Dear Mr. Market:

You’re notorious for beating up investors and making even the brightest and the best mind on Wall Street feel broken. Next week a group of regular guys will be making an investment that will also beat them up…but in a different way and for a higher purpose. We would like to take a few moments to share something that is much bigger than the market…giving back and making a difference in other people’s lives!

As a firm we have always taken pride in the fact that we give back not only monetarily but more importantly with our time and energy. We prefer to roll our sleeves up and get our hands dirty rather than simply writing a check and walking away. Last year we decided to take our game to a new level  – we created a team of individuals to raise funds and awareness for charities and compete in Ironman Arizona (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and then a 26.2 mile marathon run – that is 140.6 miles, all in one day!). Sure, there are plenty of financial firms that support some very impressive foundations but how many put their time, money and actual bodies on the line?

Our journey began the weekend of November 17, 2013 as Team My Portfolio Guide (Team MPG) gathered in Tempe, AZ. We volunteered at an aid station helping athletes as they completed the biking portion of their 140.6 mile race. After that day each member of Team MPG began training and raising funds for a charity of their choice. The amount of hours spent in training are enormous but what carries even more of an impact is the story behind each athlete and the impact that these charities have made in both their individual and family’s lives!

After our team completes Ironman Arizona on November 16^th we will be presenting the following charities with the funds we have raised to help them with their mission statements: Continue reading →