Special Olympics

Today marks the end of the Special Olympics, and while many Americans are probably too busy with other sporting events this is one that holds a special place in my heart.  My wife is a special education teacher who is passionate about getting those with disabilities involved.  The Special Olympics is something that gives everyone a chance to compete.  I was honored to volunteer for greeting several countries in a local host city and chatting with the Ukraine team!  We also had the opportunity to go and watch the Half Marathon where we witnessed tremendous dedication.  I mean truly these athletes were amazing.  There was one athlete from Puerto Rico who had cerebral palsy and although he could only fictionally use one of his arms, and one leg was clearly a hindrance he finished the race in under two and a half hours.  Why does all of this matter?  Because even though the challenges they face in life, they never gave up.  I wish more people would take this attitude and bring it to their own life.  Everyone in life has struggles, but not everyone chooses to take life by the horns and enjoy it.  If we as a society learn anything from this week of games it is to go forward and be the best you can be, each and every day.  We also learned that EVERYONE deserves a chance to be great, and that all people enjoy being supported by others.

I want to give an opportunity for my wife to share her experience with Special Olympics. Hello, I am Angela, The Old Guard's wife. In addition to the events mentioned above, I also attended the Special Olympics Inaugural Dance Challenge on Friday with my mom. This included athletes dancing in the following categories: Solo, Duo, Ballroom, and Crews. The stage was electrified with emotion, passion, and most of all heart! It was easy to tell that each performer truly loves dance and music. I became teary-eyed when the soloists performed because it was all so raw and real, coming straight from their heart. I admire each of these dancers and this experience has encouraged me to be as pure and confident in my own dancing! I am truly happy that an organization finally recognizes dance as a sport because it takes as much hard work and dedication as basketball or soccer, etc. Not many schools even consider performing arts on the same level as sports. In conclusion, I am glad to see the world is starting to change and include all people into the Olympics and to have been part of the Inaugural Dance Challenge! I have to go now because The Old Guard is hoovering over me impatiently. Bye!

Investing Now!

I want to first start off by saying that I am by no means a professional investor nor do I have a net worth of a million dollars. However, I want to discuss the importance of investing now at a young age. Today so many Americans are falling behind when it comes to investing and planning for their future. According to a recent study most Americans have less then $25,000 saved for their retirement. This is scary and one of the reasons why the US could be heading for disaster. I learned from a young age, thanks to my economics class that investing is a powerful tool to grow wealth and change your family tree. Neither of my parents came from a wealthy family but they wanted my to do better. They always encourage me to invest and save my money. It is amazing that if you started when you were 18 and only invested $500 dollars a month till the time you retired assuming 7% return you would have over $2 Million dollars. That is an amazing amount of money that could truly change your life and your families. I want to end this post with a few links that may help you become more involved in investing.

Dave Ramsey
Investopedia
Vanguard
Yahoo Finance



 -The Old Guard

The Future of America

Today marks my first blog post. I want to start off and say that there will be grammatical errors in my blogs and that I will not respond to hateful or useless comments. Enough about that though, I want to talk about the future of America. So what does the future of America hold, if only we could gaze into a crystal ball and know if America will succeed or fail. Sadly, we do not have the luxury of being able to see that. One thing I do know is that America is changing. However, unlike most doubters I still think that America can still maintain its place in the world. Do we have challenges? Of course we do, from immigration to a mounting national debt and a lack luster education system we need to find solutions to these issues. However, as an educator I can tell you that America can still be great. Our country is full of those who have come from all over the world for one simple reason, and that reason is a better life. Now, I am sure that everyone has their own opinion on immigration and that is ok. We are a country that is full of unique and interesting people and although so many are quick to see this as a weakness, I see it as a strength. America is truly unique and will continue to hold a special place in the world. However, we need to embrace those who can help America and begin to re-evaluate our love of big corporations such as Wal-Mart. I hate Wal-Mart for the record. America use to stand up for values and companies were loyal to this great nation. For America to be great we need to use our diverse labor pool and make sure companies do not care only for profit, but rather for profit and country. I know some of you are saying but it is their job to make a profit first, and you are right. What I want you to understand though is that America will be great for 100 more years only if the following things are done: 1) We push for higher education and encourage ALL of America's youth to become skilled in a trade or obtain an advanced degree 2) We push for more personal investments and smarter personal finance in this country 3) We hold large corporations accountable and make sure that we do not have a tax system that encourages money being sent overseas 4)We make our military smarter and look out for all of the world, not those who provide a strategic value (yes I am fully aware of why we operate the way we do) 5) We let people know why America is great! If we do these things we will be great again and our legacy in this world will reach for the next 100 years. -The Old Guard