"Tell me a story and then I’ll go to bed” ... Teaching others what they need to know

As a four year old, every night when I went to bed I wanted to hear a story. Years later my mother explained why she often acquiesced. She said, “Bruce, we become what we think about. I wanted to influence what you thought about when you went to sleep every night.” Thanks Mom ... I also remembered that every story ended with a prayer. We connect and even become what we think about.

Upon reflection, if we never think about a subject, by definition, it will not become part of who we are. On the other hand, if I think a lot about coffee beans, I don’t suppose I will become a coffee bean ...

I think a lot about how plan sponsors are going to handle fee disclosure. I'm contemplating information, strategies, and support material that will help them. I really have thought a lot about that subject. I wonder how many plan sponsors are thinking about it too?

When we are faced with action deadlines, many will wait until the deadline is at hand to take the indicated or required action. I think that is the reality with many plan sponsors regarding fee disclosure. It is not a very compelling topic, regardless of how important it is. There may be a little fear in the mix too: Fear of what the “Executive Team” is going to say; Fear of that one staff member who always speaks up with a critical spirit about anything that is going on. The stress level goes up as the deadline approaches.

With all of that in mind, and with the deadline for distributing the initial participant fee disclosure approaching, what is the best stress reliever? My suggestion is to get out front and “tell them the story”. My mother, in her way, was impacting my future and managing my expectations as a young boy. The results continue to a very mature age. I believe the process is similar. We need to get out in front and influence their thinking.

Another Mom adage I’ve referred to before: “ Tell’m what your are going to tell’m, tell’m, and then tell’m what you told’m.” So, here might be a step by step process to follow (a good process to follow for any issue):

1. Advise either on your internal web page, via email, or at a staff meeting that fee transparency is upon us and great information about the expenses associated with the retirement plan will be forthcoming. Indicate that you are working with your provider, Envoy Financial, to bring the information to them.
2. Use the webinar explaining the process provided to you by Envoy Financial:
   1. Show in a staff meeting, using either the narrated version or just the slides and you provide the narrative, or
   2. Point them to the presentation with a link via email.
3. When you distribute the Disclosure information, also review how to go to the web portal, resource center, and other helps. This demonstrates the added value that comes along with the investment selection and provides context for the expenses.
4. Either at the same time, or soon thereafter describe your Retirement Plan Oversight Committee, its role in the process of providing the greatest value to your total team with regard to the retirement plan.
5. Finally, remind them that “Retirement is not only a reward to past service, but also a stepping stone to Future Ministry”. A Future Funded Ministry Plan indeed.

Thanks Mom for modeling the value of a story well told.

Living with Trusted Advice together,
Bruce

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.

A learning experience for all, Retirement Plan Fee Disclosure

“The facts are coming! The facts are coming!” shouts the government official on a “White Horse” riding from Washington to everywhere.

Sections 408(b)2 and 405(c)4 of the Internal Revenue code detail the last action steps in the pension reform movement that has impacted the 401(k) world and shaken up the 403(b) world. Between them, they detail:

1. the format and content for service providers telling retirement plan sponsors what their costs are, by service category,
2. the requirements for Plan Sponsors to advise their plan participants of those costs that impact them, and finally
3. the format and content to be included in quarterly statements to those same participants beginning with the Third Quarter statements, in 2012. (Read, September, 2012.)

So who is paying attention to these new fee disclosure requirements? Everyone should and many are not. Admittedly, the retirement plan administrator can file the report they will receive from their service provider, Envoy for example, under “later.” If “later” also includes not providing the required information to “all existing and eligible” plan participants by the end of August 2012, big problems will arise.

High on the list of “bads” for a ministry leader is being “blindsided” by a problem that could (should) have been foreseen and handled before it became a problem. All those with retirement plan responsibility, will want to make sure all ministry leadership is aware of what is happening before they get blindsided. The crash will surely take place when the “disclosure fees” hit the participant statements in the fall. Forewarned is forearmed.

Here is one possible issue that impacts churches. These disclosure requirements are not mandatory for Church Plans. Rather than getting into the “why not,” Best Practices certainly indicates following the fee disclosure path. Envoy is providing the same disclosure information to our Church Plan Sponsors and participants as is being provided to all the other categories, often described as being “under ERISA regulations.” If you are a board member or ministry leader with a Church Plan, and do not get this information from your vendor, it will be time to ask some serious questions like, “Where is my fee disclosure information?” Embracing transparency is the new reality!

A real-life observation is that “Knowledge is Power.” Knowing the facts about any life situation allows us to make better, informed, and hopefully wiser decisions. This is true whether we are talking about the reality of a relationship or the facts about our retirement plan. In the fiduciary role that many of you have regarding your organization’s retirement plan, you are about to be thrust into a new learning experience. My advice: “Embrace the Change,” “Seize the Day,” set up a Retirement Plan Oversight Committee and begin to Engage. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with the valuable results.

Your thoughts and comments are expected and appreciated.

Sharing Trusted Advice Together, Along The Way.

Bruce Bruinsma

Trusted Advice Way Into The Future

I spent a lot of hours on airplanes in the last few weeks. The coffee plantation is doing well and the Dordogne area of southern France is superb. Read a thought provoking book entitled: 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America. Albert Brooks projects a challenging world, a scary world, in the not too distant future. Under his assumptions, the unintended results of curing cancer and unchecked borrowing by our government, changes our world. It is changed primarily because our country’s financial alternatives and decision making options become limited. We become victim to our own lack of foresight. The unintended consequences of sequentially bad decisions scared me about our earthly future.

It also made me think of issues even closer to today: The unintended consequences of not establishing a Future Funded Ministry Plan (both by an organization for it’s staff, and for each plan participant). Scary too. Scary because when each person gets to the point of changing their life style—because of age or other circumstance—and support funds are not there, choice is lost. “Going where You (God) want me to go” is then, not an option. “The unintended consequences of sequentially bad decisions” is scary indeed.

Let’s follow the logic: When choice is lost, the lowest common denominator wins. In most cases the controlling factor is money ... or more pointedly, the lack of resources. So, at least part of the answer is to set money aside now for that point in time when the paycheck stops or income is dramatically reduced. Experientially, we here at Envoy know the amount is about 10% of income. So how are you doing? How is your organization doing?

The next point is to make sure your plan is running well ... a smooth running automobile is an analogy that comes to mind. The most recent “action item” in the tune up menu is to be clear about plan expenses. As a Plan Sponsor you should have received the plan expenses fee disclosure document from either Envoy or your current vendor. If you haven’t received it—in either case—give us a call, we can help. Not knowing also leads to unintended consequences.

Next, the Fee Disclosure info will need to be sent to all your eligible plan participants by the end of August (we are putting together materials to help you with this now). It is important to explain the information before your participants get it. You know the old adage: Tell them what they will be told, tell them, and then explain what they got. Mom’s advice of long ago still holds true.

Here is the key message of the day:

• The future is controlled by the decisions you make along the way.
• Once those decisions are made, future choice is either limited or expanded.
• Read the book.
• Make your plans.
• Get help (Trusted Advice) so the plans will be good ones.
• Know that God’s plans for you are "for good, and not for evil." So, pay attention ... your future depends in it!

Always good to be home.

Living with Trusted Advice together

Bruce

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.

What I Learned About Leadership

As I sit in my hotel room in Vientiane, Laos and reflect on yesterdays’ activities, I am impressed with how much I learned about leadership, organization and management in 24 hours. I learned in it the most unlikely places and from the most unlikely teachers.

It does not seem to matter whether you are the leader of a US based ministry or organization, the administrator of a 403(b) or 401(k) plan, or a head man of a small tribe of Laotian people, the basic issues and needs for leaders remain the same.

Here are at least some of the basic leadership lessons I learned:

1. The capability of a leader to see and cast a vision people will follow
2. The ability of a leader to articulate the expected results of that vision in a way that stirs followers minds
3. A team of dedicated supporters
4. The willingness to risk
5. The resources to implement
6. The organizational skills to “see it through”
7. Putting replaceable systems in place to support ongoing growth and achievement of the vision.
8. The faith the see it through, even during the hard times.

Wow, all that in one day? 

Well no, the essentials have been learned through a lifetime of experiences, but I was clearly reminded of them because of what happened yesterday.

Here is the context:

The country of Laos has a long and storied past being landlocked between 5 surrounding countries: Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, China and Myanmar.

Each time I look at the map and see Laos as a connecting point for South East Asia, I am reminded of the strategic location of Israel throughout recorded time. Both Laos and Israel are a pathway to get to someplace else, and a connecting point between strategic powers. Consequently, a location of strategic importance.

Laos is made up of some 47 tribes, each with their own language or dialect. Lao being the largest tribe, while tribes such as theHmong and the Cur are spread out not only in Laos, but some in Mynmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Why is this relevant to a discussion about leadership and organization?

Well, when I think of all the different pieces to the organizational puzzle that we deal with regarding 403(b) or 401(k) retirement plans and the associated services, the situation in Laos is not dissimilar. Each and every organization has multiple systems and groups of people that need to be addressed in order to accomplish any organizational or ministry goals.

It is our job as leaders to understand, appreciate, organize and lead these disparate parts to a visionary goal.

The Capability of a Leader to See and Cast a Vision People Will Follow

Because Lao is a “closed”, communist country, I will have to speak in euphemisms.

The vision is to bring “hope” to the people of this region.

The strategy is to raise up leaders and supporters in each ethnic and geographic area united around a single vision of ‘hope’.

In order to accomplish this grand vision, and then assist each area to support the vision, will take a miracle.

This is where faith comes in.

As we know, planting a common vision within a small ethnically or focused group is hard enough. Bringing that vision and having it embraced and then implemented is hard. Under a corporate or spiritually focused umbrella is “humanly” impossible.

Even though it will be difficult, engagement with “hope” for millions of South East Asians, particularly in the 6 countries mentioned before, is the vision.

During discussions about how to implement the vision, we raised the issue of sustainability. If the leaders at every level are not in economically sustainable life situations, the likelihood of the vision being seen through to fruition is nearly zero.

So the term, Sustainable Vision was born.

The Ability of a Leader to Articulate the Expected Results of That Vision In A Way That Stirs Followers Minds

After a day of visitation and dialogue about the vision, concrete steps were being taken to provide support for family. Steps were also being taken to provide sufficient resources to leverage the activities that will bring “hope”. In the midst of all this I was impressed with the practical similarities between our vision and the circumstances of the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as they left Egypt en masse.

When they left Egypt there was one leader in charge of a million diverse, yet interrelated families. No organization, no structure, perhaps not a clear understanding of the long term opportunity, vision, and defensive mentality of leaving. There was no clear understanding of goals and objectives. If you are familiar with the story, that observation will make sense.

At the same time, a similarity that because of the amnesty of the vision, and the lack of skills and resources to implement or reach or sustain the vision, the need for a huge amounts of faith without “human” resources is palpable. The idea of a journey towards a vision of hope for many different people in physical juxtaposition but miles, or kilometers, apart culturally and economically.

What an opportunity for our “higher power” to demonstrate capacity, wisdom, and then capability.

Other Elements Needed

As I sat eating Tilapia grown on a local fish farm, and talking about this vision with 3 local leaders, the main man with the vision, looked me in the eye and said: “You know, that we are a people with little sustainable “business” and economic skills. We need to learn these skills so our vision is sustainable. We need curriculum-what to learn, teachers- to teach us, and coaches-to help us become the best at this. If we do not find these things, we will not succeed. We have faith that they are available and that He will provide them.”

And then he said, “Will you help us”.

"If I Call Will You Go?"

Here I sit the following morning with a lump in my throat.

The last time I heard such a clear call was almost 30 years ago. That time I ended up in Timbuktu, Mali. Certainly another remote location that many people had heard of but where most could not find it on the map.

Such is His call.

Items 3 through 8 on the list above are all important. For leaders however, the vision comes first and the willingness to both lead and be led comes next. The skill sets are then needed to make the Vision a sustainable one.

Is there a role for you in this vision?

As I get on the plane to head back to Colorado Springs I’m thinking about how this vision can be made sustainable, and what my, maybe your role, in it could be.

Certainly lots more to think about, and to think about deeply.

You know, for some of us this may be the Future-Funded Ministry that we talk about so often. It is certainly in the Future, will change people’s lives, takes prior experience and skill, a willingness to stretch, grow and give back, and certainly takes faith.

If the underlying challenge and message hits you as it has me, please raise your hand. I can be reached at [email protected] or give our office a call.

I pray you will be encouraged by this current story, use it to reflect on your leadership opportunities, and be blessed with His challenges to bring “hope” to the world.

Come take the journey with us, Trusted Advice along The Way.

Bruce Bruinsma

Do you want to learn more about how to your leadership skills can play an important part in  retirement? Download our free eBook Live with Meaning: Understanding the Power of Future-Funded Ministry.

Answer the Question: Three Keys for Giving Effective Answers

Anyone who supervises staff or provides service to others experiences this problem

Let’s say you are the Church Plan Administrator for a 403(b)(9) or a 401(k) plan or you are in charge of staff at a church. An employee stands at your office door and asks a question. How do you chose to answer the question? How do you handle the potential staff training issue being raised?  Fortunately, or not, you have a series of options for how you answer the question and then a decision to make. What do you do and how do you do it? 

Or maybe you provide customer service to people, either in person or over the phone. A question is asked.  It could be a question that is asked repeatably by the same person, or by separate people with similar needs.   Is there an approach, a systematic approach, that works the best in answering these questions? The employee issue and the customer service issue are similar. Let's explore "best practices" when it comes to answering these kinds of questions. The new approach will save you time, and increase the value of your answers. 

---

Here Are Three Keys for Giving Effective Answers

1. Your systems 

2. Your answers

3. What you teach by your answers

Understand That Regardless of  How you Answer, You Are Using a System 

We know that Systems prompt action, and those actions result in producing a specific outcome, or behavior.  In other words: Systems = Outcomes.  (How we answer questions is a system)

So what is a system?

A system is a set of interacting or interrelated actions, or elements, that when understood as a whole lead to a specific action or result. ( The subsequent behavior of the person whose question is being answered)

Systems are useful. The way God created the world was certainly systematic; take for example, the human body. Our bodies are a complex set of interrelated systems. Within each of those systems, like the circulatory system, are subsets of systems, like the heart. The way systems are put together, determines the outcome for those interrelated systems. Interestingly, our behavior is governed by the systems modeled for us.,  taught to us, we learn by ourselves, or even the ones we learn to avoid.

But what if the systems we use do not produce intended, or even expected, results. Or more importantly, they produce the wrong results?

 For example, the story of the young married woman, preparing a meal that included a pot roast. As part of her preparation she “lopped” off the end of the roast, and put it in the oven. Her husband asked, “Why did you ‘lop’ off the end of the roast?”

She replied, “I don’t know, that is the way my mom always did it.”

So they went in the living room and asked her mom. Same answer, “I don’t know that is just how my mom taught me.”

They were now curious and called grandma. Her answer was the same.

Now a couple of weeks later they were visiting great grandma in ‘the home’ and they asked her. In a moment of mental clarity she answered emphatically, “Silly, it was because the pan was too small!”

The systems we are taught influence our behavior. They ultimately determine our outcomes, the actions taken as a result of the  question being asked.  In the case of the young woman and her roast, what if her pan was big enough for the roast? With her current recipe (system) the pan size didn’t matter. Her behavior (cutting off the end of the roast) was in response to a recipe she had been taught and not a logical conclusion to the given situation. Her system was broken. Or at least not functional.

The good news is that systems can be evaluated and  changed. What we are taught can be modified.  We can implement systems that produce a consistent better and more desirable outcome. Out systems lead to outcomes. Good systems lead to good outcomes. Poor or inefficient systems lead to less than desirable results. 

Are you being asked the same question over and over by your church staff? Does your ministry or organization come across the same roadblocks at every turn? It might be time to evaluate your system, the systenatuc way you deal with questions.

An excellent resource for organizational leaders is Systems: Liberating Your Organization by Andy Stanley.  Andy flushes these topics out even more and  his message is worthwhile sharing with your leadership team. 

Direct Answers Only Produce an Immediate Fix

Direct answers often prompt more questions, not less.

Recently I was at a seminar where one of the speakers was expounding on the unique characteristics of the millennial generation. One of their characteristics, he explained, is that they want to understand and verify everything. So, the streams of questions are never ending. If you are over 40, or 50 for sure, and guaranteed if you are over 60, this will drive you nuts. The older generations will interpret the incessant questioning as impertinent and bordering on the disrespectful. In other words, a direct answer should suffice and continued questioning only raises the frustration level.

Fortunately, a wise friend of mine shared that “they just want to know more, so be cool”.

I’m not exactly sure what “be cool” means but I guess it means I need to extend my patience level to new limits.

The purpose of understanding this key is: A direct answer to a question usually has the opposite result from what we intend. We intend to answer the question and stop the questioning. Usually it doesn’t work. It might work for the moment, but it really serves as an invitation to bring more questions to your door or phone. A direct answer is only a short term fix.

If direct answers do not work, what’s the other option?

Teaching Rather Than Telling Impacts Long Term Behavior

Let’s start with the old adage, “Giving a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime”. 

There is a firm, read Envoy, that had a service team of 10 people answering questions from retirement plan participants regarding their 403b, 403b9 church plan or401(k) retirement plans. There was an average of 150 incoming phone calls per day regarding investments, and retirement plan details that pertained to them. So, the firm had created a system and trained people to use it.

What was the system?

When you have a question, call and we will answer it.

When company leadership began a systems review, the number of incoming services calls being received popped out as being a never ending dark hole of questions and direct answers, followed by more questions. . It created the perception in the market place that retirement plans were complicated, confusing and the processes were unclear. This all happened because of the system, put in place by the firm. A system that promoted calls and promised answers. Rather than a system  that "helped" the caller solve their problem. Those two perspectives are quite different.

So, what was the answer?  Could there be another system that would reverse the trend, provide better service, and be more cost effective? One that actually solved the callers problem now, and for the future. 

Here is what Envoy did:

1. Analyzed the calls to identify what questions were being asked over and over again.
2. Determined that the caller generally only wanted to be able to get an answer quickly and on their time schedule. This was, most of the time, more important that speaking with a “live” person.
3. Realized that the participant web portal was a great place to make information available if it was organized in a simple, easy to access manner.
4. Developed clear answers to the top 50 questions retirement plan participant were asking, and organized them clearly and logically on the web portal.
5. Trained the service staff to be “teachers” about “how to find answers” rather than “the person who just answers questions”.

What was the result? Pretty amazing.

1. Our service team began getting rave reviews on the service surveys.
2. The number of calls reduced over 6 months from that 150 per day to closer to 15-20.
3. The service team was reduced significantly with the cost savings allocated to additional important systems and services
4. The referrals for new business increased.

So what is the bottom line to this third key?

It is the application of the Christian principal of serving your neighbor. The legacy of “help” and "doing it well" is being carried out. In Envoy’s case, helping retirement plan participants who are working on the Future-Funded Ministry plan, as opposed to a retirement plan. Helping them by being an enabler instead of a “answerer" and an" encourager" rather than barrier to personal and financial growth.

There are hundreds of examples of this principal. Love to have you share one of yours. It will be an encouragement to others to remember and apply the principal: You help most by enabling others to be self-sufficient, by teaching them “How to fish”.

May all your systems be productive ones.

The results of the Faith-Based Retirement Plan Survey can serve as a guide for your retirement plan systems. It will answer your questions about what others are doing with their retirement plan and will equip you to guide your staff and employees toward their Future-Funded Ministry.

Want to Change Your View On Retirement? Your Future is a Matter of Heart.

Our future is a matter of heart. Your heart.

As Envoy continues to grow, serving more churches and ministries across the country and the world, we know planning for a future of service is not easy. It is made even harder when the financial services' industry insists on using green lines and toppling walls to encourage the masses to change the way they look at retirement.

Here is the bottom line: “How to" never motivated anyone to change behavior or revamp priorities.

The only time I've noticed effervescent joy from following a “how-to” is when the assembly instruction is finally deciphered for a child's toy and the toy actually works. Upon reflection, maybe the joy is just the release of adrenaline, or relief, or the amazement of our spouse and in- laws. It is worth noting that such a task takes both heart and perseverance to conquer. It may also be so embarrassing to fail-that literally fighting through to victory is the only legitimate option.

After the discovery, pain, fear and prayers of the last month because of Judy's calcified heart valves, I feel so much closer to issues of the heart now than I did before the discovery. This heart rending event almost crushed my heart, while binding our hearts closer together at the same time.

Isn't it strange how pain leads to strength and how matters of the heart changes course our lives?

Change Your Heart, Change Your Retirement: 3 Easy Steps

Can we agree that when our heart, our emotional core, is impacted we chart new courses and learn lessons? At Envoy, we noticed over the years that most people, faith based or otherwise, don't save for retirement consistently. As leaders of our respective organizations we do know that not only is this bad for the individual and related family members, it negatively impacts or organization and hurts our ministries. So is there something we can do? Can we change their future and our organizations too? Sure we can!

1. Watch this video of Dan, a lifelong missionary, and hear how Future-Funded Ministry has impacted his life. Leadership suggests forward movement with wisdom and energy! To accelerate this movement it requires an understanding of Future-Funded Ministry and then challenging our staff to understand and embrace it too.

2. Download the eBook, Live with Meaning: Understanding the Power of Future-Funded Ministry. Read it yourself, then recommend it to your senior leadership and staff.

3. Share this blog and refer to Future-Funded Ministry when talking about the future- the time when the paycheck stops but ministry continues.

Making this heartening and faith based perspective part of your organizations DNA will impact lives. And isn't that what leaders are called to do?

Have matters of the heart changed your perspective on life? People? Retirement? Join in the conversation by leaving a comment below.

We continue our journey with Trusted Advice Along The Way.
Bruce

By the way, join us in our daily dose of financial insights at www.trustedadvisordaily.com

Welcome to Bruce’s Trusted Advice Along The Way!

Everything on this earth has a beginning. And so it is that Bruce’s Trusted Advice Along The Way has begun. The information, insights, and aggregate wisdom we will share together on this journey will be fascinating. We’ll learn a little about each other, a lot about the Envoy Choice retirement plan, something about what it means to be an engaged Retirement Plan Sponsor, plus a thought or two about how to help plan participants engage with life application lessons. Just a head’s up, one of those God-directed passions in my life is figuring out how to configure and implement business for either ministry or mission. This journey of discovery will be intertwined with our primary focus—retirement. A coffee plantation, anyone?

Another one of my passions is spreading the word about “Future Funded Ministry.” One of the great insights that shapes my life, ministry, and message is, “Retirement is not only a reward for past service, but also a stepping stone to future ministry.” Perhaps some of the ways God has worked, and is working, in my life will encourage you. It certainly points me in some unexpected directions. Come along and join me on the journey.

I recently reconnected with a longtime acquaintance. Let’s call him Sam, and his wife, Martha.

We both wanted to catch up: He is a Future Funded Ministry Champion of mine. He, with his wife, ran a very successful Christian non-profit for years. Just prior to “retirement” he became President of the trade association focused on his area of ministry. Because they had saved wisely and lived prudently, they took the next three years after “retirement” and traveled the country visiting organizations similar to the one he led. During those visits he shared experiences, accumulated wisdom, and offered encouragement to organizations in forty-plus states. He continued to be relevant and made a difference in people's lives.

Why he could do it: Because he, they, had developed a Future Funded Ministry Plan during their years of leadership with the non-profit. “A stepping stone to Future Ministry,” indeed. There are at least two key takeaways from his, their, story:

1. Be open to God’s plan for the rest of your life; and
2. Start your financial preparation early.

So the applicable questions here are: How are you doing? How is your staff doing? And what, together, can we do to help?

Look for more stories like this on Bethany Palmer’s new blog entitled: Seizing Retirement. Bethany will be helping to educate and encourage your staff with great stories from Envoy’s experiences over the last twenty-five years. Connect and encourage your staff to connect too.

Some of the hot topics in the Plan Sponsor retirement world are fee disclosure, increased and simplified engagement by establishing a Retirement Plan Oversight Committee, and learning how to use all the features and benefits of the Envoy Choice platform. By the way, I promise to be an unabashed champion of that platform. Also, I am very open to discovering the inevitable foibles and missteps in it so the platform can be ever-improving.

We have marked the spot of beginning. Bookmark this site or connect via EnvoyFinancial.com. Welcome to the journey. Let’s enjoy it together. I will be posting every two weeks.

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, "Follow" us on Twitter, or "Connect" with me on LinkedIn.

Living with Trusted Advice together,

Bruce

Sound Bites won’t get you to Fee Disclosure, or anywhere else!

If you don’t know where you are, a map is not of much help ... If you don’t know where you are going, any port in a storm will do. To navigate successfully, you need two points: First where you are, and then where you are going. The next step is developing a plan to get there. Take a Future Funded Ministry Plan as an example.

We’ve all been-and will continue to be-bombarded with political harangue from every source imaginable. When you listen to the sound bites sitting in for solutions (which is what they are: Sound Bites) they are neither solutions nor clear problem definitions.

These thoughts come to mind because of two real life experiences I am facing now. One deals with fee disclosure in retirement plans, and the other involves figuring out travel priorities. When you have to go to Seoul, Bangkok, Pakse, Trieste and Hamburg … that is a problem. When there are many retirement plan participants and plan sponsors that don’t appreciate the expenses of their plan; that too is a problem. Particularly if you are the CEO of a Retirement Planning company. It just so happens I am: Envoy Financial.

Here is what I’m thinking ... On the fee disclosure side there are a few options:

1. Make sure everybody knows the information is coming. Got that underway!
2. Encourage the Retirement Plan Oversight Committees to Engage in the education and communication process. Now, that is easy to say, but difficult to do. Easy to write an email or make a phone call, but how do you create a sense of urgency and importance without sounding like a “pushy salesmen” or even a “compliance guru” … whatever that is.
3. Wait for the “bottom up” questions to force engagement by the Retirement Plan Oversight Committee members. Most likely this will be the source of most of the energy on this subject. I’m a little worried about being the “fall guy.” An easy out is, “They did not tell us.” Well, perhaps the webinar I just completed will make a difference.

Overall, I’m glad for the problem. Transparency in our industry has always been an issue. For once, at least, I think the government got it right. That’s certainly something to be thankful for in this very “political” season. It is more than a “sound bite,” they identified and implemented a real solution. And I am so proud to find some Retirement Plan Oversight Committees dedicated to the cause and hard at work on the communication solutions. Good job! Here’s hoping you are the lead horses in a growing herd!

Now to travel ... Business as Ministry sounds pretty cool. I’ll be talking about it in future blogs, but no kidding, it’s work. Seems like work was mentioned in early Genesis. So, let’s see ... LAX to BKK, to Ubon Ratchitani, to…well, you don’t really care. It is my problem.

So, are you clear about your location and your destination both eternally and next week? You know, both of those are Real Life Experiences.

I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with more. If you think the blog has potential, share it. If not ... well ... give me some Trusted Advice.

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.

Living with Trusted Advice together,
Bruce

Stinky Tofu ... smells terrible, tastes good. Appreciating the hidden value!

Last week there was an Asian night fair set up around City Hall in Pasadena, CA. Judy and I decided to check it out.

The long lines in front of a few food stalls confused us. Simultaneously, we experienced a terrible odor—It smelled like a number of animals with horribly active dysentery had congregated in one place. (That was the nicest way I could think of to communicate the terrible, awful smell!)

As I was expressing my olfactory response, a woman sidled up to us and said, “Stinky Tofu.” “What is that?” “The smell is Stinky Tofu" she said, “It tastes great ... you should try some” and she moved on. I looked at Judy and then read the sign on the food stall with the longest line. Yup, “Stinky Tofu.”

I admit, I was not about to try anything called “Stinky Tofu” that night. We ate at an Italian restaurant a few blocks away.

With my curiosity aroused, I googled “Stinky Tofu” when I got home:

Stinky tofu or chòu dòufu is a form of fermented tofu that has a strong odor. (No kidding!) It is a snack that may be sold at night markets or roadside stands; or as a side dish in lunch bars rather than in restaurants.

So, are there any lessons to be learned from “stinky tofu”? I think so. First of all, not everything that smells bad is bad for you. I thought back to the spoons full of cod liver oil consumed as a kid. I also remembered the “Egg and Coffee” prepared by my Grandmother for a quick breakfast. Second, it is often worthwhile to investigate before you decide. Ignoring anything based on first impressions can cost you; there just might be Hidden Value. That's how it is with money, retirement plans, Future Funded Ministry Plans, and maybe—just maybe—Stinky Tofu.

I can’t tell you how many retirement plan sponsors give lip service to the importance of retirement planning for their staff, and then treat the whole subject like the smell of “Stinky Tofu.” Fermented retirement plans? Those who investigate and engage discover an important piece of their benefit package. Those who don’t, just walk by a great opportunity.

In this case, engagement by a Plan Sponsor both fulfills your fiduciary responsibility, and creates additional value for the money invested both by the sponsoring organization and each participant. If you don’t know about “stinky tofu” you can’t appreciate its flavor. If you don’t educate your plan participants, they won’t appreciate or value the retirement plan. Maybe we’ve identified a life principal here? What do you think?

Engaged leadership, an active Retirement Plan Oversight Committee, and an intentional communication program are the essentials necessary to educate your participants about the value of your plan to them. You’ve got to taste it to enjoy it.

Now every time you think about your retirement plan, you will remember the lessons learned from “Stinky Tofu.” Hidden Value indeed.

Living with Trusted Advice together,
Bruce

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.

Gouda Cheese ... Looks great, tastes great! And comes with great service!

My friend and I left the restaurant where we had lunch and he pointed to The Cheese Store of Pasadena. “I wonder how anybody can make a go of a cheese shop?” he asked. “Let’s take a look and find out” I said.

As we entered, I quickly reflected on my heritage, Dutch. They make great cheese, so I asked the smiling clerk behind the counter “Do you have any great Gouda Cheese?” “Oh yes” she said “it is special and I’ll get it out right now.” I nodded to my friend and we both smiled. Right now!

She brought out a big round of Gouda Cheese, shaved off a slice, and handed it to me. “This has been aged for three and a half years with a special procedure that brings out all of its flavor quickly. What do you think?”

I loved it and bought enough for breakfast the next day. Bread and cheese is a Dutch breakfast staple. I can remember having it during my year in Zeist, Netherlands when I was 6. (More on that some other time.)

When I got home, Judy asked me how much it cost ... I did not even know. A smile, enthusiasm for her product, and immediate service ... What a great combination! Now I know how The Cheese Store stays in business. I know I’ll be back!

Over the last 6 months at Envoy, we’ve increased focus on customer and client service. With so many changes in our industry—and our total systems upgrade—it seemed like a focus on service was in order. Our service comes mainly via phone and email. We learned again that what our clients want is a friendly, caring, quick and accurate answer to their questions ... just like the cheese shop! Perhaps there is a lesson there for all of us, regardless of business or ministry.

With all the sophistication in telephone systems these days, it’s often hard to get a live person, let alone an answer to a question, or help with a problem. The other day I searched for 10 minutes just to find a phone number for the company I wanted to call. Bethany Palmer, our President, actually spent some time on the phone answering client questions. “You know" she said, "people would love it if we could make sure they can get their question answered on the first call.” The idea made sense to me.

We instituted a “May I help You?” answer to all phone calls. After making sure we know the issue, we follow with “Let me get the answer to your question or solution to your problem, right now, while you are on the phone. Will that be ok?” Well, the response has been—as you might imagine—surprise! And quite a lot of “Thank you's.” A cheer for Bethany and the team that has worked with her: Kristen, Jeff, Scott and Tom.

We recently added another service person to the group. She has great experience in our industry helping Plan Sponsors and Plan Participants understand and utilize their retirement plans; helping with their Future Funded Ministry plans; and truly changing lives. I’d love to have her help with the coffee plantation too ... but that is truly another story.

What I like best about her (no name to protect the innocent) is she always has a great smile and a positive attitude. Reminds me of the clerk in the Cheese Store!

So to close out this post—which is not in the least bit cheesy—“What do Gouda cheese and Retirement Plan Service have in common?” When either one comes with great service, it makes all the difference in the world.

Living with Trusted Advice together,
Bruce

P.S. Write a comment if you have had an experience in Zeist ... or with Gouda Cheese ... or how about great service!

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.

Change Is Happy and Sad

I'm sitting in my living room, taking this picture and trying to decide whether to be sad or happy! And yes, it is a choice.

Today is moving day. The last couple of weeks have been "in preparation” for this move. Judy has done a great job of organizing, per usual. Her 4 categories of “what goes where” are:

1. Take to new Pasadena Urban apartment.
2. Set aside for truck transport to Colorado Springs condo.
3. Leave behind for estate sale.
4. Goods to be donated to the ACTS Thrift store.

These alternatives only highlight the pain of decision making and prioritization. Each item takes on a “decision making” life of its own. Fortunately, 50 years of marriage have taught us how to fight fair and compromise with Love … most of the time.

It took us over a year to make the decision to sell and move. The economy, evolving priorities, personal preference, and a strong Spirit led us to conclude "it is time to prepare again for the future." Shades of a Future Funded Ministry Plan, don't you think?

But it's hard to change! Eleven great years on one of Pasadena’s most beautiful streets is tough to leave; however Colorado Springs, France, and Pakse, Lao are calling. As Envoy grows and expands, we either grow and lead the change, or fade into the future. There is still a lot to be done and His call does not fade.

We experienced many good memories for sure: Envoy’s growth, beginning a coffee plantation in Laos, the ACTS Thrift Store start up ... all part of those good memories.

There were tough times as well: two cancer surgeries for Judy, Bethany’s cancer challenges ... But time moves forward, and God’s plan is front facing. Still hard though!

Sad, too, that some highlight experiences from the past will not be repeated in the same way: Our Grandsons will never wake up at 5 AM, bundle up and walk out the front door to be amazed at the Rose Bowl floats outside our door ... We will no longer have peaceful moments on our beautiful deck discussing the activities of the day ...

As always, we look for added meaning in the experiences of life. It is our learning together as The Church that gives added value to life and serving our God, responsibly. Here are some of them that occur to me:

1. Learn from looking back, but don’t get stuck there.
2. Love your wife (spouse).
3. Stay in touch with God’s plan for your life by looking forward and being affirmed by how God has placed you where you are ... for a purpose.
4. Stay in shape ... you never know when you will have to “lug” boxes.

Of course, there must be some lessons with application to retirement plans:

1. Act now while you plan for the future.
2. Communicate with those you are responsible for and/or care about.
3. Be prepared to make decisions.
4. Future Funded Ministry is a part of your future, prepare for it.

By my next blog, I hope the following will be true:

• My muscles will be less sore.
• A purposeful life will have moved forward.
• Retirement Plan Oversight Committee meetings will be taking place.
• Educate Now (Envoy’s education and retirement plan support system) will have successfully launched.
• Judy and I will have discovered some great little eateries within walking distance from our new abode.
• I will have learned more from you (remember, I LOVE your comments!)
• And yes, I think I’ll choose Happy!

Living with Trusted Advice together,

Bruce

Write a comment if you have had an experience with moving, change or the choices we all have to make.

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.

Expanded Integrity … Honesty With Courage

One of our staff recently wrote a blog comment describing Integrity as being Honesty with Courage. Bethany Palmer (Envoy's President) and I have been reflecting and discussing the application of this startling description for the past week. WOW! The addition of “courage” to the obvious “honesty” description is an important one. Let’s take a look at some of implications of this definition.

A quick thesaurus search shows honesty, followed by truth, honor and veracity, as descriptors of integrity. Courage suggests a willingness to take action—even to risk when action is taken. Kennedy’s "Profiles in Courage" was an early introduction to courageous acts for me. Regular people engaging in unusual acts of impact and change helps describe personal courage.

An element inherent in the understanding of courage is taking immediate action to impact any circumstances—to be an agent of change. I wrote in a previous blog that change is a decision. Often, courage is described as an instant response to a situation done without thinking. While this is often true, I think of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses on the front door of the Cathedral in Wittenberg. The result was the start of the Protestant Reformation.

I think of the concerted action of the passengers on United Airlines flight 93 that prevented terrorists from flying into a target in our Nation's Capital. They died in the process.

Finally, I think of courage in another, much more personal way. Try this: knowing you need to do something and procrastinating, or doing nothing. Isn’t this the opposite of courage?

"Congratulating" ourselves for being honest and truthful in all we do may only be one half of a critical distinction. Up until this dialogue, my definition of integrity really only included the component of “honesty” … I missed the whole “courageous” piece.

A common personal question is, “Can I look myself honestly in the mirror?” Or to question the actions of someone else by asking them, “Can you look yourself honestly in the mirror?” Perhaps a better question is, “Can I look myself in the mirror with integrity?" Frankly, I never thought about it. With this expanded definition firmly in mind, asking myself this question in the face of any given situation can be difficult, often troubling, and certainly disconcerting … disconcerting in the sense that the courageous part of the definition would require action on my part. Or to think back to that prior blog, a decision to take action.

In thinking about my focus on Future Funded Ministry (this has gotten personal), how does this expanded definition of integrity—honesty with courage—play out. Here are some questions that seem to emerge: What does it mean to engage in creating a Future Funded Ministry Plan with “Integrity”? What does it look like? What does it mean? What must I be honest about? And what courage can I demonstrate?

I’d love to hear your thoughts as we struggle with some new thoughts about a critical life responsibility—no, necessity. Retirement, Future Funded Ministry, Integrity … how do they connect for a Plan Sponsor, a Retirement Plan Oversight Committee and for Envoy Financial? All have to be engaged together to bring a great retirement plan experience to participants. And then, how does this definition of Integrity connect with Plan Participants?

We’ll address these issues in future blogs. Some of the metrics may surprise you. Think about it, and add your voice to the discussion.

Living with Trusted Advice together,

Bruce

Write a comment if you have had an experience with making a difficult decision to act knowing what was true, or any other insights prompted by Expanded Integrity.

If you really want to stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.

Courage To Prepare

He gave all he had to “prepare the way”!

I’ve had some interesting conversations with a variety of people recently. Apparently integrity is an issue many of us think about. The honesty with courage aspect, taking action on our knowledge, is a bigger challenge than even I suggested. Fear (of many kinds) and “not wanting to get involved” are the two talking points that come up.

In our 21st Century western culture we are so concerned about being “politically correct” that we are willing to set action aside—even when we know it is the right thing to do. I watch Retirement Plan Oversight Committees struggle with their communication plan to participants. “Who are we to tell them what to do?” is a recent question. Is that the same fear we should acknowledge with regards to our God? "Who are we to tell ‘them’ anything. They have to figure out what is best for them and follow their own path." "I fear for our country and missions/evangelism activities everywhere." Have we forgotten that God really is in control?

While there may be life options that can be approached from multiple perspectives, there are some absolutes and activities that must be approached with Integrity. Integrity does mean honesty with courage, don’t you think?

The recent Middle East “rage” is not action taken with integrity. Manipulation, in conjunction with lack of preparation on the US part, resulted in murder, destruction, and mayhem. Now we, Americans, need Integrity to address the issues head on.

And so it is with retirement and the preparation required for it! We need integrity, the honesty to communicate what is true and the courage to encourage our fellow staff, employees, and partners to take action.

Many retirement plan participants, and those who do not participate, lack understanding and urgency to address three issues:

1. Developing a Future Funded Ministry Plan
2. Learning the basics of investing, planning, and communication
3. The discipline needed to create priorities

A partnership between the Plan Sponsor, the Plan Administrator, the Retirement Plan Oversight Committee and Envoy’s educational material is what is needed to address the issue of individual preparation for the future—with skills developed now. Those life skills (interestingly enough) can and should be applied now ... and would offer immediate benefits. I’d appreciate comments on this part of my message. We can certainly learn from each other in this arena.

Perhaps a take away from the last couple of communiques is that we must prepare for the future with Integrity:

• Personal integrity must be the basis for our individual actions.
• Group (or corporate) integrity must be the basis to support our participants and plan investors.
• National integrity as we deal with issues around the world.
• And Spiritual integrity as we build our relationship with our God, and the life of service and joy that can come from it.

Living with Trusted Advice together

Bruce

Connected = Engaged

“Won’t that couple ever talk to each other?” Judy asked. We were having dinner at a local Pasadena eatery and there was another couple in our line of sight. Young, attractive and definitely not connected. How did we know?

1. No talking
2. No eye contact
3. No physical contact

Definitely not connected. They exhibited all the telltale signs of a lack of engagement. They finished eating, split the bill, and headed out to what? A silent ride home … and there went an evening out. It was wasted and provided no basis for a future dialogue—no basis for a future life. They need The Money Couple.

I can remember being introduced by our high school coach as the only 9^th grade member of the Junior Varsity basketball team. It was during an All School assembly and we were back in the locker room when he came up to me and said, “Everyone else seemed excited for you, what’s your problem?” “I am excited,” I protested. “Notify your face!” he retorted.

As Christians we are urged to be Salt and Light in—and to—our world. We are exhorted to “BE ENGAGED.” No hiding that light under a basket.

So, what are the tell-tale signs that a retirement plan participant (and investor) is not engaged? A couple quick examples come to mind when thinking of the Envoy Choice Plan:

1. No Registration
2. No Enrollment
3. No annual review
4. No webinar attendance
5. No reading newsletter

Well let’s not be too tough … most people don’t do anything at all. The sad part is—like our Christian walk and steps to maturity—if we don’t put anything in, we’ll get the same amount out. A big Zero. I often think of the parable of the 10 virgins ... what a bummer to get left out in the cold when the “big” time comes.

It’s kind of like that with planning for the time when the paycheck stops … kind of like not preparing for your Future Funded Ministry Plan. Maybe it is even like letting the coffee cherries rot on the vine, when all we had to do was take action, engage, and pick them at the height of maturity.

All of us involved in creating the Educate Now activities are called to connect … to engage. And our biggest task is to encourage our participants to do the same: Connect, Engage, Turn On and Get Going. Many are, yet many are not.

Envoy will do it’s best to help, but we are better together. I don’t like to motivate with guilt, and yet we know what the right thing to do is! Well, 100,000 Jewish moms might be right at least some of the time.

Here is an inside observation. The material Envoy provides is really good stuff. The resource center, the Personal Retirement Guide, the Website, and maybe, occasionally, this blog. Let’s make it better together.

Bruce

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.

Distributions For A Lifetime Of Service

Distributing family heirlooms and keepsakes, proceeds of a sale, the wealth of a nation, or historically the booty of war has always been difficult. During our recent Presidential campaign, President Obama’s comments about redistributing wealth created grist for the political mill. Issues regarding how money is distributed flash across the screen of history regularly. From Adam Smith’s "The Wealth of Nations" to the Marxist view of a communist society … all have a basis in the perception of who gets what, and when.

How we distribute coffee impacts the funding available for ministry.

Jesus' parables address the issue. One of the themes behind the Prodigal Son deals with the key difference of opinion between the two brothers of who gets what, when, and how the Father deals with the issues. Getting what is perceived to be ours when we want it—and in the form we want it—is a theme played out daily in families, businesses, Churches and cities across our land.

Interestingly, the issue of retirement plan distributions is the one that comes up most often during the day to day administration of retirement plans. There are so many reasons—and often such urgency—attached to distribution requests that the emotional elements often over ride the administrative.

Think of the various reasons monies are distributed from a retirement plan:

1. The individual is leaving the organization for any number of reasons. A distribution will take place.
2. The organization is closing a 401k plan and moving to a 403b plan. A distribution will take place.
3. The organization is changing vendors. A distribution will take place.
4. A plan participant is experiencing a hardship of some kind. A distribution will take place.
5. A plan participant takes a loan … a type of distribution will take place.
6. A plan participant retires. A distribution will take place.

Time, form, and process all are key elements to these distribution issues. It is important that each Plan Administrator be up to speed on what it takes for a distribution to take place. The best place to get up to speed, or to review a process, is on the Plan Sponsor Web Portal Resource Center. The Distributions tab is the access point to key descriptors dealing with all of the distribution issues mentioned above.

Retirement Plan best practices, and some cases legal requirements, provide for the Plan Sponsor Representative or Plan Administrator to sign off on all distributions. When a Plan Participant leaves the organization there is a process outlined that will help the Organization encourage the Participant to move their funds to an IRA. This process helps both the Participant and the Organization: engaging the participant; and relieving the Organization of major ongoing communication responsibilities. Yes, we’ve thought of it all. Oh, by the way, as long as the assets are in an Envoy Choice IRA, we count the assets toward your plan pricing breakpoints. That was a good idea and kudos to our Envoy Staff.

Taking a retirement plan distribution need not be traumatic or painful. It is a critical part of our Educate Now! Process. Clearly, distributions are part and parcel of the end result of a well developed and implemented Future Funded Ministry Plan. Distributions: The Freedom to Serve.

Preparation with Integrity results in Ministry for a lifetime. Distributions are the way the funds are transferred from the investment stage to active ministry. Dream, Save, Serve!

Let me know your thoughts and comments. Our dialogue continues.

Living with Trusted Advice together,

Bruce

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.

It is so beautiful when it works

I’m in our hotel lobby in Pakse, Laos. Our Business for Missions project is now 6 years in the making, or should I say growing! This is the first year, finally, that the product and the processing mills are ready. It is harvest time for coffee growers and processors. We have the best equipment, our coffee cherries are ripening nicely, and the farmers have a lot of product they want to sell to us. What could be better?

So in the world of make believe, you turn on the mills, raise the flag to purchase, welcome the workers to the fields for harvesting, sell the finished product at premium prices, and live happily ever after. Now that is a fairy tale.

Here is the real story. You work your tail off to understand what must be done, as told by a variety of experts … all with a slightly different twist on the process. You put the investment at risk in a different culture, with different understandings, and attempt to bring all the processes to full operating capacity with a minimum of fuss. Just today, some product dried too much, some too little. The egress slide for the product from the hopper was installed with the wrong grade, and the belt to the conveyor came off the pulley. The rains came creating a new point of struggle. I’m dirty, tired, and could use a chocolate shake … comfort food you know … And I’m on a diet!

Well, no one promised the proverbial “bed of roses.” Any business—or project—is so beautiful when it works. Your energy comes because you believe this is what God wants you to do and the final result will be a sustained business funding ministry that will change lives. To God be the glory and I think I'll go to bed.

This tome would not be complete without an application to the process each of us must follow to create that Future Funded Ministry we talk about. If you have God’s call on your life, then preparation is critical. And, like with coffee, there are plenty of people ready to tell you what you should do. If you have that picture, then taking the steps to be ready for the point in time when the paycheck stops—but ministry must continue—is the consistent work of your hands and minds.

Consistent engagement, learning what is true, investing for the future, applying those lessons to the present, and a willingness to be consistent and persistent during good times and difficult ones, is how it really works. And, it is so beautiful when it works.

As a Plan Sponsor, my message today is an encouraging one. Help your people to prepare by providing the best retirement plan experience for them. See our new explanation, EDUCATE NOW on our website. To our knowledge, it is the only all encompassing explanation of its kind. We’ll talk more about it in the future.

In the meantime, drink a couple of cups of coffee for me.

Let me know your thoughts and comments. Our dialogue continues.

Bruce

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.

Read Isaiah When It's Tough!

It was so beautiful. The coffee parchment replicated a checkerboard on the drying flats, 2.5 centimeters thick. The furrows were perfectly aligned and glistening gold in the hot Laotian sunlight. 25 tons of coffee parchment—what is left after the cherry pulp is removed—were spread like a shimmering, undulating carpet across 2.5 acres of drying flats. What a sight!

Picture this ... dump a can of coffee beans on the table ... now spread the beans evenly—touching on all sides. See how pretty it is? Now turn a faucet on the table. What happens to the beans … yup, they run all over, fall off the edge, pile up in strange configurations. You pause, and then start to re-organize them again. All the while you grimace and try to remember what Isaiah had said during your morning devotions.

Starting anything new is hard. If the project is big enough, there are many points of new beginnings and things to learn. Because we know intellectually that it will be hard (whatever the project) we often don’t start. The old adage, “once begun is half done” sounds good … until the half you are working on takes a turn “south.”

My coffee partner and I had been focusing on Isaiah for the week. I remembered Isaiah 62: 6b-7

“You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.”

At that moment, I was confident that there would be little rest ... and that "establishing our Jerusalem" (our goal at that moment) would result in our God being praised. That certainty is where the energy comes from to continue when the going get’s tough.

I can’t miss this opportunity to encourage you and your staff with your retirement plan activities, strategies and implementation. So many give up … DON'T DO IT. Creating a Future Funded Ministry Plan is critical to you fulfilling God’s plan for your life AND living life to the fullest for all your days. Sometimes, it seems like the beans are being swept off the table. Stay the course … Be engaged … Give yourself no rest in doing good and being prepared. It really is worth it.

By the way, the sun was shining today in Laos.

Leave me your thoughts and comments.

Living with Trusted Advice together

Bruce

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.

Looking For The Darkness

Surprisingly, we should be “looking for the Darkness.” We are to be the light that shines into it.

One of our young Pastors at Lake Avenue Church, Walter Alexander, challenged us this morning with this admonition: “Bring your light to shine in the darkness. It is all around us.” I was prompted to reflect on my last few weeks … Colorado, Thailand, Laos, and Pasadena. As we work with so many mission-sending organizations at Envoy, it is easy to constantly be reminded of the worldwide issues of darkness we see. Syria, issues in Egypt, much of Africa, and most of the countries that compose Southeast Asia. Certainly there are glimmers of light in many places, but the darkness is still overwhelming.

Closer to home, the deaths of the two NFL players, suicide and DUI death, a notice of 4 killed at Cal State, San Bernardino, and now Sandy Hook. Closer yet to us, our son Brent, who has Rubenstein’s syndrome, was violently attacked and punched in the face. He was blindsided by a very disturbed man at the bus stop in La Verne, California. Darkness is all around us and sometimes it seems as if it is winning. Fortunately we know the ending of the story, as in “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.”

Thinking about a topic relevant to everyone, retirement, I see darkness there too. The deceiver would have us not only act, but think darkly and with dire consequence. When we understand the force—and the impact for a lifetime—of a Future Funded Ministry, a number of dark dialogues come to mind. Here are how a few of them start:

1. I’m young and have lots of time.
2. I don’t understand all that money stuff.
3. My “husband/wife/employer” is taking care of that.
4. I’ll never retire and God is going to take care of me.

Each one of those (and others—you fill in the blank), has inherent in it the subtle whisperings of the deceiver. Those whisperings are designed to keep us in the dark and inhibit our ability to let our light shine in the darkness for a lifetime. Some of the most effective witnesses for Him have been silenced, marginalized, or significantly limited by listening to—and not “acting on”—the solutions, but staying in the darkness.

While I am writing this, I am listening to a wonderful musical encouragement, “God So Loved The World, That He Gave His Only Begotten Son.” He is the light, and we are to reflect that light in all of our life. Our preparation, our planning, our execution and our follow through are all part of that mandate.

For every Ministry Leader who reads this, let’s commit together to shine our lights for our staff’s to follow. As we lead in the New Year, let’s at least make sure the retirement plan portion of our encouragement is solidly in place: Our Retirement Plan Oversight Committees are in place and functioning; All of our participants are enrolled in their retirement plan; and each of us takes intentional steps to model, talk about, and encourage planning for the future. These actions impact and have value for ministry, and for today’s action plans.

I’m just about finished writing a short book about Future Funded Ministry. Look for more information within a month or so. It is designed to present a message in direct conflict with the deceiver. It is written as a beacon of light for all. Let’s shine our message on all the dark places together. Thank you for what you already do, and let’s resolve to shine even more light in the future.

Let me know your thoughts and comments. Our dialogue continues.

Living with Trusted Advice together

Bruce

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.

The Brussels Sprouts of Life

Judy walked in from a grocery shopping expedition ... it is amazing when you are on a diet and getting older how little you eat—and the importance of each component of every meal. (If you haven’t noticed, you will.)

As I watched her empty the small grocery cart, I was amazed at the stalk of Brussels Sprouts. Amazing what you learn every day: Yes the name has an “S” on the end ... they are sprouts from Brussels.

For some reason I always figured they were somehow like little cabbages and grew in the ground. The reality reminded me (other than color and size) of the stalks of red peppers we see hanging in our stores and Hispanic food shops. Or, the stalks of bananas hanging on the roadside huts I viewed in Laos recently. I found that Brussels Sprouts originated in Northern Europe and were brought to the America’s by French Settlers in Louisiana. California is now the growing capital.

First of all, initial impressions—and my feeble attempts to connect what I saw with my preconceptions. Brussels Sprouts … uhgh! I put them in the same category as spinach and liver. Hated the smell, texture, and taste, I thought. Nevertheless, Brussels Sprouts can be a metaphor for one of the most important lessons of life … “things are seldom as they seem.” I found this true even with a high school classmate who I disliked intensely while we were in high school, only to “discover” him as an adult and become friends.

Another axiom, “All that glitters is not gold” is the flip side of the Brussels Sprout message. I shared a recipe touted by a cooking aficionado with Judy that we are going to try, "Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower with Meatloaf Balls." We even followed the instructions to allow the Sprout to cook evenly and all the way through. (Just thought of drying coffee beans … "even drying" applies to coffee beans too. Even drying must be a priority with all foods. Ha! Just applied the lesson in two different areas. That is a good thing!)

So where is the connection between Brussels Sprouts and retirement plans? Retirement plans are what I’m supposed to be writing about, you know. Key, informative, and challenging messages to Retirement Plan sponsors and ministry leaders. We digress … back to Brussels Sprouts and retirement. Here are some of the applications and connections:

1. Like stinky tofu (see prior blog), not everything that initially scares us—or puts us off—is bad for us. (i.e. Once begun is half done.)
2. Understanding how to prepare it is important. (i.e. Educate Now)
3. Connecting it to other meaningful foods (or activities) adds significant value. (i.e. Future Funded Ministry)
4. An appreciation for those who prepare it. (i.e. Plan Sponsors and Envoy)
5. A willingness to try it and stay with it, bringing joy and flavor to life and for a lifetime.

Well, hope that wasn’t too much of a stretch for you … just the way my mind works. One of the reasons for writing a blog. Sharing thoughts and insights that prompt you to chuckle, think a little, and apply insights to your own life.

Let me know your thoughts and comments. Our dialogue continues.

Living with Trusted Advice together

Bruce

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.

Do Not Step On The Brake!

We were driving along feeling great about the sunny weather along I-70 in the Rockies. Vail was 80 miles ahead and Glenwood Springs was the next town. The Sun was bright, road was dry, scenery beautiful and our tires were good. We’d stopped for the night in Green River. When getting into the car that morning, a “good neighbor” said, “You might want to check that right front tire.” I did … it was flat. We found a great garage where they pulled the nail and off we went. Perhaps a harbinger of things to come.

Have you experienced a sudden change in circumstance and made the wrong decision when trying to fix the problem? You are not alone … check out this one. As we came down a gentle hill and cruised around a curve, the sunlight disappeared and the shade became our new reality … along with the ice. “Watch the ice,” I shouted to Judy. “Oh my,” she said as she hit the brakes! When you live in California, knowing how to drive on ice is not one of the prerequisites.

Do you know what happened? Yup, we were spinning, hurtling backwards into the 25 yard ditched median, bouncing onto the “other direction” highway facing into traffic. “Drive into the ditch,” I cried, and she did. We came to rest perpendicular to the highways with our hood directed into the snow bank.

We breathed a sigh of relief, checked on Brent in the back seat, and said a quick prayer of thanks.

I may write about the rescue and the rest of the adventure later. Suffice it to say we survived and the car was not even damaged. Unbelievable!

So where is the lesson here? What can we learn about each of our decisions in life? Here are a couple of principles:

1. Not only know where you are, but anticipate where you are going
2. Review alternative possible courses of action given your circumstance
3. Always wear your seatbelt
4. Love your family all the time

And finally, don’t step on the brake when you hit the shady ice in your life. Shady ice appears out of nowhere, although in hind site it could be anticipated. Isn’t that a little like planning for a Future Funded Ministry? No preparation and the “shady ice” of life attacks you at the most vulnerable time … when it may be too late to do anything about it.

As a Retirement Plan Oversight Committee member we have a fiduciary responsibility to do all we can to alert our plan participants about the “shady ice” of retirement. Further, we have the responsibility to educate them how to prepare for that eventuality. “Watch out, there is 'shady ice' ahead” is the figurative picture of our role to encourage and support. How are we doing?

As we head into 2013, let’s check our RPOC travel plans, schedules, and training.

Watch out for the “shady ice” and Don’t put on the brakes!

Living with Trusted Advice together,

Bruce

If you want to really stay in touch with us, “Like” us on Facebook, “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Connect” with me on LinkedIn.