I previously have written about creating meaningful traditions that last, and how in our family, one way to do this is with the special “Red Plate” that symbolizes a special event or achievement from one of us in our home. It can be a birthday, a graduation, special sporting event or accomplishment, or it could even be the day of a doctor’s appointment, but whomever comes to the kitchen table in the morning and sees the Red Plate at where they sit, they know they are going to be celebrated. Every one of us – my four sons, my wife Shawntel, and I – all look forward to seeing the Red Plate.

Our family has another way of creating meaningful traditions.  Another major event happens when our boys reach their 10^th birthday, when they have the opportunity to accompany me to a meeting with my stockbroker, and learn what the stock market is and how it works. And on that special day I place $1,000 into their stock account, and my boys have 100% control what happens to it – I let them manage it as they see fit, as long as they keep the money in the stock trading account. They are in charge of choosing the stocks, researching the companies, which I’ve found provides an invaluable lesson in beginning to understand financial management and develop skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.

My son Brennan made his first stock picks when he turned 10 years old this past July: Facebook, Apple and Amazon. Only 7 months after he picked his first stocks for his account, he’s seen a 21% gain in his portfolio.  I’ll never forget taking his older brother Braden (who is now 22 years old) to open up his stock trading account when was 10 years old.  He sat with my broker wearing a blue sport coat and so eager about what he was getting to do.  Braden bought Coca Cola because it was his favorite drink, McDonalds because it was his favorite restaurant, Best Buy because he thought it was the coolest store, AOL because he loved the internet and Gateway because it was his computer. In his first two years Braden had a 38% return in his portfolio! That included a 6.7% return in his first several months, and his brother Brennan is even showing some of the same return results.

What does this show? That in investing, as in so many other areas of life, it’s good to go with what you know and like! I remember my brokers saying to the boys to not think of the stock market as charts, graphs or newspaper headlines but rather think of it as way to buy a part of the companies you think are great and that you think will be great for a long time, the Warren Buffet philosophy.  The boys were instructed to take two weeks and ask me what companies that they liked were public or private. It was after two weeks that they were to buy companies they like, buy what their friends like, and what they and their friends would like for a long time. None of those things took a computer program to analyze.

This tradition of investing has imparted so much wisdom to my boys, like lessons in money management and sound investment principles. It’s also a good way to impart the values of saving as well has learning how money can be put to work for work, as opposed to spending money on things that don’t provide a valuable return.

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ICDI is a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating persistent poverty by providing sustainable solutions to the problems faced by impoverished people. It was through ICDI that I first visited the Central African Republic and Pigmy villages
near the edge of the Congo.

We helped dig community wells so the people there could get clean water.

No one should have to watch their child die from preventable water borne diseases. ICDI helps communities begin to break the cycle of sickness and poverty by providing access to clean water.

We met members of the community whose lives would be forever changed by something that we take for granted every day – water. I will carry their smiles, gratitude and resilience with me for the rest of my life.

ICDI partners with Vision Trust to provide Orphan care services. Their orphan care services include medical checkups, nutritional checkups, support training for the family that’s caring for the orphan, as well as Biblical lessons, and optional vocational training in sewing and woodworking.

The experience forever changed me when I saw the impact that such assistance could provide to a group of some of the poorest people in the world.

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Stumped? So was I until 2001, when I learned that the answer is actually the Miss America Organization. I was incredibly fortunate to learn that from the 1996 Miss Oklahoma & Miss America who also happens to be my wife Shawntel.

Yes, I’m very blessed!

I bring up Miss America today because I actually traveled to Tulsa, OK two weekends ago to enjoy all the pageantry, fun and excitement around the Miss Oklahoma competition where Alicia Clifton was crowned along with winning thousands of dollars in college scholarship. But it wasn’t just her, as many of the contestants were also presented with thousands of dollars in college scholarships! Ever since I first met Shawntel I’ve become more involved in the Miss America organization and have sat on the Board of Directors for the past 7 years.

I recently mentioned the Miss America organization to someone who was less than familiar and they were amazed when I pointed out that the organization is actually a non-profit dedicated to delivering scholarships. This common misnomer is one that always amazes people when I share it with them. A few key points that always underpin my conversations related to the Miss America Organization.

• 45 million dollars in college scholarships is made available each year to bright young women
• 12,000 young women receive scholarship assistance from local, state and national Miss America organizations every year
• 12,000 community service projects participated in every year by Miss America volunteers as well as state & local titleholders
• 20,000 miles per month traveled by Miss America as she helps to promote her chosen platform and support the Children’s Miracle Network
• 500,000 volunteer service hours as an organization every year… approximately 57 years worth of work!

Thanks for following me as I continue my new blogging adventure! If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for my next blog topic let me know below or over twitter @rwuerch

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