We’re right in the middle of hurricane season. Whether it’s a storm in the Atlantic or the Eastern Pacific, August is pretty much the middle of the season. Every year around this time, and especially into September hurricane season seems the most threatening. Perhaps it is because Hurricane Katrina hit August 29, 2005, and I live in a part of Texas that was a significant part of the disaster respo ...[Read More]
How to Make Wise Giving Decisions When Disasters Strike
How Aunts and Uncles Teach the Next Generation About Giving
The day started normally. Two generations of family members gathered around a table for the annual meeting, intent on making giving decisions for the small family foundation. While only six of us, we represented many roles. Sisters, husbands, daughters, a niece and me, the outsider in this family system, had a lot of work in front of us and a deadline only a few hours away. The deadline marked the ...[Read More]
Take the Grandparent Challenge and Let the Grandkids Tag Along
A morning walk triggered a fond memory in early June, mid-sixties. The water was cold as I jumped into the shallow end of the pool. My grandmother, slowly walking down the pool steps, declared it unusually cold for an early June morning. We were up early for her morning swim so we could beat the young swimming students who would be arriving soon. As I think back on it, I have no memory of her swim ...[Read More]
How Do You Know If Your Last One-third Has Started?
What if today is the beginning of the last one-third of your life? How will you define success for that last one-third? Generosity or zeroes in the bank? I recently read an article about giving in the last one-third of a lifetime. The writer, Bruce Deboskey, a well-known philanthropy consultant, was talking about donors beyond the age of 65. Of course, I immediately wondered how many of us know wh ...[Read More]