Dear Advisor:

I received a short note the other day from Bill Smith, the San Diego-based advisor and Horsesmouth columnist, who has a way of telling good stories and asking tough questions.

I want to share it with you now because, although Bill wrote it about Memorial Day, its key point transcends the celebration of one national holiday and speaks to deeper issues that I believe we all face as citizens of the United States. Here’s Bill’s story:

	Battle of the Bulge: American soldiers positioned in the Ardennes

In the southwest corner of Belgium, in the Ardennes Forest, far from tourist destinations such as Paris or London, is an American memorial to the Battle of the Bulge. There is a large engraved memorial commemorating the bravery of the American soldiers who served here in this, the largest land battle in which Americans participated in WWII. 

As Hitler made one last push to try to acquire Allied petroleum reserves stored in France, the U.S. suffered 81,000 casualties in December of 1944 - January of 1945, in and around the town of Bastogne, Belgium.  You may remember the surrounded General McAuliffe’s one word reply to the German’s suggestion that he surrender.  “Nuts.”

I took my family to visit the site years ago. Inside the museum, we viewed uniforms of the soldiers, battle plans, and armaments.  We saw horrific pictures of this battle, as American wounded soldiers were patched up, and sent back to the front. 

I remembered a client’s story of how, upon leaving the hospital, he was offered the choice to either walk back to the front or ride in the Red Cross truck.  He opted to walk, and later came upon the Red Cross truck, blown up by artillery fire.  Another client was one of only two survivors from his unit, having been found unconscious in the snow.

After the museum, we were ushered into a theatre to watch a film about the battle.  There were no other Americans in the theater, as far as I could tell.  In front of me was a father speaking French to his three small children.  The lights went out, and we all watched the film together.  We were moved by the graphic depiction of the bravery of American soldiers in repelling the Axis advance.
But the most interesting part came right after the film finished.  As we sat in darkness for a few moments, waiting for the lights to come on, the Frenchman in front of me stood up, and in a loud voice, in English, tears streaming down his face, declared, “God Bless America!”

Others in the audience who hadn’t heard him speaking in French earlier probably thought this was an arrogant American expressing patriotic pride.  But my wife and I choked up at this honest sentiment of a citizen of another country.  He didn’t take for granted what had been done by others to make sure that his family, his parents, and even his own children would live free.  I think of that Frenchman’s words at this time as we find our country under attack, at least in part, because of the very freedoms we hold dear.

On this Memorial Day, let’s remember the bravery of those who paid the ultimate price so that we could enjoy the freedoms we have.  And let’s tell our children and grandchildren that Memorial Day is more than just the beginning of summer or a reason to picnic or go to a sale.

It is a chance to remember those who gave all, and even to ask ourselves what we as individuals and as communities are doing to honor the sacrifice these men and women made.  They answered the call of duty in their generation.  Are we as citizens and even as financial advisors answering our call?  What are we doing today to strengthen our country?  To promote freedom and liberty around the world? 

The Frenchman was right.  God Bless America.

So What Is the State of Patriotism These Days?

My friend Bill Smith asks some good questions. So what can each of us, as citizens and advisors, do to help promote stronger ties to community and forge a deeper appreciation for all the freedom and liberty we enjoy as American citizens?

Hated by enemies of Liberty.

It’s not about wearing a lapel pin. I don’t know about you, but when I see the American flag—or images of Washington or Lincoln—used to sell electronic appliances at rock-bottom prices, I find it dispiriting.

In that context, it’s hard to feel a connection to the selflessness and sacrifice that has repeatedly renewed the promise of the American Dream over the years.

There’s an ancient Chinese proverb that says: “May you live in interesting times.” Some say it’s a curse. Regardless, when each of us takes stock of where we are and what we’ve gone through as a nation over the last decade, it’s hard not to conclude “we’re living in very interesting times.”
Nearly everyone seems to face a significant challenge (or two or three) in their lives, be it personal, financial, professional, economic, familial or religious.

And commentators across the political spectrum tell us our busy, distracted lives have weakened our connection to community and country. And that a genuine love of country and patriotism is being squeezed out of the broader public discourse.

But it’s challenging times just like this that have often renewed and revitalized the American Spirit…

So, in true Horsesmouth fashion, where we endeavor each day to help advisors grow their businesses and succeed, I want to offer some ideas about what each of us might do, individually and together, to keep up the never-ending work of perfecting the union…

Ways to Renew and Revitalize
Patriotism in Your Community

In true Horsesmouth fashion, I have some ideas about what each of us might do individually and some ideas about how you might involve friends, family and clients. So, here we go with some simple suggestions for renewing and revitalizing patriotism:

Support Constitution Day in Your Area. Never heard of it? Officially, it’s Sept. 17th and celebrates the day the Constitutional Convention approved the document that is now the U.S. Constitution. Since 2004, it’s been a federal law that colleges and universities that accept federal funding must provide their students with opportunities to learn about the Constitution on Constitution Day. Check out the activities on your local campus. Think about doing something on your own that day. The U.S. Constitution is the foundational text of the civic religion of American patriotism.

Support Your Local Volunteer Fire and Rescue Crews. This is about as grass-roots and community-oriented as it gets. These organizations always need help. In spirit, they’re the descendants of the Colonial Minutemen, really. Join them. Get trained. Support your community with this core public service.

Become a Poll Worker. Not for the candidates, but for the electoral process—checking names, operating the voting machines, and assisting voters at polling stations. In many parts of the country, it’s a real strain to get people to run the precinct voting stations on Election Day. This is the elbow-grease of Democracy. Pitch in if you can. It’s a couple of days a year.

Attend a Citizenship Ceremony at Your Local U.S. District Courthouse. It’s inspiring to see up close the wide range of people who’ve made the journey here to restart their lives and re-energize the American Dream. Call the clerk of the court at the federal building to find the schedule of events.

Pay a Visit to the Local VFW Post. You’ll meet a wide range of vets, some of them still nursing real physical and emotional wounds. They’re always happy to talk. Listen to what they say. Thank them for their service. You can do the same at your local Veteran’s Administration Hospital. They’re located across the country and the folks there, recent and long-term vets, could use a visit.

Those are just some ideas, a start. I’m sure you can come up with more, too. But I have one more for you to consider.

How About Throwing a Fourth of July Party
With a Unique, Patriotic Twist?

The U.S. Constitution is the foundational text of our great country and its amazing, self-renewing American Dream. It’s the bible to our civil religion...The operating rules for the successful operation of the longest-running Democracy in history…

Yet, I believe you’d be hard-pressed to find a copy of it in very many homes in this country. It’s the most important, largely invisible document in America!

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

It’s a powerful opening to a powerful document. And its call to “form a more perfect Union” is what concerns me today.

Hated by enemies of Liberty.

Every generation of Americans is charged with that duty to contribute toward making a more perfect Union. To me, it’s the price of Liberty in a free and open society such as ours.

Yet, the beauty of our system of government is that it’s up to you to participate at any level you’d like—or not. (No one forces you to do very much other than the obvious.)

I’ve spent the last month carrying around a copy of the U.S. Constitution in my shirt pocket. (You can see what it looks like on this page.)

I’ve been thumbing through it, reading all that’s there—and some of what’s no longer there because it was repealed—a keen reminder that perfecting the Union is a hard, ongoing process. It’s not perfect. It never will be. And it’s up to us to stay engaged in that never-ending process of perfecting.

So I’d like to urge you to join me in making the Constitution front and center at your upcoming Fourth of July party—or simply because you’d like to see more people become familiar with this amazing document.

How to Use the Constitution
at Your Fourth of July Party

If you’re hosting a Fourth of July Party, there are several approaches you could take to making the Constitution a chief part of your celebration.

 Naturally, your party will mostly be like all other Fourth of July parties: cookout, drinks, fun and games if kids are around, sports events like horseshoes, badminton, softball, Frisbee; and fireworks.

But you might want to take a few moments to call everyone together and ask them to participate in a short, patriotic moment. After all, the reason everyone is there is because we’re celebrating the birth of the nation. Here are some ideas of what might come next:

Make a short speech:  Thank everyone for coming and tell them you wanted to take just a minute to ask everyone to reflect on the meaning of the Fourth of July.

You might say something like this:

“You know, we’re all privileged to live in the longest-running Democracy in history. We have an amazing standard of living and we have Freedom and Liberty unlike any society in the world. Those freedoms don’t come easily. We’ve paid for them in each generation—making sacrifices now so the next generation can continue to enjoy those freedoms and get their chance to pursue their version of the Great American Dream. Many of you have family members or friends who’ve paid dearly to keep our Democracy safe and strong and vital and we honor them—always. But the thing that has set our great nation apart from all others is the fact that is dedicated to a proposition—laid out in the Declaration of Independence—and it is governed by a set of rules—the U.S. Constitution—that has proven both enduring and flexible enough to keep us strong and guide our decades of progress as a dynamic, freedom-loving, innovative society. Regardless of your politics—right, center, left—it’s good to be reminded that the Founders who gave us this amazing U.S. Constitution knew that it wasn’t perfect, that it couldn’t be made absolutely perfect and that, indeed, they enjoined of all us to continue to strive to always make it a more perfect Union. We’ve always been a nation where people have different ideas about how we should be governed. It’s that tension between varying points of view—and a Constitution that empowers people to hold contentious and contrary opinions—that always astounds  people from other countries where such Liberty and Freedom is not allowed. Indeed, on the day the Constitutional Convention finally approved the document that became the U.S. Constitution, it was unclear whether support for passage actually existed. Just as today, people held various and contrary points of view about the Constitution. Sensing a problem and an opportunity to make a good point and sway his fellow delegates, Benjamin Franklin stood up and launched into a speech that basically reminded his fellow delegates that if all of them concentrated so much on what’s wrong with the Constitution, they risked losing all that is good about it. I want to read a short excerpt to you now: “I confess that there are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them. For having lived long I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. “It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment and to pay more respect to the judgment of others... “Few express it so naturally as a certain French lady, who in a dispute with her sister, said ‘I don’t know how it happens, sister, but I meet nobody but myself that’s always in the right’… “I doubt…whether any other convention we can obtain may be able to make a better Constitution. For when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom you inevitably assemble with those men all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views. From such an assembly, can a perfect production be expected? It therefore astonishes me, sir, to find this system approaching so near to perfection as it does… “If every one of us in returning to our constituents were to report the objections he has had to it and endeavour to gain partisans in support of them, we might prevent its being generally received, and thereby lose all the salutary effects and great advantages resulting naturally in our favor among foreign nations as well as among ourselves from our real or apparent unanimity. “On the whole, sir, I cannot help expressing a wish that every member of the convention who may still have objections to it, would with me, on this occasion doubt a little of his own infallibility—and to make manifest our unanimity, put his name to this instrument.” Then Franklin paused for a moment and turned his attention to the front of the hall where George Washington sat presiding over the convention.  Directly behind Washington was a carved, half-disk of the Sun. “I have often and often in the course of the sessions and the vicissitudes of my hopes and fears in its issues, looked at that behind the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun.” Like Franklin,  I’m an optimistic person. I, too, believe that despite the hard times and challenges we now face as a nation, that the Sun is still rising on the Great American Dream. So, on this Fourth of July, I ask you, my fellow citizens, to be thankful for all our Freedoms…To be grateful to all who’ve sacrificed to get us here... And to remember that as the Melting Pot of the World and the longest-running Democracy in history, we will always have our differences of opinion…. But as long as we stay engaged in the process of perfecting our Union, we will know that at the start of each day, “by the dawn’s early light,” that our flag is still there.

God Bless you. God Bless America. And thank-you for being here today.

Then, if you choose to, direct your guests to a table where you have your copies of the U.S. Constitution. Let people know that you’d like them to take a copy home with them so that their family can have this important document in their household.

Do a Short Reading from the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and/or the Declaration of Independence:  You don’t want to trigger any sad flashbacks of elementary school here, so stick with short readings from the preambles to the Constitution or the Declaration. Both are iconic in their own ways: The Declaration for its stated proposition that all men are created equal and the Constitution in its sweeping reasons for why the Founders felt it necessary to create such a guiding document.

Send Each Family Home With a Copy of the Constitution:  You don’t have to make a speech or do a reading. When you thank everyone at the end of the party, or earlier in the day, simply let them know that you’d like to send them home with a special, patriotic gift befitting the holiday. Then direct them to a table where you’ve set up your Advisor Constitution Pack. Tell them to please take one copy for their family and encourage them, if they have young children, to make it available for the kids to read and peruse. Or tell them to put it on the bookshelf next to the family Bible and other revered keepsakes in the home. Remember, this is the most important, nearly invisible document in U.S. history. Help bring its presence in the home and in our lives back to where it belongs.

Learn more about the Advisor Constitution Pack here.

Host Your Fourth of July Party
With Help from the Advisor Constitution Pack

In order to make your party go as smoothly as possible, we've created a special Advisor Constitution Pack for you. When you order this pack, you get 30 leather-bound, mini-copies of the U.S. Constitution, plus two great bonuses, including a complete guide to hosting outdoor client events. Here are the details:

The Advisor Constitution Pack includes:

Advisor Constitution Pack: 30 copies of the U.S. Constitution *Horsesmouth Mug Not Included

Religious Liberty (which Thomas Jefferson considered one of his three great accomplishments in life), plus a half dozen other important, historical documents from the founding era. More than 190 pages of critical history. ($599 value)

Quick background: In 1787, Congress approved a proposed convention in Philadelphia to amend the Articles of Confederation. The delegates worked, in secret, from May 25 throughout the summer. A new Constitution had been written and was reported from the Committee on Style on September 15. It was signed on September 17 and submitted to the states on September 28. By June 21, 1788, nine states had ratified the Constitution, which was the required number for its establishment, as stated in Article VII.

Other Documents Included in Each Copy of the U.S. Constitution:

The Virginia Bill of Rights: The famous Virginia Declaration of Rights was written by George Mason and adopted on June 12, 1776 by the Virginia Constitutional Convention. Thomas Jefferson was influenced by it when writing the opening of the Declaration of Independence. Patrick Henry drafted the article on religious freedom.

The Declaration of Independence: On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced in Congress a resolution declaring that the "colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states." On the tenth of June, Congress appointed a committee to prepare a declaration. Thomas Jefferson was asked to write a draft which was debated in Congress and the Declaration was approved on July 4, 1776.

Massachusetts Bill of Rights 1780: The Constitution of Massachusetts of 1778 had no Bill of Rights and was defeated by an overwhelming majority. John Adams was the chief architect of the Constitution of 1780 and was responsible for the addition of this Bill of Rights.

Articles of Confederation: During the Revolutionary War, all thirteen colonies adopted new constitutions. They featured strong legislatures and weak executives. The colonies now began to be known as states. On November 15, 1777, the Continental Congress approved a document called the Articles of Confederation, which was ratified by the states by March 1, 1781. The government created by the articles was weak but it did represent a national government. There was a Congress but no executive or judicial branches of government.

Virginia Statute of Religious Liberty: In 1779 the Anglican Church was disestablished in Virginia. A proposal was made to make all Christian churches state religions of equal standing and support them by taxation. Thomas Jefferson proposed a bill for absolute religious freedom which was opposed by conservatives. It was a long struggle to achieve this complete separation of church and state, but James Madison secured its adoption by the Virginia legislature in 1786. Jefferson regarded this as one of his three memorable contributions to history.

The Annapolis Convention: Commissioners from Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York met in Annapolis because of a growing dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation. The government could not conclude commercial treaties with foreign nations, financial troubles were growing and conditions in the United States were becoming alarming. A demand for revision of the articles led to the Philadelphia Convention where the Constitution was conceived and ratified.

Plans to Create a New National Government

Virginia or Randolph Plan: This plan was presented by Edmund Randolph to the Philadelphia Convention on May 29, 1787. It was known as the Large-State Plan because it advocated representation proportionate to population. The plan proposed an entirely new national government; it went far beyond the mere revision of the Articles of Confederation.

The New Jersey or Paterson Plan: On June 15, 1787, this plan was presented by William Paterson to the Convention. It was called the Small-State Plan because it called for equal representation of the states. It would have amended the Articles of Confederation rather than create a strong national government.

Hamilton’s Plan of Union: Alexander Hamilton presented his Plan of Union on June 18, 1787. He did not agree with the work of the Convention or with the final Constitution. He was a conservative who detested democratic government; his plan had no influence on the character of the new government.

How to Inscribe the Constitution
That You Handout—If You Desire

You may want to inscribe the copies of the U.S. Constitution you give to people. It’s not necessary, but a hand-written inscription is a nice touch. Be sure to sign it with your name but leave off specific mention of your company’s name. You want to keep it personal, not promotional in this case.

Below, we’ve provided some examples of patriotic inscriptions you could use:

7 Ways to Use the Advisor Constitution Pack

Everything You Need to Relax With Clients and Prospects: The Great Client Wine Event Guide

FREE BONUS #1

Step-by-step guide for hosting an event

The Great Client Wine Event Guide (9-page printed report) ($29 value)

When you order your Advisor Constitution Pack, you also receive the Great Client Wine Event Guide, your own printed report by Nicole Coulter.

A small, intimate dinner and wine tasting can be just the right approach to meeting with valued clients and prospects. Here Nicole has produced a step-by-step guide for just such an event with your best clients and their friends and explains how a Great Client Wine Event can both reassure clients and appeal to prospects in a pleasant and personable manner. This 9-page printed report includes:

• Preliminary Planning: budget, scheduling, and materials needed, and reserving the right place for the event. Plus, what to consider on getting a wine expert.
• Extending the Invite: What to consider when inviting clients and prospects, plus thoughts about how to include "Centers of Influence."
• Hosting the Event: An outline of the night's events from the wine tasting and meal to the market discussion.
• Delivering Your Value Proposition: How to position yourself and your business just right.
• The Follow-Up Procedure: You've got to have smart, effective follow-up no matter how small and intimate the event. Here's what to do.
• Checklist for Client Wine Event: Everything you need to do from three weeks prior to the event to one week after it.
• Retirement Readiness Survey: The ideal, low-pressure, easy to complete, end-of-event survey reveals good follow-up items for both prospects and clients.

Simple Lunch Prospecting: The 3-Hours-a-Week, $100 a Month Campaign to Meet Qualified Prospects and Strengthen Client Loyalty by Dan Richards

FREE BONUS #2

Printed Report

Here's a fast, easy way to get started with a low-pressure, inexpensive way to deliver unique client service and prospect at the same time. Dan Richards, President of Strategic Imperatives, has crafted a lunch prospecting strategy in six easy steps that take a total of ten hours to complete over a month. This 17-page report  ($39 value) includes:

• Getting Started: Planning for a successful Lunch Prospecting Event begins well in advance. Explains how to efficiently divide time between sending invitations and preparing your remarks.
• Preparing Your Market Update: Before making out your invitation list, you must first layout your event topic: Where the market has been, where it is going and the best forecasts on the future. Then deduce which clients and prospects will most benefit from a discussion and Q&A on this topic.
• Lunch Invitation List: Keep an organized record of the clients and prospects you are planning to invite, plus their preferences for lunch and their specific questions or interests for discussion at the luncheon.
• Extending Invitations: Sample scripts for inviting clients or prospects by phone or email.
• Making the Lunch Happen: Everything you need to follow on the day of the event.
• Luncheon Evaluation Form: Use this worksheet to gauge the effectives of your luncheon.
• Lunch Follow-Up List: Use this follow-up list to guide your post-luncheon interactions with prospects and clients.  ($39 Value)

Advisor Constitution Pack Guarantee:
Our Personal Promise.

As someone who has spent a good deal of time pondering the state of the Great American Dream and the meaning of patriotism in these times, I can assure you that anyone receiving the handsome, leather-bound pocket-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution from you will be favorably impressed by the gift.

They will be struck by its uniqueness, its high quality, and the patriotic sentiment behind your thoughtfulness.

When you get your Advisor Constitution Pack of 30 U.S. Constitutions, you’ll see for yourself. I’m certain you will also be favorably impressed by this modest-in-size but deep-in-meaning gift. The spirit which you bring to making this unusual gift will be remembered.

You must be totally satisfied with the quality of the Advisor Constitution Pack and agree that it is a fine, honorable gift to share with clients, associates, friends and family. In the extremely unlikely event that you are not delighted to give the Constitution as a gesture of your own, personal patriotism, we'll completely refund 100% of your purchase price—guaranteed, no questions asked. Just call and tell us you're returning the Advisor Constitution Pack of 30 U.S. Constitutions to Horsesmouth at: Horsesmouth, 21 W. 38th St., 14th Fl., New York, NY 10018. Phone: 212-343-8760, Ext. 1. And you can keep your bonus gifts, too.

Toward a More Perfect Union—We Find
Nothing Is Impossible
(What Superman Said)

I remember many years ago watching the actor Christopher Reeve on television. At that point in his life, he’d suffered his terrible accident and was promoting spinal cord research.

During his speech, he recalled that while he had been in the hospital during his original recovery, he’d received a photograph of the Space Shuttle blasting off, and it was autographed by every astronaut then at NASA. At the top of the picture it said: “We found nothing is impossible.”

Reeves went on to say that America should adopt that as its motto. “It's not a Democratic motto, not a Republican motto, it's an American motto. It's not something one Party can do alone. It's something we as a nation have to do together.”

“We find nothing is impossible.” I think it’s a fantastic guiding motto for us all. I believe America is about progress, and striving and doing whatever we can to make life better for all of us.

In these gloomy days of the Great Recession, we need people to be more optimistic and forward-thinking about what’s next for this great nation. I’ve offered some ideas here today on how we all might get people to think about the important things that make this country great and to pay heed to the great ideas that this nation was built upon.

I hope you find them useful and that they get you thinking about some things that you, as an advisor, might do in your community to foster a more perfect Union.

And, as always, I’m happy to hear your thoughts about these issues.

About Horsesmouth

Since 1997, Horsesmouth has been helping financial advisors succeed by providing timely guidance on key topics such as business development, practice management, financial planning and investment strategies.

Best,

Sean M. Bailey
Editor in Chief
Horsesmouth

P.S. If you’re going to throw a Fourth of July party and intend to make copies of the U.S. Constitution a party gift, go ahead and order now so we can be sure you get your Advisor Constitution Pack by July 3rd.