Research by McKinsey revealed four essential skills leaders and business owners exhibit and practice. They seek different perspectives, solve problems effectively, are supportive, and operate with a strong results orientation. They are in two words, servant-leaders.

Quantity of advice is easy to come by – on the job, in the media, and among your social circles along with armies of quota-driven salespeople. Quality advice is much more elusive.

Think about this: What would it be like to have complete peace of mind that you have done everything you wanted to do for your family, friends, clients, community, and yourself? In short, to have a life of no regrets.

Several years ago, I met with two of the estate planning attorneys in a significant law firm. I asked them what percentage of their recommendations clients actually implement. The younger attorney said, "Oh, they implement 100%."

How much do you worry about outliving your assets after you retire? What if you could live off 25% to 50% of your portfolio and feel secure about doing whatever you wanted with the other portion, without fear of running out of money?

Anyone who has flown a commercial airliner - and who pays attention to the pre-flight announcements,- will recall that the flight attendant instructs us to do something kind of odd in case of an emergency: “Should a drop in cabin pressure occur put your own oxygen mask on first.”

If you are like most people, your first job paid the minimum wage. And more than likely, the US Minimum Wage Chart above will bring back memories of summer jobs, what you earned, and a reminder of staring at your check stub and asking – what is FICA and all these other deductions?

Recently, I was speaking with someone who had just sold his business and decided to retire. He told me he was also thinking of selling all of the stocks he owned, so he and his wife could live off the combined proceeds for the rest of their lives. He wondered whether his plan would work after factoring in the taxes [...]