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Update from J.P. - Ironman Lake Placid, NY

Recently I competed in my 5th Ironman, racing in Lake Placid for the second time since 2019.  IM Lake Placid is arguable the toughest IM course in North America, so difficult, in fact, that I question my sanity for returning.  The difficulty is matched by the intense beauty of the course which certainly may be to blame for the allure as well.  This experience was made even more challenging by the fact that my triathlon bike was destroyed the day before we left for the race (long story) which forced me to take a back-up bike that was not really made for endurance riding and that I had not trained on at all.  Nevertheless, I beat my 2019 time by 7 minutes!  Of course, I have to draw a gratuitous parallel to financial planning here, stating that good preparation and planning allow one to succeed even when things go awry, and most importantly success is made even sweeter when shared with someone you love.  As you can see in the picture, my wife, Janie, was right there at the finish.  I really do not believe I would have finished had it not been for her support.

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Update from J.P. - Ironman Chattanooga 

Back in July I completed my 4th Ironman race.  Except for the fact that it rained for most of the bike ride, it was a great day; made even more special by the fact my wife, Janie, was able to spend the race weekend with me.  In regards to Ironman, many people have asked why in the world I do this to myself.  First and foremost, I have to be honest; it’s to get invited to the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii!  I think this is every Ironman competitor’s dream.  But, besides that, I do it for so many of the same reasons that I love being a wealth management advisor.  Ironman racing and providing wealth management advice both satisfy so many of the things that drive me like being multi-disciplinary, working towards long-term goals that require careful planning and the coordination and achievement of myriad achievements along the way, and being able to quickly adapt when the unexpected happens.  I also find that both bring me an incredible sense of purpose, significance and accomplishment.  In 2023 the quest for Kona continues.  I plan to compete in Ironman 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge in June, Ironman Lake Placid in July and Ironman Florida in November.

Books I have read this Summer, Dead Wake by Erik Larson and Red Notice by Bill Browder.

Dead Wake is about the sinking of the Lusitania. One thing that struck me while reading Dead Wake was that even with the benefit of experience planning for the unknown is difficult at best. We often hear one of the tragedies of the sinking of another great ocean liner the, Titanic, was that there were not enough life boats. Well, this was corrected with the construction of the Lusitania; however, the lifeboat launch system failed due to the extreme listing of the ship as it sank making most of the lifeboats unusable.

Red Notice is about a hedge fund manager’s fight against Vladimir Putin and other Russian oligarch’s in an attempt to avenge the wrongful imprisonment, torture and murder of his friend and associate. The book reminded me of how blessed we are to live in a country that sill recognizes basic human rights and has one of the world’s best judicial systems.