Who says what is good or bad?

If you're looking for a great inspirational read I highly recommend the book "Bend not Break" by Ping Fu. I discuss the book in the following video if you are interested.

I loved the following story the author recounts in her book which was one of the classical Chinese stories her father had her memorize.

"Who can say what is good or bad?"  
Among the people who lived close to the border, there was an old wise man who led a kind and peaceful life.  Without reason, his horse escaped one day and fled into barbarian territory.  Everyone in the village pitied him.  But the old man said:  “What makes you think this is not a good thing?”

Several months later, the old man’s horse returned, and a superb barbarian stallion accompanied him.  His neighbors congratulated the old man.  But he said:  “What makes you think this cannot be a bad thing?”

The old man’s grandson enjoyed riding the new horse.  But one day, he fell while riding and broke his hip.  Everyone pitied the old man once again.  But he said:  What makes you think this is not a good thing?”

One year later, a large party of barbarians invaded the border region.  All the men from the village drew their bows and went to battle, where nine out of ten of them died.  But because he was lame, the old man’s grandson did not have to go to war.  His life was spared!

“Who can say what is good or bad?”  is a widely known Buddhist teaching about radical acceptance and non-judgement.  The author's life journey taught her not to count on a better outcome before life presents you with it.  Our choice is how to interpret what happens to us on our journeys and how to treat the people we meet along the way.  Our choice, always is to love and to understand.

Comments

The 4 Biggest 401(k) Rollover Mistakes

By Cyril S. White, Certified Financial Planner™ As people transition from one employer to another, many are still uncertain about what to do with their 401(k) plan when they leave their employer. Here are 4 of the biggest mistakes you should avoid when considering what to do with your 401(k). A plan participant leaving an employer typically has four options (and may engage in a combination of these options as well), each choice offering advantages and disadvantages. 1. Leave the money in his/her former employer’s plan, if permitted; 2. Roll over the assets to his/her new employer’s plan, if one is available and rollovers are permitted; 3. Roll over to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA); or 4. Cash out the account value. Each of these options can have a significant impact on your financial goals if not planned and implement...

9/17/2023 Weekly Market Performance

Here is our research department's Weekly Market Performance analysis. If you have questions or need anything else please contact me at (734) 272-4322 or cyril.white@fourfinancial.com U.S. and International Equities Markets Mixed The major markets ended mixed this week as the utilities and consumer discretionary sectors led while information technology lagged following Apple’s challenges in China. Developed international equities posted solid gains this week as European stocks have witnessed their largest gain in six months after the European Central Bank (ECB) signaled an end to its hawkish monetary policy. Next Wednesday, the Federal Reserve meets concerning monetary policy and interest rates. We believe the Federal Reserve should highlight underlying improvements within the inflation dynamic. In addition, we believe the Fed will not likely declare victory but will probably highlight the risks to growth and inflation are getting into balance. According to...

COVID will not stop us providing unique settlement solutions using structured settlement annuities!

I hope that you are doing well! We just FINALLY completed the settlement of a case for a minor (age 17) that we were initially engaged by our plaintiff attorney client in February 2021, to provide structured settlement annuity quotes! Although the claimant was very close to the age of majority the key to the case was not giving him all of the settlement proceeds, which was over $120,000, at age 18. Having been in this business for over 20 years I cannot tell you the number of sad cases we have witnessed where the young claimant receives their settlement proceeds at age 18 only to blow through all the funds before anyone can blink and make bad decisions with the proceeds! This case involved two liability insurance carriers Liberty Mutual and Member Select. We coordinated multiple rounds of document revisions and had to have a separate set of different documents for each insurance carrier. In addition, one of the carriers would not fund the annuity until we had a fully executed court ord...

White House Financial & Settlement Solutions, LLC

Search This Blog