Interesting Survey conducted by the U.S. Trust……………………..

WHAT DO THE WEALTHY THINK ABOUT THEIR WEALTH? The U.S. Trust recently published a report based on a January-February 2011 nationwide survey of 457 high net worth adults with $3 million or more in investable assets. Here are a few of the interesting insights from the survey:

• The main ways the respondents accumulated their wealth were (respondents could choose more than one):

o   77% on their own through earned income

o   59% through investments

o   35% through employer equity/stock options

o   28% through real estate transactions

o   27% through inheritance

• The main factors that contributed to accumulating their wealth were (respondents could choose more than one):

o   84% cited focus and hard work

o   50% cited intelligence

o   45% cited personal values

o   35% cited luck

o   30% cited passion about their work

o   14% cited an overwhelming desire not to be poor

• Accumulating wealth did not come without cost as 47% said there were some sacrifices. Here are the main sacrifices in order:

o   Haven’t taken enough time off

o   Too busy to spend time with family

o   Self-worth became defined by wealth

o   Mishandled personal relationships

o   Missed important milestones of family and friends

o   Physical health suffered

What do you think?

Exciting news from Dwayne and Ampliy Advisors!  Beginning in May, I am going to be co-hosting an Atlanta based Internet Radio Show called Family Business Radio.

Check out this article from the AP about today’s GDP report – Click Here

Click here to read

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and related Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act contain a lot of tax changes and filing requirements that will be implemented over the next several years.

A review of the changes follow.

2011 Changes

1. Employers must report the value of the employer provided insurance on employees annual W-2

2012 changes

1. There will be a new 1099 reporting requirement for business payments to corporations. A business that pays $600 or more in a calender year to a corporation must supply the corporation with a Form 1099 and file a copy with the IRS. Prior to this bill, payments to corporations were exempt. There is a lot of buzz around this change and it could be modified before implementation. Stay Tuned!

2013 Changes

1. Additional .9% Medicare Tax on Earned Income charges on Salary and\or SE income above $200,000 for single, $250,000 for married couples combined salary
2. Additional 3.8% Medicare Tax on  Net Investment Income for High Income Earners

These types of changes will be the rule over the next few years. Be sure you keep up with what is going on!

Quoting Andy Stanley:

Our Founding Fathers were wise men.  They knew intuitively that freedom apart from Divine accountability is unattainable.  Accountability to God is what provides freedom with context and therefore fixed boundaries.  They understood that the best system is one in which religious virtue and morality is celebrated and encouraged, but not mandated. The founding fathers saw government and religion as partners; government protecting religion, religion providing the moral framework for government.

The role of government was to create laws to keep us from abusing our freedom.  But religion would play the role of inspiring us to leverage our freedom for good and the sake of others.  They recognized what all of us recognize eventually.  Government can rule a person’s behavior.  Only God can rule a heart.  Government can tell us what we can and cannot do.  But it is the divinely informed conscience that instructs us in what we ought to do.  So let us pray that we become once again a Nation ruled by law and conscience.  For as our national conscience goes so goes our freedom.

Check out the entire message at by Clicking Here!

Click here to read the Gazelle Gazette from Dave Ramsey for June 9, 2010

As I was driving in this morning, I noticed that the pollen is still everywhere. For some reason, I began to think about how the change from winter to spring in Georgia is accompanied by the pollen. In Atlanta, they give out the pollen count on the radio. Yesterday is was something like 24,000 when 100 is bad.

Is there anything that we can learn about life in general from the pollen and the change from winter to spring?

I can think of a few things!

1. Change is hard most of the time
2. After a decision to change, there is a period of suffering
3. After a good day, like after a good rain, we think the suffering is over, but it comes back again with a vengeance
4. The change we are seeking can never come without some initial suffering
5. If we are not careful, once the pain is over we will slip back into old habits requiring suffering again
6. There is no escaping the pain, no matter how hard we try
7. Pain is temporary, time passes and pain lessens
8. The benefits of change are worth the suffering
9. There will be beautiful reminders along the journey of why we are suffering through the pain, think about a pink dogwood
10. Change is a part of life

As we all in the south suffer through the final couple of weeks of pollen, remember, without it spring and all of its beauty would never come. Winter would persist, and gray and drab would overtake us.

Give thanks for yellow pollen and remember to take your allergy medication!

In My Experience

Just thought you might like to know!

IPad Review

Dwayne