We were lucky to catch up with Jonathan Bird recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jonathan, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?
Bruce Lee once said, “”There are no limits. There are only plateaus and you must not stay there. You must go beyond them.” Those words inspire me to push my body to it’s limits whether it’s hiking the Grand Canyon in one day or doing 1,000 pushups in an hour. Exercise has become my most effective medicine.
Tackling physical challenges has made facing challenges both in business and in life far easier.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
In 2019, I founded Farnam Financial with the purpose of serving clients who are in retirement or nearing it.
Our mission is to turn our clients financial house into a financial castle. What do we mean by that? A physical castle represents protection and longevity. The portfolio and recommendations that Farnam offers are all designed to protect clients’ lifestyle, provide peace of mind, and help ensure their money will last. We do this by prioritizing the protection of your principal and generation of reliable income.
You may be surprised to learn that according to S&P, over the past twenty years, over 94% of managers that pick stocks have failed to outperform the S&P 500. We avoid that. We focus on financial planning actions and portfolio investments that allow clients to minimize their fees, minimize their costs, and to keep more of what’s theirs.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Integrity. On this value Charlie Munger once said. “Remember that reputation and integrity are your most valuable assets—and can be lost in a heartbeat.”
Life-long learning. You’re not going to advance in life based on what you learned in high school or college. We live in a world where valuable information on any subject is now free. Learn it and use it!
Reliability. Say what you’re going to do and then do what you said. It’s that simple. And you’ll be amazed at how far this one value can take you. Put differently, if you’re not reliable, it doesn’t matter what your other virtues are.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Poor Charlie’s Almanack is a collection of the writings and wisdom of Charlie Munger – the late, great, Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway.
Charlie Munger was a proponent of collecting all the big ideas from all the big disciplines and using them as tools for decision making, explaining reality, and making predictions. What you’re really trying to do is avoid man-with-a-hammer syndrome.
Financial advisors manage money, but the real value-add is in managing client expectations and emotions. Happiness is life minus expectations so really what we’re trying to do is set expectations as low as possible and then working to consistently exceed them over time. To conclude with a line from Warren Buffett, “What is the secret of a long-lasting marriage? It’s not brains. It’s not beauty. It’s not sense of humor. It’s low-expectations.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.farnamfinancial.com
