Each season of life brings different challenges—and makes different demands of us. Still, we don’t fight change. What does this season of life have to offer?
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caitie leibman
Some Tricks for Treating Yourself
Our brains are so good at getting used to things that they will keep chasing new pleasures, new experiences, and the next thing to bring us a boost. But research shows there’s more bang for our buck by treating ourselves more frequently, in smaller doses—and our wallets might thank us.
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The Plentiful Magic Pie
Did you know that the main ingredient to the magic pie is stock ownership? Common stock is more than just a transaction on the computer—it’s an investment, a share of an enterprise that’s out there in the world, trying to do something. Best part about a magic pie? There is plenty to go around.
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When the Wisdom of the Crowd Becomes Herd Mentality
Sometimes it takes a big splashy effort to swim upstream! Our friends may be making different choices than us, but it doesn’t mean we’re wrong. What the crowd seems to want is not always right for us. So how do we decide?
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You Just Never Know
We’d like to think that with age comes wisdom. But it’s not just racking up the years. We try to learn from our experiences—and integrate those lessons into our thinking.
I can’t speak for anyone else on our 228 Main team, but I can say that I am still a little surprised I’m here.
And I mean that in every way. I didn’t know the turns my career would take, and yet the path I took here is still the one that made the most sense. It’s led to the best possible outcomes. I didn’t know my current neighborhood even existed until we found a place to live in it. I didn’t know the mental health struggles I would explore in my early 30s, but I wouldn’t be who I am today without them.
What’s it all mean? The lesson I take is this: I couldn’t have called any of this ahead of time, so, therefore, maybe there are more surprises ahead.
We’ve heard from a few of you about the unexpected turns in your lives. One of them was, “I never thought I’d own a yoga mat.”
Another one was, “I never thought I’d be living in a house again.”
Big stuff, small stuff—you just never know. It’s possible to feel like you’re in the driver’s seat and that the road will keep bringing us twists and turns. Sometimes we crest a hill in the sunshine, and it’s like our whole future is laid out before us.
And sometimes we can only see as far as the headlights reach.
Having a team to support us along the way can make such a difference. I wasn’t alone through any of my own twists and turns. My team included professionals and specialists, everyone from my primary care doc to a new accountant to help my household.
It included my loved ones, friends, and the people in my life I knew I could text any time, day or night.
Who’s on your team?
Let’s assume the twists and turns will continue to surprise us—and sometimes delight us! We’re here for all of it. You just never know.
And we’re glad to share it with you.
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You Just Never Know – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services
This text is available at https://www.228Main.com/.
Up the Creek, With a Paddle!
Our daily struggles might have more going for them than we first think. Imagine tripping on the coffee table and thinking, “Gee, it sure is nice to have toes to stub!” A little perspective goes a long way. So “rock bottom” may sound like a terrible place to find oneself, but it also could make a solid place to push off from. This week’s video: a serious lesson from a funny show.
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“Is It Investable?”
Clients, we love hearing from you about what you’re seeing. Life changes at such a clip, it’s helpful to hear about the patterns and evolutions that pop up in our everyday lives.
When someone pitches us an idea, we don’t start with the obvious question. The obvious question would be, “So, is this investable?”
The real question is, “What’s this mean?”
This happens to us in our own research process. We don’t start with the hottest investment headlines. Instead, maybe we read something about a new technology, then dive in and realize it’s a true innovation in its field.
Then the real question whispers, “Hmm… What does this mean?”
We follow that thread and wonder, “How could people use this in the future?” or “What would the world look like if this were normal?” or “What should companies be doing now to get ready for this?”
Little clues about the future might sprout from these questions. Dorie Clark talks about this idea in her book The Long Game. We don’t have to limit ourselves to one topic with laser focus. We don’t need perfect clarity.
Sometimes, we’ve got enough signals to work with. “Interesting” can be a good enough guide. “Interesting” can lead us to meaningful.
The research process is not a mission: it’s an experiment. Flexible, not rigid. Curious. Open.
We optimize for interesting.
We do the research, put the evidence in context, and go from there. Maybe it would be nice to be able to boil it down more than that, but then… if it were any simpler, everyone would be doing it, right?
It’s fun to be us, and it’s fun to be in it with you.
Investing involves risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss.
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Welcome, Brenda! The Dream Works with Teamwork
Clients, you may have already spotted the new face or heard the new voice around the office. Let us take a moment to get everyone up to speed on some exciting developments.
You may remember that our dear friend Larry Wiederspan “retired” a couple years ago, but it didn’t stick. Then, the time came for certain: his last day in our employment came and went in April. While we miss seeing Larry so regularly, his retirement brought us a new opportunity. (Life’s all about beginnings and endings, isn’t it?)
With Larry’s departure, we were ready for some help on the Client Services team. Our Client Services Coordinator Whitney Engle has been with us full-time for more than a year now, and she’s been on top of everything we’ve been able to throw to her—and then some! She’s so proactive. And Client Services Associate Patsy Havenridge has been holding down the front office with grace and good humor since 2018. Where does the time go?
And now, joining as our newest Client Services Associate, we’re pleased to introduce Brenda Smith!
Brenda brings years of experience in financial services and administrative support, and we were so pleased to discover that her skills were a match for our needs. Her warm personality and easy-going spirit were evident from our first encounters.
Brenda is a Louisville native, and her son Isaac is a third-generation LHS student. When she’s not in the office at 228 Main, she enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, and spending time with friends and family. “I have a group of lifelong friends who still refer to ourselves as ‘the Louisville Girls,’ and we try to get together at least once a month to catch up,” Brenda says. “I’m a history nerd and can be found watching historical documentaries and historical shows and movies when I’m at home.”
Brenda may be the latest addition to the 228 Main team, but she is already caught up on the “history” of our work here. The mission is the same for the whole team: we strive to grow your buckets. And that project takes all of us, from research and trading to paperwork and communications—it happens when all of us are ready to be of service to each other.
Come in and say hello whenever you have a chance. Welcome, Brenda!
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Play the audio version of this post below:
Welcome, Brenda! – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services
This text is available at https://www.228Main.com/.
Life Sentences
Sometimes I marvel at my brain. I might wake up from a vivid dream or be surprised by a random thought that pops into my mind while I’m innocently doing the dishes, and I’ll wonder, “Where did that come from?”
It’s a gift to be able to notice when thoughts come and go. Sometimes, our thoughts can start to feel so familiar, we don’t notice them anymore. They turn into wallpaper: we can be surrounded by them all day and never notice. We take them for granted as fact.
Maybe you’ve heard some of these sentences before, swirling around in your own mind or coming out of someone else’s mouth:
“Never go into business with family.” (Ha!)
“I’m not good with money.”
“I can’t do something that risky.”
Are these sentences—or life sentences? Are you serving time in the name of a belief? It’s not “the big house” we get trapped in: it’s a small life.
Our words can become cages when we take them more seriously than we need to. But a thought can just be a thought. Like a cloud we watch in the sky, can we allow it to do its thing, and then go on its way?
We can’t stop those stories from popping up any more than we can keep clouds out of the sky. But maybe we can sprinkle in some more helpful sentences, ones that won’t hold us back.
“What if this works out?”
“What if there was a different way?”
“What if I could?”
In any case, we’re glad to be here with you—for whatever comes our way.
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Play the audio version of this post below:
Life Sentences – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services
This text is available at https://www.228Main.com/.
Three People In One
There are at least three people involved in every decision you make: past you, present you, and future you! How well is the committee getting along? And who’s getting the final say?
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