For the Love of Reading

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Someone once said that through the love of reading you can travel the world and be anyone you want to be without ever having to leave the comfort of your armchair.  And if you are the frugal sort like Alice Jumper, it is a whole lot less expensive as well!  In fact, through her love of reading, Alice was able to accumulate a $1 million portfolio that will be benefiting Central Michigan University and its Library well into the future.

Let’s Spread That Wealth Around A Little

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st. marysA Surprise Millionaire in Georgia thought he was doing a wonderful thing by leaving his local church a staggering bequest of $60,000,000; his entire life’s savings.  However, the momentous event seemed to be more of a burden for the small congregation instead of a blessing.  Where to use the money and how to use the money  were decisions left up to the congregation with no direction from their benefactor.  For a house of faith who wanted to remain just that, a house of the faithful; this posed some major concerns.

Would greed rear its ugly head, would they make the right decisions regarding the use of the money when there were literally thousands of worthy causes and organizations that could benefit?   These concerns were turning what was meant to be a wonderful thing in to a major stressor for the church and its congregation.

This brings me to my point for all of you potential Surprise Millionaires out there.   When determining who you will leave your wealth to, it is best to divide that wealth between several organizations, individuals and worthy causes rather than placing the entire estate and all of the pressures it may bring on one entity.  Secondly, please either stipulate or at least suggest what you would like the funds to be used for.

A little planning on your part could save some very grateful, but conflicted people a little angst in the future.

The Man From Brillion Is Worth A Million!

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Chester Tamm spent his entire life in and around the small Wisconsin town of Brillion. One could say that he was almost a fixture in that rural farming community. Born in 1927, Chester operated his family’s farm outside of Brillion until it was sold in 1965. He then took an evening shift position at a local lawn equipment manufacturer until his retirement in 1988. Chester went about his work and his life in a slow steady pace striving for excellence in all that he did.

He was a man who sought to help others in need. He was very active in his church and would not hesitate to help his neighbors whether asked to or not. He was the type of gentleman that anyone would want for a friend, neighbor or family member. However, even with all of these attributes, there was no one in Brillion who would describe Chester Tamm as a wealthy man. That has changed.

After Chester’s passing in 2010 the people of Brillion were shocked to learn that this quiet and modest man had accumulated a “small fortune” over his lifetime and once more had left said fortune to many deserving institutions in and around the town of Brillion Wisconsin. Local churches, community centers and libraries are a little more fiscally sound thanks to Chester Tamm’s most generous gift.  Chester was another Surprise Millionaire who made a difference to the people of his community.

 

How To Be Happy

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Please check out fellow blogger Byron Tully’s latest book! A great author with an important message.

The Old Money Book

I wanted to let you know that I’ve just published a new book, How To Be Happy – A Practical Guide To The Most Essential & Overrated Pursuit of Your Life.

It’s available as an ebook right now on Amazon.

Contrary to many ‘positive thinking’ and ‘you can do anything’ tomes that populate the bookstore shelves and online search results today, I encourage readers to embrace life’s contradictions and ambiguities, as well as its limitations and reality, in order to be happy.

True to form, I rarely mince words, but I think the book has its entertaining moments. Probably influenced by my recent readings of French philosopher Michel de Montaigne, How To Be Happy keeps both of its philosophical feet firmly on the ground and acknowledges the ironies that fill our daily lives.

I start with the title, coupling the ‘essential’, eternal nature of the pursuit of happiness with…

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The Surprise Hero AND Millionaire

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A decorated army helicopter medic who served his country well left his adopted community quite a gift earlier this summer.   The Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity will be putting Stephen M. Florentz’ $2.25 million gift to good use.

This gentleman who grew up in the tenements of New York City bought his first home when moving to Oklahoma and never forgot the pride that home ownership brought him.  He wanted to pass that feeling along to others.

Florentz BookDuring my research of this amazing hero and Surprise Millionaire, I found a piece of information that others had overlooked.  He was a published author as well!