Durham, Raleigh, NC, Financial Independence, Wayne B. Titus III, Ed Fulbright,

Senior tax strategies, Durham NC,Retirement Savings

“With backgrounds in design thinking and software engineering, the founders of Airbnb (Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk) leveraged technologyto develop a web based user interface that made finding, selecting, and booking travel easier. In the process, they also made it easy for homeowners to earn extra income, whether that be through renting a second home or simply listing a spare bedroom. In one decade, Airbnb transformed what it means to go on vacation. The homeshare juggernaut turns homeowners into hosts, guest rooms into cash cows, and overnight stays into dynamic encounters and lasting friendships. Its very name has become synonymous with finding unique short-term stays anywhere in theworld, enjoying great services and hospitality, and having amazing experiences. Airbnb is a noun, a verb, an adjective, and a movement — and the rest of the industry simply can’t keep up. But competition isn’t what defines this phenom of the sharing economy, community does. Its leaders blended innovative digital tools and a global village spirit to build unprecedented brand loyalty — at a time when most brands struggle to just stay visible.

The words Millennial and Baby Boomers are seldom used in the same sentence. Even more rare, as a way to connect the two generations in a show of solidarity. Today we will discuss these two distinct generations to illustrate how they can learn valuable lessons from each other simply by listening more closely and sharing more freely. Baby Boomers are people born between 1946 to 1964 and Millennials between 1981 to 1996. No artificial barriers should divide the two generations. If we are to understand each other more fully, we should try to embody mutual values and best practices in how to create an ideal quality of life, how to face the future for mutual enrichment, and how to give back to each other and to society at large. Joining us for our discussion Being Entrepreneur is John Jantsch who is calling in from his Hartford, CT office. John Jantsch has owned a business for almost three decades, observing and documenting the entrepreneurial experience through his own unique story. He is the bestselling author of Duct Tape Marketing, The Referral Engine, and more. His books have been translated into ten languages, and his writing has appeared in Inc., Entrepreneur, and Southwest: The Magazine His latest book is The Self-Reliant Emtrepreneur Welcome to Mastering Your Money, is John Jantsch .

Longest U.S. Expansion Keeps Rolling Third quarter economic growth was just revised upward, and the new monthly personal income figure over the last 12 months, after adjusting for inflation, accelerated sharply. This newly released data confirms that the 10-year-old expansion — already the longest in post-War history — is likely to continue at a modest sustainable pace in the months ahead. First, let’s look at the upward revision to gross domestic product. These are the four components of economic growth — consumers, business investment, exports net of imports, and state and local government spending. Every quarter, the government issues three estimates of the growth rate. The first estimate, released three weeks ago, was for a third-quarter growth rate of 1.93%. The new figure, 2.13%, is the first in a series of three revised estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis before the final third GDP figure for the quarter ended September 30th, will be released on January 10th. An upward revision of 10% is sizable, and most of it came from growth in the rate of business investment, hinting at a bottom in this key factor in the wealth of the nation. This new data confirmed that U.S. growth is being driven by consumer strength and low inflation.

The nation is in a trade war with China, the manufacturing sector has fallen into a recession, and an impeachment of the President fraught with political uncertainty is under way. With so many frights haunting investors this Halloween, it’s important to note that the worst stock market scares of the past year all followed actions by the Federal Reserve Board, and the Fed has been able to avert Wall Street’s worst fears. An economic growth rate of about 1.8% annually is sustainable as long as the Fed does not make a policy mistake, which is always possible. Fed mistakes have caused every recession in modern history. But a subtle trend shown here is that the nation’s central bank has been able to lengthen the business cycle in recent decades. Fed Chairman Powell has said the Fed may be able to extend the current cycle of growth in gross domestic product well beyond the 123 months already achieved. Central banks have learned how to better manage national economies, a sign of progress in the modern era that has unfolded slowly in the post-War period. Since Alexander Hamilton revolutionized central banking in 1790, the United States has learned from its mistakes. The Fed used new modern tactics to stop the world financial system from collapsing in 2008 and its three-stage quantitative easing program — a central bank tactic never before attempted in a major economy — helped refinance this long expansion. The Fed is more nimble and quick to change monetary policy before economic growth is choked by high lending-rates, and the speed of information has accelerated the time it takes to promulgate monetary policy shifts. As Halloween sweeps by and the stock market hovers near a record high and seems vulnerable to frightening risks, watch the actions of the Fed in extending the expansion. Please contact us at 919-354-0368 or fulbrightteam@moneyful.com with any questions or to set up a meeting, and don't hesitate to share this video with people who might benefit from our work.

Thanks to the #MeToo movement, companies are widely acknowledging the reality of sexual harassment and taking steps to protect employees. Driven by celebrity activists, the Time’s Up campaign is aiming to close the wage gap and shatter that glass ceiling. Yet, in workplaces across America, discrimination against women persists. Too often, bright, proficient, and extremely dedicated women are overlooked by their superiors, overshadowed by their male peers, and seethe in silence or worse, blame themselves. More influence on the job almost always means more money. After all, with more influence you can get that promotion, make more sales, get more people to like you. Joining us for our discussion Building Your Authority is Ron Price who is calling in from his Boise Idaho office. Ron Price is an internationally recognized business advisor, executive coach, speaker, and author who has worked in 15 countries and served in nearly every level of executive management over the past 40 years. The former president of a mult-million dollar international company, in 2004 he started Price Associates, a global leadership advisory firm. His latest co-authored book is Growing Influence Welcome to Mastering Your Money, is Ron Price .

Family businesses are fraught with conflict, tension and a distinct lack of sophistication. Still some of the most successful companies in the world are family-owned and have succeeded through multiple generations. Now current sociopolitical and economic forces are threatening the very survival of family businesses. It has been cited by numerous credible sources that only 40% of family owned businesses are now surviving to the second generation, 12% to the third, and 3% to the fourth and these statistics are rapidly diminishing. But there are several things that have kept family businesses as one of the strongest sectors of the economy. It is their fortitude, resilience and indomitable will. The secret to saving the fate of family businesses lies in the behavior of the family business leaders. The overriding tenant of this book is that, “behavior precede performance.” If we can positively influence the behavior of family members they will perform at a higher level. They will win more cooperation from others, achieve higher goals and produce more fruitful outcomes. This book examines how impacting behavior dramatically improves performance and can sustain the entire enterprise for generations.

Developing a creation mindset, where you begin to see possibilities everywhere, is a learned skill. The chances of landing on a good idea are improved exponentially by incorporating a wide range of viewpoints. Applying techniques of improvisational comedy helps in proactively coming up with new ideas that can lead to innovation. Part of the joy of doing improve comes from the fact that, as a performer, you are allowed to follow wherever the scene goes without any real expectation to end up anywhere. The unknown, far from being scary, becomes limitless opportunity. The ability to build off of each other’s ideas invariably leads to unexpected places. It doesn’t matter if it’s a joke, a concept or a product, no idea is fully formed right out of the gate. The ability to build off of other’s ideas invariably leads to unexpected places. It enhances the process of going from starter concepts, to bigger and more expansive ideas — and, with some further assessment, editing and iteration, to full-blown realization and success.