If you know anything about philosophy in general, you know it has something to do with the pursuit of wisdom – “an overall vision of or attitude toward life and the purpose of life.” You may or may not know that at the heart of every philosophy is the age-old question, “What is a good life?” Philosophers and regular, everyday people like you and me, philosophize all the time, whether we are aware of it or not. While “philosophy” itself, as a subject, is often thought of as a purely intellectual pursuit reserved for professors and their students at universities, there is a way in which we are all philosophers in pursuit of a good life. Political wrangling aside, we come together and split apart over common and/or different philosophies of life. The problem for all of us is that no one can really define for anyone else what a good life is; we have to work that out for ourselves. And then we have to be engaged in the process of actually making it happen in our lives, not just talking about it.
Making a Good Life Happen® is our proprietary business philosophy at Bell Investment Advisors. As we often say in our ads, “It’s not just about your money; it’s about your life.” On the most basic level, we believe that everyone wants a good life, but that the problem lies with the fact that most people simply cross their fingers and hope they will have one. There are no guarantees, of course, and hope is not a strategy. As you evolve and mature, you will realize that your “real” job in life is to become a grown-up, one who is a good, responsible manager of your life. This is the most challenging job you will ever have. You don’t and can’t know everything about everything. You will have to get help at times from friends, family, teachers, philosophers, and professionals.
That’s where Bell Investment Advisors comes in. Through investment management, financial planning, and career/life coaching, we intend to help people gain clarity about who they are, what they want, and develop a strategy and a plan to make it happen.
Our business philosophy pervades just about everything we do. Consequently, there is Making a Good Life Happen – The Philosophy; Making a Good Life Happen – The Blog, which concerns managing career/life issues effectively; Making a Good Life Happen – The Package, which is a special offer that bundles career/life coaching services with financial planning to give you a sense of where you stand in relation to your money and how you may want to develop your career for optimal satisfaction; Making a Good Life Happen – The Webinar, which addresses our philosophy and how it relates to your money, career and life; and later this year, Making a Good Life Happen – The Book, which will contain my writing on career/life issues and Jim’s writing on investment management, financial planning and other life issues.
Next month, on Wednesday, April 17, from noon to 1:30, we will hold our quarterly Making a Good Life Happen – Lunch in our Oakland office at 1111 Broadway, Suite 1630. These lunches have become popular for their relevant philosophical and practical content as well as good networking opportunities for businesses and other professionals. There is no charge, but reservations are required, as we reach capacity at approximately 20 guests.
This is an opportunity to meet Jim and me in person; meet some of our staff of 16; learn more about our firm’s philosophy; and see how it relates to and can impact your life, whether you ever become a client or not. Click here to read more and register.
On Wednesday, April 24, 2 p.m. Jim and I will also present our half-hour Making a Good Life Happen – Webinar on the same themes for the same purpose. Please join us for the lunch gathering or the webinar or both. Click here to read more and register.
Having your career, your money, and your life all add up to something great will not happen just because you hope it will; you have to make it happen! Can we be of help?
Our dear Bonnie Bonetti-Bell was the force behind our Career/Life Coaching services, until her passing in 2019. As a principal of our firm, Bonnie had an innate talent for seeing the best in people. Moreover, she helped others see the best in themselves. Bonnie is fondly remembered and deeply missed.