On Saturday, June 24th, we hosted the Summer Art Soiree at Ringholz Studios in Jackson.
The Certior Group will continue to conduct regular social events and workshops. Please check this newsletter for announcements of future events.
While driving drunk in June of 2013, a Texas teenager Ethan Couch lost control of his pickup truck at high speed, killing four bystanders and severely injuring several passengers in his vehicle. Couch is the son of a very successful – many would say “wealthy” – businessman.
“A psychologist testified that 16-year-old Ethan Couch, charged in the deaths of four pedestrians while driving drunk, suffered from the condition in which children — generally from richer families — have a sense of entitlement, are irresponsible, and make excuses for poor behavior because parents have not set proper boundaries.” – USA Today, December 14, 2013.
The tragic case of Ethan Couch drew international headlines and scorn from nearly all circles because of the leniency of the ultimate sentence (10 years of probation) and the lack of an apology from the defendant. At the heart of that scorn was the perception that entitlement is a deep, chronic character flaw of wealthy children and young adults. The common term for this condition is “affluenza”, a term that suggests that the pattern of behavior is like an incurable disease specific to children of wealth.
More on Ethan Couch and Affluenza
My experience, however, and the experience of many of my colleagues is that entitlement can be counteracted with gratitude and that, over time, gratitude can rewire a young person’s brain and transform entitled children and young adults into grateful ones.
Empowered Wealth provides us with a wonderful tool, the Levels of Gratitude. A way we might use this tool to combat “entitlement” would be to begin with respect for ourselves and for others. Can we demonstrate to our children that we respect our health and well-being, our family and others, and our faith enough to say “no” to destructive behaviors? Can we stay true to this gratitude principle if and when our children falter or rebel? Can we set limits and hold our children accountable when they cross the line into entitlement and disregard for others?
We can give our children and others a gift that’s worth more than most of the “things” they think they may want in the moment. We can give them the gift of gratitude.
Please join us for one of our study group meetings or Empowered Wealth workshops where we teach the Levels of Gratitude.
The so-called paradox of freedom is the argument that freedom in the sense of absence of any constraining control must lead to very great restraint, since it makes the bully free to enslave the meek.
– Karl R. Popper
For a family that can self-govern effectively over multiple generations, a Wyoming private single family trust company is a unique, perhaps even optimal, legal and administrative structure. While the legal and regulatory environment in Wyoming is very favorable for families who create private single family trust companies, the key factor is the ability of the family to self-govern over an extended period of time.
Private Single Family Trust Company Information
We, like all other organizations that serve trust clients, want to make sure that appropriate governance, standard operating procedures, and rules of ethics are created and implemented by client families. What’s often overlooked, however, are the cultural influences that bind a family together. That’s why we pay special attention to the ideas, concepts, and tools of Empowered Wealth. Beginning with Gratitude as a fundamental part of a family’s mindset, Empowered Wealth pays close attention to capturing and capitalizing the stories, rituals, ceremonies, and traditions that are foundational to a family’s culture and its True Wealth. Add to this the Certior Group’s perspective that True Wealth Stewardship is the goal of family leadership, I think you can see that our mission isn’t to promote private single family trust companies; it’s to support thriving families and family members who are living happy, fulfilled and meaningful lives.
The most valuable thing I ever could do would be to continue the legacy that we had begun.
– Gail Miller (speaking about her thought process after the death of her husband Larry Miller)
Gail Miller is the matriarch of the family that owns the NBA basketball team the Utah Jazz as well as many other businesses. She was recently interviewed on the Jonah Keri Podcast.
In the interview, of the many things Gail Miller mentions that are consistent with the philosophy and the services that The Certior Group delivers, one idea stands out. Whether it’s developing a movie theater complex in Sandy, UT or keeping the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City or engaging in their numerous philanthropic initiatives, the members of the Miller family consistently express their values through generosity and active contributions of their time, energy, attention, and resources. Gail Miller seems very aware of an idea that we advocate; that is, “mindsets matter”. In sharing a parable about the gift of a valuable stone as well as the real-life stories of her family’s contributions to the state of Utah and their Salt Lake City community, she conveys the notion that one doesn’t leave a legacy; we live our legacies through the gratitude and generosity that permeates our lives.
On April 29th, we conducted our first Empowered Wealth + You workshop at our home in Jackson. Ron Nakamoto, CEO of Empowered Wealth, introduced the basic concepts that comprise the Empowered Wealth Mindset: Gratitude, True Wealth, and Leadership. Ron led the group in a series of exercises designed to explore these concepts in some depth. Avi Kantor, Founder of The Certior Group, gave an overview of how The Certior Group incorporates Empowered Wealth in their work.
The Certior Group will continue to conduct social events as well as Introductions to Empowered Wealth and The Certior Group in addition to Empowered Wealth + You half day events.
