SincereCoMuse

Chairman's Muse

Richard Sincere has been a bi-monthly columnist for the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (www.napfa.org) since February 2006.  His column focuses on the thoughts and perspectives of the high net worth. Through personal stories, experiences and focus groups, Richard tries to articulate what advisors’ clients are thinking behind the scenes.

Staying in the Game: A Selection of Blogs is available via Amazon.

Changing Your Model: Not Always for the Better

It had been over a year since I spent time at my second home in New Hampshire. So it felt good to return just as Hurricane Irene decided to welcome us to the east coast with a vengeance. As it threatened to wash away the stairway that connects our deck to the Ellis River, we were fortunate to have come through unscathed. Unfortunately, other areas in our town and particularly the neighboring state of Vermont did not fare nearly as well.

Putting Your Experience in Writing

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a conversation I had with my son, Alex, a couple of months ago. I had walked in his room, and he asked me what was new. I casually mentioned that I had just written a book, and I was reading the proof. He was somewhat incredulous (and quite taken aback) that he hadn’t been told that I was writing a book. I’ve mentioned many times that I had wanted to write a novel, which is quite surprising, given that I only read non-fiction books. But handing him the completed softbound book made him realize that I wasn’t dreaming anymore.

Waiting to Hire

In graduate school, one of my favorite courses was “Decision Tree Modeling.” For those who know me, there isn’t any apparent correlation between this course and my choice of strategic marketing as a career. But I always enjoyed being in manufacturing plants and determining the ordering process. Now this course was three decades ago, prior to computers (remember punch cards?), but I was always fascinated by the forecasting process. For those who are good at it, it is a great art.