott

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Grittinger and Mike Weil, and the dedicated support of our assembled team, it would be difficult to offer our unique services. A special nod goes to Avis Haasch, who with her big heart has been with me since our modest beginning, and instrumental in pulling the pieces of this book together. Finally, I am grateful to all who have contributed in some way to shaping this book. My hope is that these stories of life and finance will encourage readers to live strong and embrace each day of their own life’s journey. John T. McCarthy July 2007