Turn Around and You're 2 Turn around and You're 4

My daughter's boyfriend called me on the cell phone last Thursday and asked for a face to face chat with me. He wanted "to ask Harmony a question and wanted to ask me first". I didn't have to think long to know what he wanted to ask me. I hadn't fallen off the turnip truck just yesterday.

I called Harmony on Sunday to check in with her and see if anything "new" was going on. She answered, all excited, and told me that Bobby had just asked her to marry him. She seemed to be on cloud nine.

Harmony and Bobby are both Aeronautical Engineers hoping to make this picture come true one day. I won't be surprised.

All my love and best wishes to the two of you.

Dad R.

Like me, because you are building your financial future, you naturally want to know it is secure. Begin your insurance journey by framing your security on a foundation of term life insurance. You can get started by visiting my website at http://www.jamesrichard.com/

Baby it's cold outside

June 21 - June 28, 2008 Elaine and I cruised the Inside Passage to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and then up Tracy Arm to see the Glacier.

One evening the sun was going down and Elaine made the mistake of saying she was cold. Of course this left her wide open for me to practice my bear hug; which is appropriate when in bear country.

Luckily, for me, she likes bears.

The Inside Passage to Alaska is truly majestic and this trip gave me time to ponder on the principle of majesty. I began to notice how expansive everything appeared; the ocean, the forests, and the mountains all seemed to go on forever and I began making the connection of majesty to other aspects of my life. It is difficult to put into words the expanding feeling of gratitude and appreciation I was experiencing. Everything and everyone simply became more and more beautiful. I highly recommend you slow down and look at the majesty in your life. I believe it is all around us and it may be as close as your loved ones eyes.
Happy Trails,
Jim Richard



Like me, because you are building your financial future, you naturally want to know it is secure. Begin your insurance journey by framing your security on a foundation of term life insurance. You can get started by visiting my website http://www.jamesrichard.com/

Hindsight - "I Think I'll Start Walking Backwards"

Each year my children ask me what I want for fathers day and I've given them some sort of fatherly advice like: just be your best, keep your room clean, or save your money - not exactly the responses they were looking for; especially when they were teenagers.

My favorite gifts were always the ones they made for me when they were small. As they grew older, they would do their best to overcome my annual attitude,"you don't have to get me anything, just...(more fatherly advice)" They would put their heads together, attempt to read my mind for something I'd really enjoy, and then buy me a new tie. At the time, I thought that I was doing them a favor, but now I realize the folly of my thinking.

This year was different. I took some time to ponder their annual query and told them, "I'd like a fishing pole, an easel and some painting/drawing supplies." Picturing myself painting some idyllic scene while lazily fishing for Sunnys or Bluegills brought me into a calm and peaceful place. The stresses of life and running a business had been piling up and I realized that I needed to take some time to simply relax and unwind.

The sweetest piece of this story is that my children, now all in their 20's, saw the joy on my face and I on theirs, as I opened their gifts: a fishing pole, tackle box, easel and painting and drawing supplies.

Sometimes the smallest of events are the most lasting.

Thanks Kids...It's been a great day. I'm sorry it took me so long to learn such a simple lesson. Love Dad

Mom, are you Insured?

Care to take a guess at how much it costs to insure a 35 year old healthy mom for 1 Million dollars of life insurance on a 10 year term policy?

I began putting together a list of 10 year term rates for women at ages 25, 35, 45, 55, 65 and 75 then decided not to post it. It's too unbelieveable!

I'm wondering; how can I motivate American women to properly insure themselves for their family? The calculator at the end of my "What about Mom" post provides a list of services mom provides for the family and how difficult she is to replace financially.

Imagine how relieved you will feel knowing that, no matter what, everything will be ok. Why not do yourself and your family a huge favor and check out how inexpensive it is to purchase $1 Million of 10 year term insurance.

I will give you a hint...depending upon her health a $1 Million policy for a woman age 35 begins at....$18.25/month.

I told you it would be unbelieveable, however I can prove it with all the power of the internet. Call on me for personal, one to one, old fashioned service. You can get started by visiting my website http://www.jamesrichard.com/

What about Mom?

"Saint Jean Marie", A priceless gift no longer on the earth. She gave birth to me, nurtured me, and is likely responsible for most of my redeeming character traits. Though children often blame their lack or faults on their parents, I choose to remember mine as doing the best they could with the resources that they had and sometimes they were very limited. I am very grateful and credit my Mom for much of the goodness in my life.

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you!!!

Mom's are priceless to their children; aren't they? Can we actually put a value on having a mom? They usually are not paid for what they do, and if they were what would their economic value be to the family?

After consulting with more than 18,000 Moms, Salary.com, Inc., the compensation experts, posted their 2008 findings for Stay at Home/Working Mom's economic worth. If they were to be paid, 2008 Stay at Home Moms would garner $116,805 each year. Working Moms are worth an additional $68,405 over and above their w-2 salary. Mom doesn't punch a clock at nine and five so overtime becomes a significant factor in the six-figure total.

Here's a list of occupations you would need to hire, in order of hours spent per week, to replace Mom.

• housekeeper
• day care center teacher
• cook
• computer operator
• laundry machine operator
• janitor
• facilities manager/bookkeeper
• van driver/chauffeur
• CEO
• psychologist
• last but not least NURSE.

CALCULATE MOM'S FINANCIAL VALUE TO YOUR FAMILY HERE!

Like me, because you are building your financial future, you naturally want to know it is secure. Begin your insurance journey by framing your security on a foundation of term life insurance. You can get started by visiting my website http://www.jamesrichard.com/

An Unexpected & Unwanted Letter

Today started like any other day; servicing existing customers, listened in on a marketing teleconference, and going to the post office to pick up the mail. Hmmm what's this? A letter from the Peoria AZ Municipal Court!!! Oh oh, a photo traffic ticket for running a red light. What is this going to cost me?... $214!!!

Mr. Richard, you can settle this ticket in 4 ways:

• A. Pay the $214 and get 3 points on your license.
• B. Prove that your picture is someone else driving your car -
  (I briefly considered blaming it on Tom...; Cruise, Selleck, or would you believe Tom Arnold?).
• C. Request a trial hearing here in AZ - (I'm in WA for the next 6 months)
• D. Attend Defensive Driving School, Pay $200, Do not pass GO, and you avoid the 3 points on your license.

Swallowing my pride I confessed to my wife that I had a $214 ticket. I signed up for the Defensive Driving School and paid my $200 figuring that the 4.5 hour online class was worth keeping my driving record spotless!

You may find this hard to believe, but this was the first red light I've run in memorable history, maybe ever. My driving addiction is more of a 5 or 10 miles over the speed limit habit.

Now, this is where the story gets weird - I actually learned something. There was nothing graphic or gory in the class and still I learned:

• 1. FIVE minutes late is better than a 4.5 hour $200 class. OUCH!
• 2. How to keep another driver's attitude or lunacy from putting me in a potentially fatal predicament
• 3. Every year over 40,000 people are killed and 2.3 million are injured in traffic accidents
• 4. At any time during the day 1 in 50 drivers are driving under the influence of drugs, or alcohol, or prescription meds that impact their driving abilities and from 7PM to 2AM that number is much higher
• 5. I really do not want to blame being in a hurry for the death of a loved one or anyone else for that matter.
• 6. Bottom line, the only person responsible for my attitude while driving is my wife... :-) ...is Jim Richard.

Points 3 & 4 are for all of us that still consider ourselves bullet proof.

The class actually created a desire to change my driving habits and enjoy the journey.

My confession is offered up to cause you to pause, and in the very least you will save 4.5 hours and $200 and maybe... even your life.

Like me, because you are building your financial future, you naturally want to know it is secure. Begin your insurance journey by framing your security on a foundation of term life insurance. You can get started by visiting my website http://www.jamesrichard.com/

A Pursuit of Happiness Suggestion

This morning, I was reminded of the most memorable birthday present I have yet received. My children gave it to me. I was so pleased to receive it that they have made it a birthday tradition of sorts. I typically don't get very excited about presents because I already have more "stuff" than any man would need. I'm good at packing 10 lbs of stuff in 5 lb bags.

Two years ago my birthday present consisted of a small envelope about the size of a thank you card. I opened it and read the following: A gift of a hive of bees has been donated in your name to a 3rd world family. It then went on to explain about the mission of Heifer International.

I've always been a visual person and I could see, in my minds eye, a family receiving the bee hive. I felt their joy and I could see the benefits that it would bring to them and to the agriculture of their community. I saw how it blessed their lives and I felt really really good inside. I still feel that way every time I think about that gift.

Last year, having seen how their previous gift had affected me, my children stepped up and purchased a pig in my name. When the pig has piglets the receiving family commits to passing along one of the young to another family who then passes one on and on and on! What a wonderful concept!

I highly recommend this form of gift as it multiplies itself many times over. The basic premise behind Heifer is "Teach a man to fish". Recipients of Heifer's program make a committment to pass on a portion of their harvest to others so that the gift continues to grow for generations.

So what does this have to do with life insurance? I suppose both nothing and everything. Nothing because you don't need life insurance to do good in the world and everything because life insurance can continue creating goodness long after you have left the planet.

May you also enjoy the experience of receiving and giving such a gift.

Like me, because you are building your financial future, you naturally want to know it is secure. Begin your insurance journey by framing your security on a foundation of term life insurance. You can get started by visitin my website www.jamesrichard.com