Financial Planner, Carl Peterson spoke to a select group of thought leaders from around the world at a symposium held at the Military Academy at West Point, NY in the fall of 2016. A sought out speaker, Peterson was invited to speak at West Point Military Academy after speaking at Harvard University.
Peterson shared the stage with world-renowned figures Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Lt. Gen Russel Honore. The event was part of the Faculty Leadership Speakers Academy, an event that brings cutting-edge leadership innovation to entrepreneurs and other thought leaders.
Peterson has decided to dedicate his life to helping people become financially independent, dramatically reducing the taxes they are paying unnecessarily, and by showing them how they can develop a meaningful legacy. And having more time, more money, and more fun.
In his speech, Peterson spoke passionately and challenged those in attendance to do what he did in 1979 as World President of The Junior Chamber International (JCI). Peterson admonished JCI members in 100 countries to change one’s self for the better and to inspire others to do the same. This commitment to being the best he could be was instrumental in Peterson becoming a financial planner to help the masses. Peterson spoke about the common challenges of financial planning and how most people are unprepared to face them. He admonished those in attendance to accept the brotherhood of man and to take their hand and help them with honor and generosity. The message resonated with the audience, leading to a standing ovation.
In his speech, Lt. General Honore commented, “The next war will be about water, not oil. From global and domestic terrorist threats to natural disasters, we encounter new risks to our individual, community, and economic security each day. We will need to leverage technology to deal with 7 to 10 Million people it’s not an option we must do it. Imagine a plane landing at LaGuardia and the computer tells the pilot that the passenger in seat 22 has a fever. None of this is invented, and we have to live up to our ability to be innovators and dreamers.”
The other keynote speaker, Col. and Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, an American engineer and a former astronaut detailed his next mission. As the Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 11, he was one of the first two humans to land on the Moon, and the second person to walk on it spoke about going big on his mission to Mars. He commented, “In my opinion, there is no more convincing way to demonstrate American leadership for the remainder of this century than to commit to a permanent presence on Mars, going to Mars without setting up a colony — launching only round-trip manned missions is not enough, nor would establishing human outposts on the moon.”
Peterson engaged the audience by saying, “Picture yourself standing next to a mountain. Assume this mountain is your financial life. What would have to happen for you to have a successful journey? Most will say, “Get to the top!” They’re obsessed with finding a horse to ride to the top. But that’s not the answer. It is safely getting back down the other side, overcoming market volatility, having a lifetime of tax-free retirement income that increases with inflation. Its understanding that 2/3rds of the people who die climbing Mt. Everest die on the way down. Why? Often because of complacency and overconfidence. The same thing happens with financial planning. There are 1000s of examples where we don’t know what we don’t know – It’s called unconsciously incompetent! In your financial life, if what you thought to be true turns out not to be true, when would you want to know about it? If you said, “right now,” go to the head of the class! If there was a better way, would you want to know about it? Warren Buffet says “only when the tide goes out do you know who is swimming naked, who is not prepared!”
Carl went on to add “If we could save you a $1M in taxes this year, is that a conversation you would want to have? And if we could, what would it be worth to you; what would you do with the $1M bucks??? If you are concerned about living a life of significance, you need to hire a financial architect to develop your plan.”
Life is not about how much money you make, it is the difference you make. Uncommon income requires uncommon solutions.
To see the full presentation go here.
To find out more about Carl-click here.
