Aldersgate Advisors
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Oh let Israel say, "His lovingkindness is everlasting."
3 Oh let the house of Aaron say, "His loving kindness is everlasting."
4 Oh let those who fear the LORD say, "His lovingkindness is everlasting."
5 From my distress I called upon the LORD: The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.
6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
12 They surrounded me like bees; They were extinguished as a fire of thorns; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
13 You pushed me violently so that I was falling, But the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.
15 The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
17 I will not die, but live, And tell of the works of the LORD.
18 The LORD has disciplined me severely, But He has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates ofrighteousness; I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD; The righteous will enter through it.
21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, And You have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone
23 This is the LORD'S doing ; It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God, and He has given us light; Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, I extol You.
29 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Thanksgiving for the LORD'S Saving Goodness.
Save All You Can
As managerial economists, it should not be surprising we believe the most direct path to prosperity is to be economical, efficient and prudent in all financial and business affairs.
There is a lot to be said about the "Protestant / Puritan work ethic" - it works! No pun intended.
The first step on the path to prosperity begins my minimizing those unnecessary expenses and threats to your prosperity - " filling up the holes in your wealth bucket" first before we spend efforts to fill the bucket - and then using those savings for more "rewarding" endeavors - whether that is investing, growing your business, or using your wealth to help others.
We provide a few examples on the following pages. From recovering on "problem assets" to making some of your "business interests" and investments more efficient and profitable so no one will confuse them with your hobbies and passions.
One area where almost everyone looks to save - and where we can help - is taxes. Every penny saved by prudent tax planning is more money to invest. And it is not wise stewardship to overpay your taxes by giving to "Caesar", that which is God's".
The Treasury Inspector General estimates well over half of all taxpayers over pay their taxes by not taking advantage of available tax provisions.
More disturbing is that 89% of those taxpayers that over pay their taxes use professional tax preparers - CPAs, accountants, etc.
"There's no point in paying somebody to do your taxes if those folks don't do you any good," according to U.S. Senator Charles Grassley.
One study of more than 1,000 financial advisors or "gatekeepers"- CPAs and accountants, wealth managers, financial planners, tax and estate planning attorneys, stockbrokers, investment advisers, and insurance professionals- revealed that none of the groups could pass a 20 question tax / charitable donation quiz - with accountants having the lowest scores answering only 30% correctly and estate planning attorneys scoring the best with only 65% correct.
Another study of such financial "advisors" also confirmed the Inspector General's findings revealed that most " advisors" don't ever bring up tax saving options to their high net worth clients, and only discuss them after first being asked by their client.
This finding led one adviser to ask, "Would you keep an advisor who didn't advise you that you could give to your favorite charity and at the same time save tax dollars and make money in the process?"
To be fair, most traditional "advisors" are specialists and not trained in multiple disciplines or scientific methods as are managerial economist.
One should probably not ask a CPA or attorney for investment advice, not should one seek tax advice from an investment advisor. More often than not, we find high net worth advisors seldom speak to each other, rarely operating towards the same goals, and frequently working at cross-purposes.
We believe a coordinated cost minimizing, tax and investment strategy, is the best strategy to maximize wealth and prosperity.