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3 DIMENSIONAL WEALTH LIVING
December 2024
385-257-2577
3DimensionalWealth.com
This Can Help You Live the Life You Truly Want LIVING YOUR IDEAL LIFE? MAYBE NOT SO MUCH ...
INSIDE ISSUE
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This 1 Thing Can Help You Live the Life You Truly Want Why Involving Our Families in Giving Back Is Critical How to Impress Visitors This Holiday Season Your Employees Deserve THIS for the Holidays Year-End Tax Planning Strategies You Need Tired of Feeling Anxious and Fearful? This Powerful Financial Vehicle Can Extend Your Giving IUL Performance Watch Index Insights
It was one of those life-changing moments. An experience that changed my whole trajectory and helped me cultivate the strategies that would ultimately influence the 3 Dimensional Wealth approach I teach today. Several years ago, one of my life coaches, Leo Weidner, shared the following exercise with me. It came from a book that he wrote called “Achieving the Balance.” Essentially, he had me take out a piece of paper and write down the areas of my life that mattered to me, in the order that I would like to ideally live them. When I initially did this, I listed 10 categories, including things like spirituality, my role as a husband, the type of father that I wanted to be, my financial health, etc. After I listed my priorities, he told me to put away the piece of paper and live my life normally for a few weeks. Then I was to take out the paper and write down how I was actually living my life — the actual me.
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It was a rude awakening. What I listed at #1, spirituality, actually came in at #7. My role as a husband was supposed to be #2, but it landed at #6. I was sure I was putting my parenting in the top 5, but in reality, it was all the way down at #8. Now it was time to face the music — I had to ask myself why there were so many discrepancies. The honest reflection revealed that I needed to make some serious changes, so I went to work figuring out how to bring my real self into alignment with my ideal self. I’m a visual person, so from that point forward, I decided to set weekly goals for my ideal life, then track my actual time spent.
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Actually live the life you aspire to — download The Ideal Me vs. The Real Me Transformation today!
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Using a sheet with time slots that went from early morning to late at night, I used color codes to identify the time I wanted to spend on my priorities in the coming week (my ideals). Then as the week went on, I’d fill in a similar sheet, but this one was recording how I actually spent my time. Every day at noon, at dinner time, and before I went to bed, I took out my highlighters and colored each 30-minute slot. It was painful to see how the actual me didn’t look anything like the intended me. It took six months before the one I filled out during the week began to mirror the one that I intended.
When I mastered the art of being able to live the life I wanted to lead, everything got simpler, and my income doubled. That is the power behind having a vision and focusing on living that vision, especially when the load is heavy. Now, six months might sound like a long time, and I can tell you it felt like a long time back then. But this was decades ago. And here I am, so many years later, grateful I invested the time, energy (and honesty!) to go through this exercise.
family than I really was, only to watch my faith and relationships suffer over the ensuing years? I’d have so many more regrets, and that’s not the life I wanted to live. Or that I want any of us to live.
Which is why I invite you to go on a similar journey.
I’ve distilled the process into a tool, called The Ideal Me vs. The Real Me Transformation . It will walk you through the journey of assessing your priorities, tracking your ideal week vs. your real week, and setting goals accordingly to make your life richer, fuller, better.
What if I had gone on, thinking I was focusing more on my spirituality and
This has always been one of my favorite times of the year. As a kid growing up in the Andrew home, the holidays meant everything from our annual traditions to spending time with extended family and getting involved in helping others in the community. As Heather and I raise our girls, we want to pass on that same holiday spirit. We always look forward to our yearly trip to a local tree lot (that has reindeer!) to pick a sky-high Christmas tree for the living room. A MATTRESS, TOYS & MORE WHY INVOLVING OUR FAMILIES IN GIVING BACK IS CRITICAL
last year, our work team took requests for special needs in the community, and the girls helped Heather and me shop for a new mattress for a young man with specific health issues. Every year, we also choose an envelope from the giving tree at church, and the girls come with us to pick up items for a local family in need. Heather’s a great example, as well, as she often does things like go with her sister to buy and deliver Thanksgiving dinner to nearby families. A YEAR-ROUND MINDSET We’re also trying to help Shelby and Sienna see that it’s not just December when we focus on giving back. There are opportunities every day, everywhere. And by thinking of others throughout each season, we can not only strengthen our communities, but we can build our Foundational Dimension. We encourage our girls to be part of service projects at church and school. When we travel to our favorite spot in Mexico, we buy toys from the kids selling items along the beach to contribute to their families’ needs. And at Grandpa’s Camp, now that the girls are older, they
help teach the younger cousins (that pic is from a session they led this summer).
Like you, I’m grateful for the opportunities we’ve had to build our family’s Financial, Foundational, and Intellectual Dimensions, and the holidays are a perfect time to pay it forward and find ways to be there for other families, as well.
We enjoy lots of get-togethers with the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
And I’m sure, just like you, we want to help our daughters think beyond the traditions and gifts and help make a difference for those in need. FINDING WAYS TO HELP Over the years, we’ve included the girls in outreach efforts at work and church. For example,
Wishing you and your loved ones all the best this holiday season!
–Aaron Andrew
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I can tell you it won’t necessarily be fun at first. And it does take a little bit of time each week to plan ahead and then fill in your daily tracker.
But when you think of the long-term benefits, I can promise you it will be worth it.
The holidays are rapidly approaching, and soon, we’ll share laughs while enjoying the festivities with our loved ones. Before the celebrations begin, you must prepare your home for visitors, especially if they stay overnight. While spending time with loved ones is an essential part of our Foundational Dimension, it can be stressful whether it’s your in-laws, best friends, or distant cousins coming to stay with you. You want to leave a good impression, but how do you ensure everyone’s needs are met, including yours? Here are three tips for setting yourself up for a meaningful holiday where you can focus on connecting rather than last-minute hosting duties. STOCK UP ON YOUR GUESTS’ FAVORITES Have you ever stayed with someone who didn’t have extra food for their guests? Don’t put your guests in this situation. Load up your pantry, refrigerator, and cupboards with your guests’ favorite foods and drinks. If you don’t know what they are, ask ahead of their visit! Your guests will appreciate your conscientious gesture and have a much more enjoyable time if they can eat their favorites while visiting. PREPARE A GUEST ROOM If your guests are staying with you, you need to prepare somewhere for them to sleep. Make sure you make up the bed, have plenty of pillows and blankets on hand, and provide adequate closet space for their clothes. Even if they aren’t staying in a traditional bedroom, their sleeping area should still be ready when they arrive. Clear off a table for them to use as a nightstand and put sheets on the couch or mattress where they’ll sleep. USE REAL DISHES When we have company over for a meal, especially a large gathering, it’s usually easier to use plastic or paper options — saves on cleanup, too! The holidays are not necessarily the time for this shortcut. Break out the fine china if you have it, or use regular dishes for your guests. It’s okay for the kids to have paper plates, but if you want to make a good impression on visiting adults, nicer dishes will dress up the table setting and meal. With these tasks taken care of, you and your guests can focus on what really matters: building your Foundational Dimension by reconnecting and strengthening your relationships. IMPRESS THE GUESTS WITH THESE HOLIDAY HOSTING TIPS
This time of year is an especially perfect moment to focus on this exercise.
It’s a season of renewed spirituality and contemplation. We often feel excited to love more, do more, be more. So, take this opportunity to make your aspiration, inspiration, and motivation
fuel you to live the life you truly want to live.
–Doug Andrew
FUN FOOD IDEAS
ASIAN CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
This recipe offers a delightful twist on a satisfying pasta salad, a delicious addition to your holiday get-togethers!
INGREDIENTS
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2 chicken breasts, diced 1 pkg bow tie pasta 3 small bags of fresh spinach or (1 1/2 large bags) 1 6-oz bag of dried cranberries (Craisins)
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley 1/4 c toasted sesame seeds 6 oz honey roasted peanuts
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Dressing •
3 11-oz cans of mandarin oranges, drained
1 c olive oil
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2/3 c teriyaki sauce
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2 8-oz cans sliced water chestnuts, drained 1 bunch green onions, chopped
6 Tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper
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Grill or sauté the chicken. Cook the pasta and drain. Make the dressing and combine it with the chicken and pasta, then set in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours. Mix in the rest of the ingredients when ready to serve. DIRECTIONS
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YOUR EMPLOYEES DESERVE THIS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Perfect for Your Employee Gift List
Discover opportunities to lead your team in meaningful ways. Order your free copy of “The 10 Keys Transformation” today!
As entrepreneurs, we’re often asked by clients to share business strategies — many of which are captured in Doug’s book, “The 10 Keys Transformation.” Here we share some of those insights with professionals in our 3 Dimensional Wealth community. This holiday season … are you thinking of giving your team swag with your company logo? Gift baskets? Branded apparel? Whatever’s on the gift list for your employees, make sure to add this one thing: a chance to come together to make a difference. While they’ll appreciate your gift item, the opportunity to give back can make an even greater impact. Not only is it an opportunity to elevate the lives of those your team helps, but the experience can bring your employees closer, boosting morale and unity. LENDING A HAND For example, each year, our team selects a different cause. This year, we’ll be serving local seniors, helping them get their homes ready for the winter. We’ll rake leaves, clean out flower beds, winterize sprinklers, etc. We’re all looking forward to an afternoon spent outdoors, helping those who can’t get around as well as they used to get ready for the coming season.
SHOPPING WITH A PURPOSE We’ve also partnered with the Kindness for Kids Foundation to provide Sub for Santa gifts for families in need. This effort took a couple weeks, with the team breaking into groups to shop for necessities and gifts. Some of our IUL specialists even brought their families along to get involved. One evening, the entire team gathered for a night of food, fun, and gift wrapping. Representatives from the organization joined us to share more about their mission in helping women and children rebuild their lives after leaving domestic violence and other difficult situations. On top of it all, we were able to personally deliver the gifts to some of the families, which was a humbling, touching experience. TEAM UP TO GIVE BACK If you’re wondering what’s best for your team, we recommend putting together a few of your staff to head the volunteer planning. There are many organizations that make it easy to get involved, including United Way, YWCA, food banks, senior services, and more. You can put money behind the effort, like with Sub for Santa, or it can be practically free, like helping local seniors. Whatever you decide to do, just as Doug talks about in his article on Pg. 1, it’s important to align your values with your actions. Giving back is often an ideal companies aspire to, and providing an opportunity for everyone to get involved helps your company’s “real self” align with its “ideal self.” So, make sure to create a give-back moment for your employees this season!
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YEAR-END TAX PLANNING STRATEGIES YOU NEED CALLING ALL ENTREPRENEURS ROSS BRUNSON, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Health Savings Account (HSA) — If you qualify for an HSA, don’t miss out. It’s an often underutilized tax advantage, with a triple tax benefit — tax-deductible money going in, tax-free growth, and tax-free withdrawals for medical expenses. You don’t have to spend the money each year and you can invest it and let it grow. Think of it like a special medical 401(k). Indexed Universal Life (IUL) — Properly structured, maximum-funded Indexed Universal Life is a powerful vehicle for tax-free growth, access to tax-free income, and ultimately, an income-tax-free transfer of wealth to your heirs. Here’s why this matters for entrepreneurs: You’re building an asset that you can actually use during your lifetime, kind of a tax-free trust fund for you and your business. Think of tax planning like a chess game. It’s not just about this year’s taxes, but building long-term wealth while legally reducing your tax burden. Be sure to work with tax and IUL experts to optimize your strategies and ensure you and your family can enjoy the fruits of your labor for generations to come. INCREASED FOUNDATIONAL WEALTH This is all part of strengthening your Foundational Dimension, something Doug talks a lot about in his book, “Entitlement Abolition.” For a truly full life, Doug encourages us to realize that our foundational assets often require just as much attention — if not more — than our financial assets. He also reminds us that our duty isn’t just to our own well-being, but also that of our family. We can’t just take for granted that our children will be empowered to lead full, productive lives. As we look to the coming new year, we can take the opportunity over the holidays to set goals and put plans in place to nurture our individual and family’s Foundational Dimension wealth. This can help replace any anxieties or fears with clarity, balance, focus, and confidence for a brighter future.
The holidays are a time for gathering with loved ones and, if you’re an entrepreneur, smart year-end tax planning. This often comes down to making informed decisions in the time we have left in the year. Some of these moves take time to set up, so you may not be able to make all of them happen this year, but starting now will get you ready for next year. QUICK ASSESSMENT To start, estimate your total income for the year. Include everything — your main business revenue, any side projects, investments, rental income, etc. This number determines two things: • Which tax bracket you’ll land in • Which strategies make sense for your situation Someone making $200,000 needs different strategies than someone making $2 million. If you’re having a particularly good year, READ THESE 2 BOOKS FOR HELPFUL INSIGHTS TIRED OF FEELING ANXIOUS AND FEARFUL? Think about the times when you’ve felt anxious, guilty, fearful, or sad. Perhaps you’ve tried to avoid or suppress these emotions, but you’re still human, right? We all experience these feelings, and while many of us struggle to confront these emotions, trying to control them may only make matters worse. Instead, as Doug discusses in his article on Pg. 1, work to understand yourself as you really are, and then look to improve by focusing on something you can control — your priorities and your actions.
you might need to act more aggressively with tax planning.
If you’re right on the edge of a tax bracket, there are things you can do to stay in a lower bracket. Or if you know next year will be bigger, you might want to position some income differently.
LOOK AT THESE 3 CATEGORIES Real Estate — Real estate can
provide significant tax advantages for entrepreneurs. You get depreciation benefits, passive income, and long-term appreciation. If you can’t make it happen by year-end, that’s okay, but it should be first on your list for next year’s planning. Keep in mind: Where you hold your real estate matters for tax purposes. You don’t want to just buy property in your personal name. You’ll want to set up the right entity structure. This usually means having an LLC to hold the property (owned by your family limited partnership), and making sure you have the right insurance coverage. BETTER MENTAL HEALTH Mark Freeman’s mental health book, “You Are Not a Rock,” aims to teach readers how to build emotional fitness and overcome their struggles and hardships with different techniques. The book is divided into two sections titled, “The Basics” and “The Transformation.” The first half is about learning basic mental health skills and unlearning ways of thinking about mental health that cause us challenges. The second half focuses on how to create and build what you want to see in your life instead of trying to avoid and control what you can’t see. Freeman cautions that strengthening your mental health is like working on your physical health — you won’t necessarily see instant results. But as you read, you’ll learn how to recognize your problems, practice mindfulness, prioritize and follow your values, and understand your fears.
There are a couple books that may help you on your journey toward better well-being.
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AMPLIFY YOUR ALTRUISM This Powerful Financial Vehicle Can Extend Your Giving
Is it providing resources to restore a community after a natural disaster?
Is it donating to medical research for cancer, diabetes, or other diseases that ravage lives?
Is it building schools and infrastructure in developing countries?
Which causes matter to you, and how can you help make a difference, before and during retirement?
Learn how your IUL LASER Fund can amplify your giving. Order the “The LASER Fund” book today.
This is a topic that often comes up in our client discussions. Many people want to give back in high-impact ways throughout their lives and even into their golden years. The great news is that a properly structured, max-funded Indexed Universal Life policy (what we call an IUL LASER Fund) can make it easy to do so. MONEY THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE When you access tax-free income from your IUL LASER Fund, you can use that money for anything you like, such as helping with education, taking your family on Retreats With a Purpose, paying for day-to-day expenses, covering medical care, and, yes, even giving back.
help pay for a grandchild’s religious mission abroad, donate to cherished causes, or help disadvantaged families in their communities. If you have unused insurance capacity, you can also open an IUL LASER Fund specifically for giving back. You can name a charitable organization as your beneficiary, and when you pass away, your death benefit can go on to bless that effort. Why leave, say $200,000 to a charity, when that $200,000 could be growing tax-free in an IUL and blossom into more like a $2 million death benefit/ donation instead? A LASTING JOY Imagine, for example, the joy of being able to help fund the construction of a school in Africa. Or supporting efforts to rebuild communities devastated by this year’s Hurricane Helene or Milton. Or providing much-needed food and clothing for children in need.
In fact, charitable giving is among the top reasons many of our clients access tax-free money from their IUL LASER Fund. They often
While giving back is a year-round endeavor, this time of year often helps us focus on ways we can do so.
We applaud all of you who make charitable giving a priority and are grateful that part of what we do — helping families build a 3 Dimensional Wealth legacy — makes it even easier for families like yours to lift others in meaningful ways.
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To help you stay abreast of market conditions, here we provide a monthly snapshot of trending indexes, as well as a resource to monitor your individual IUL performance.
Maturity Dates: 11.15.23 - 11.15.24 *S&P 500 one-year point-to-point with a participation rate of 100% and a cap of 10%. **S&P 500 Uncapped one-year point-to-point with a current spread/threshold of 6.5%, a participation rate of 100%, and no cap. ***BlackRock Endura (available through Pacific Life) one-year point-to-point with a participation rate of 200%, with no cap, with an additional multiplier of 2.36 times (for an extra cost of 7.5%).
BEGINNING INDEX VALUE
ENDING INDEX VALUE
INDEX CHANGE RATE
SAMPLE IUL RETURN
INDEX
S&P 500
4495.70 5949.17
32.33% 10%*
S&P 500 Uncapped
4495.70 5949.17
32.33% 25.83%**
BlackRock Endura
124.67
136.79
9.72% 38.38%***
HOW IS YOUR IUL LASER FUND PERFORMING? Scan the QR code to use our IUL Performance Calculator to see your unique IUL index returns. While there, get a quick look at samples of actual recent returns on other available indexes (like the one to the right)!
To help you optimize your index strategies, here we offer index recommendations based on current market conditions. Consult with your IUL specialist for guidance in making any desired changes when your current segments come up for maturity. Recommendations are not guarantees of future performance.
Up above, we showed the BlackRock Endura index with a multiplier, which is available exclusively from Pacific Life.
To understand how we arrived at the net return rate, here’s what to do: Start with the index return of 9.72% times a 200% participation rate, which equals 19.44% for your regular return. Then you multiply that by 2.36, for a gross return of 45.88%. Finally, you subtract the 7.5% multiplier cost, for the net return of 38.38%.
A few things to point out:
• Here you can see the impact of a multiplier (38.38% versus 19.44% return in this example). • Keep in mind, multipliers do carry a cost, which can give you more upside potential. • You can also choose from different multipliers. We showed a 7.5% fee for a 2.36 multiplier. You could also opt for a 2.5% fee for a 1.46 multiplier or a fee of 4.98% for a 1.91 multiplier.
• Now, if the market drops and you have a multiplier, you’re still protected from market loss with your 0% floor, but you will incur the multiplier fee (which would be 7.5% in our example). • This is why multipliers work really well during up markets, supercharging your return. • If you’re feeling bearish about the market, however, you will want to turn your multiplier off on your anniversary date for the coming year.
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3 DIMENSIONAL WEALTH LIVING
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE ...
Make Giving Back a Family Affair page 2 Be the Host With the Most page 3 Dealing with Stress & Anxiety page 5 Charity Never Faileth (Especially With This!) page 6
Essentials for Creating Your Legacy of Authentic Wealth
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
We often have high ideals for ourselves — but life seems to get in the way. Discover how to close that gap between aspirations and reality Read more on Page 1 ...
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