Recently I read a book dedicated to time management. It was nothing new, but then again, it seemed so very different. I mean, we all know we have 24 hours in a day, but but this book phrased it in the course of a week’s time and really empowered me to take control of how I spend my days.
With 168 hours at my disposal each and every week, in reality, I have plenty of time for things that matter. I have time to exercise, I have time to work, I have time to craft with my kids, I have time to run errands, I have time to relax, I have time to manage our family’s finances, and I have time for family adventures.
Dominic works much more than I do, but he is a family man at heart and always makes time for important things. Things like making holiday memories! So, when I made plans for us to experience a Christmas festival of sorts in our new town, he was game and scooted out of work just in time for us all to bundle up and catch the debut of some beautiful Christmas lights!
Max went bonkers for the pony rides and warm donuts. Jemma stood in awe over and over at each light display (over 1 million were featured!). Reid loved the petting farm and Christmas snacks, of course. Eli snuggled and snoozed and Bruce the Spruce, a talking Christmas tree, told Dominic that he’d see us again next year with five kids. Jemma’s eyes got big while Dominic replied, “I think you’ve had too much eggnog, Bruce!” Oh, Dominic!
Miracle of Christmas miracles, we had NO RAIN on our outing! Such a break in the weather, especially for the often soaking wet winter days in the Pacific Northwest. No matter the weather though, we were happy to pause the week and step out of our normal routine for some extra holiday fun with the kids. Christmas through their eyes makes all the effort worth it; investing in these traditions are making us all forever memories.
Vanguard believes in family’s taking time for precious traditions like nights outside filled with only the glow of Christmas lights. They are a community of investors who strive to establish a long-term plan and a recent study actually found that Vanguard clients spend 6 more hours per week, on average, with their kids compared with clients of other investment firms.* It’s a wonderful thing that Vanguard has established and I, for one, am thrilled that moms and dads like us have partners like Vanguard at our disposal. Thanks to them, parents can trust that their long-term investment needs are being fulfilled. That way, they can focus on the here and now with the people who matter most. Vanguard clients don’t live to invest, but invest to live. Isn’t that a wonderful philosophy to embrace in regard to finances?
Have investments been on your mind, especially with the New Year around the corner? Take a moment to see what makes Vanguard investors different. Perhaps Vanguard is a where you belong!
*The Where Investors Belong survey was conducted by market research firm Kelton Global in 2016. It polled 1,000 Vanguard clients and compared them with 1,000 clients of other investment firms. All differences between Vanguard clients and clients of other investment firms are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. The parental stat refers to clients with children of any age who provided the number of hours per week they typically spend with their children or who, compared to other people they may know, believe to be more involved in their child’s life. The experiences of these Vanguard clients may not be representative of the experience of other Vanguard clients and aren’t a guarantee of future investment performance or success.