Purpose with Mark Bertrang

When you travel down the road and break at a stop sign with a "T" in the road, you have to make a decision to either go left or right. A round-a-bout on the other hand may have multiple options which are neither left, right, forward or back from where you began your journey. As with politics, as we just witnessed with our recent national and state elections, many folks believe there is only a left...

When you travel down the road and break at a stop sign with a "T" in the road, you have to make a decision to either go left or right. A round-a-bout on the other hand may have multiple options which are neither left, right, forward or back from where you began your journey. As with politics, as we just witnessed with our recent national and state elections, many folks believe there is only a left...

We have a Ginkgo tree outside our office. A Ginkgo is a species of tree native to China. Fossils show that they've been around since the dinosaurs. A unique characteristic of the Ginkgo tree unlike all other trees is that once the temperature drops below freezing; the very next day, a Ginkgo drops all if its leaves in just one day. Whereas, most trees may drop their leaves over days or even weeks....

We have a Ginkgo tree outside our office. A Ginkgo is a species of tree native to China. Fossils show that they've been around since the dinosaurs. A unique characteristic of the Ginkgo tree unlike all other trees is that once the temperature drops below freezing; the very next day, a Ginkgo drops all if its leaves in just one day. Whereas, most trees may drop their leaves over days or even weeks....

People simply wish to barrel their way through life without taking the time to come to a complete stop to protect themselves from the dangers and liabilities of life. During the YouTube version of this podcast, Mark Bertrang is literally standing at parking lot exit with a Stop sign to his right and one to his left. As he is speaking you can literally count one vehicle after another simply sliding...

If you're like Mark Bertrang, you might spend more time watching professional golf than playing anything that looks like 'professional' golf. Mark is lucky if he hits a few buckets of balls annually at a local driving range in his community. Unfortunately, he feels the pressure when he actually plays golf, which leaves him frustrated with his swing.....and his score. During this video Mark describ...

Fog burns off with the rising of the morning sun. That's how weather works; but, it's not quite how life works. It seems as if people worry more and more about the market, their job, emergencies, opportunities, hopes and dreams or worries and regrets. Financially are you in a fog or in the sunshine and what happens when heavy dark clouds approach your life and they open up and rain on your life's...

"The Boom for Life Insurance Policies Fades" according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. Now that fear of Covid-19 appears to be waning, the fear of death is waning, as well. Here's the deal though; there is still a 100% chance of death for everyone - You and I are included in that calculation. If you knew when you would die, wouldn't you want the maximum amount of life insurance cov...

"The Boom for Life Insurance Policies Fades" according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. Now that fear of Covid-19 appears to be waning, the fear of death is waning, as well. Here's the deal though; there is still a 100% chance of death for everyone - You and I are included in that calculation. If you knew when you would die, wouldn't you want the maximum amount of life insurance cov...

There is psychology in everything we want in life. Are we basing our wants and needs on the past, as Sigmond Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis would have suggested or can we be what we project into the future as Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist and holocaust survivor would presume? Are you a frustrated backwards-thinker or a positive forward-thinker. Motivational speaker Zig...

There is psychology in everything we want in life. Are we basing our wants and needs on the past, as Sigmond Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis would have suggested or can we be what we project into the future as Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist and holocaust survivor would presume? Are you a frustrated backwards-thinker or a positive forward-thinker. Motivational speaker Zig...

Do you judge too quickly? Thirty-five years prior to entering the financial services industry, Mark Bertrang began his career as a broadcaster. This meant working on-air for five years. Realizing that job would never 'pay-the-bills' long-term, it was suggested that he climb the ladder of broadcast advertising sales. No one ever told him that his very first client, on his very first day, of his new...

I am often amazed when I enter a brand-new building. I love looking at the architecture. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, the furniture. Everything that has made the new building, the wonderful structure it is. Yet, below it all lies the foundation of that building. The foundation is where you begin. The foundation is what holds it together. The foundation is what allows the building to be built...

Other than your home, your single largest asset may be your retirement account. Many older folks want to leave their 401K, IRA or other retirement account to their kids or grandkids. They believe they're doing to wonderful thing; but, are they? Instead are they setting themselves up to providing a big, fat 'gift' to the government in the form of a huge check in the form of taxes due? Is there anot...

Other than your home, your single largest asset may be your retirement account. Many older folks want to leave their 401K, IRA or other retirement account to their kids or grandkids. They believe they're doing to wonderful thing; but, are they? Instead are they setting themselves up to providing a big, fat 'gift' to the government in the form of a huge check in the form of taxes due? Is there anot...

The road ahead might be one less traveled; but what if it's a road that's been closed to you? Then it doesn't matter, because it now becomes a road you could never experience. We're told that we can do anything we wish, we only need to dream it. That's a great saying, but it's not true. We need to plan, execute and put forth the effort to make things happen in our lives. Yet most important, we nee...

We would all like to think that our life's projects can simply be 'one and done'. Last year, the street in front of our home was torn up during the entire summer as sewer pipes, water pipes, wiring and electrical hidden underneath the pavement of our street was replaced. We literally lived with a mud bog in the front of our house for three months. Once this project was completed, we were told our...

Grapevines have been plagued by pests that can leave a vineyard void of fruit. Olive trees has been dying in many countries due to pests and disease that has killed off entire hillsides. Have you felt that same frustration with your 401(k), IRA or other retirement account? Specialized grafting has saved many vineyards and olive groves. Could a graft of a whole life insurance policy into your plan...

Words can be confusing. Why? Sometimes we simply don't speak the same language. During a recent trip to southern Italy, this became very clear to me. Sometimes just holding up the wrong fingers during a simple conversation can confuse one another. So, why is it that when both speakers are speaking English, there can still be confusion? They're both speaking the same language, yet there's a misunde...

You've heard of the story about the Achilles Heel or a Glass Jaw. Today, Mark Bertrang shares the story about The Glass Bull. Decades ago, Mark purchased this bull in the village of Murano on an outlying island of Venice, Italy. A small group of world class glass factories are located there, where handblown works of art are produced. Mark carried this bull throughout Italy fearful it would break....

There are those folks who sit in the stands or armchair quarterback from their mancave. Yet, to win you actually have to get off your duff and get into the game. Playing is oftentimes difficult. It takes training, practicing and endurance. That's why most of us simply sit in our overstuffed Lazy-boys and yell at our big screen televisions after each play of the game. For some, money is also a game...

You may live in a world of scarcity or a world of abundance. Often, we choose the world in which we live, because of our own upbringing. We bring our own circumstances to the world that we live in. Many believe that their world is out of their control and sometimes it is; but maybe our mind limits us more than our own individual circumstances. Mark Bertrang uses a simple story about dryer sheets w...

People talk about 'averages' as if they actually live in an average world, where everything plays out in average-ways. Is that really how life works? Do you want to be average or are you an Outlier, who wants to live in a non-average world, a world full of possibilities which aren't average, but are unique? Let's discuss averages, outliers, your life and the options to live a more impactful life u...

I was scrolling through my Facebook feed recently and saw this post from a client and friend of mine, lamenting on how his four-year-old refrigerator died. It was brand new in 2018 at a cost of $1,900. He and his family had to move all of it contents to a nearly thirty-year-old refrigerator in their basement that has now outlasted two modern refrigerators. He went on to say - "The new stuff just s...

In the mid-1960s Michael Caine starred in a British comedy/drama title: Alfie. It might be better known by the question which was also part of its title and a song which became famous by Dionne Warwick - "What's it all about?". Today is Mark Bertrang's birthday and it is not unusually for each of us to ask this same question of ourselves. Mark shares an intimate story of what he believes his calli...