Give to Get to Give: Using Universal Principles to Create Your Investment Plan for Reliable Income

By Randy Dorcey

Give to Get to Give is a down-to-earth version of strategic investment counsel that stands in stark contrast to the advice many financial advisors offer. As Dr. Randolph Dorcey notes, there is a critical difference between advice and counsel. Advice is free and can be offered by anyone — including those with ill intentions. But counsel comes from a place of wisdom and expertise. It’s based on a proven track record of success and proper decision-making.

Using his patented humor and charm, Dorcey walks potential investors through steps they should take to increase their wealth for retirement. With a doctorate in communication, Dorcey helps clients understand the value and the benefits of a fully funded Living Trust. Through simple, straightforward language, he clearly defines why it is important for investors to leave an efficient legacy while maintaining privacy and control. His main goal is to make sure his readers are fully educated and informed on the need for estate planning. It’s a process he has used with over 1,000 families as he has helped to prepare them for their financial future.

Give to Get to Give starts with a humorous story about some poor advice Randy received from his older brothers when he was just a kid. But then it quickly picks up steam and addresses the investment questions many are asking in the aftermath of the Covid Pandemic. Offering readers counsel that comes from over thirty years in the financial industry, Randy provides readers a clear roadmap for how they can properly invest for the future. He challenges them to remember that advice is cheap, and counsel is what matters. He reminds investors to earmark a percentage of their income that will go towards investment, and then stick with this process.

Perhaps most important, Randy tells readers to find a financial counselor that will actively manage their investment. This, he believes, is a much better alternative than riding the waves of one financial crisis to the next. Instead, he calls readers to be proactive and work with individuals who have their best interest at heart. Readers are instructed to grow their crops and not fear the c complicated nature of investing. They should do all they can to “Slam Sam” by reducing the amount of money they pay to the government in taxes.

And when global catastrophes, such as pandemics, emerge, readers should stick with their game plan and work with a trusted financial advisor to actively navigate their path forward. Instead of just trusting “emperors with no clothes,” Dorcey admonishes investors to never just take someone else’s word and buy into the myth that it is acceptable to lose a large percentage of their investment when tough times hit. Instead, readers should work with people they trust and those that have a proven track record.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Advantage Media Group
• Release date: Oct 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781642257403

Randy Dorcey

DR. RANDOLPH (RANDY) B. DORCEY is a practicing estate planning specialist. In 1988, Randy became the founder of Dorcey and Associates, which has evolved into Dorcey Financial, LLC. Randy has dedicated the last thirty years to educating his clients on how to use their money to achieve their life’s goals in retirement and beyond. As a public speaker, Randy provides Living Trust and Trust Funding legacy presentations for groups of all kinds and sizes. He specializes in asset preservation, lowering taxes, understanding social security maximization as well as helping to protect your estate from nursing home depletion. Randy lives in Fort Myers, Florida, with his wife Franci of forty-five years. He enjoys golfing, fishing, hunting, and traveling. Their four children are married, to wonderful spouses. And their six grandchildren, as you can imagine, keep them very busy!

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INTRODUCTION

Some Advice about Ice

Ice Sliding or Pointy Finger

My first midlife crisis occurred when I was just four years old.

As a budding musical prodigy, I was selected as leader of the band of my kindergarten class and asked to give the introduction for our group’s live performance at the Thursday PTA meeting—an event that constituted a mass gathering in my hometown of Hale, Michigan. Having a conscientious soul, I took my role seriously and practiced my speech every night:

"Parents and teachers,

now presenting …

the

Kindergarten Band!"

So it wasn’t exactly on par with the Gettysburg Address, but in my little mind, it was a big deal. My mother, keen to see me succeed, encouraged my dedication by allowing me to practice at the supper table each night before the first course was passed. However, my brothers did not share her enthusiasm and had a much different idea of what would make my inaugural introduction a success.

Born the sixth of seven boys in our family (yes, my poor mother), I lived under the influence of my older teenage siblings—Al, Dean, Warren, Lowell, and Steve—and one younger brother, Martin. And just as teenagers today often face the irresistible urge to get into mischief, my brothers were no exception to this trend.

After my first rehearsal dinner, my brothers quickly pulled me into the garage to give me the lowdown.

Ever the pot stirrer, Warren pressed his face a few inches from mine and said, What are you gonna say for your introduction? My little eyes traversed the room, taking in the scene before me. Dean and Lowell were giggling on the sidelines, Al wasn’t paying me much attention, and Warren continued to give me a look that said I’d better give him the answer he wanted to hear.

Although my suspicion radar was on high alert, I had to admit I was a little awed by Warren. How could a big brother with muscles like him steer me wrong? Suspicious, intimidated, and more than a little puzzled, I answered his inquiry with my well-rehearsed response. I pulled myself up to my full 36.2 inches, inhaled deeply, and bellowed, Parents and teachers— Warren cut me off before I even got to the meat of my speech.

"Noooo! That’s not the way you start! Teachers always tell you to say that, but everyone knows that’s not really what you’re supposed to say." Warren had my full attention now. It had never occurred to me that my teacher, Mrs. Greve, and my mother might be part of a large-scale plot to mislead kindergarteners such as myself.

So what am I supposed— I mumbled before Warren cut me off yet again. I’ll tell you, he said. And almost on cue, he and my other brothers chimed in with their own revised version of my masterpiece:

"Lay-dees and gentlemen,

take my advice:

pull down your pants,

and go slidin’

on the ice!"

This was immediately followed by a chorus of giggles, and I sensed their advice included some less-than-pure motivations. I knew this wasn’t what I was supposed to say and strongly suspected neither Mrs. Greve nor my mother would appreciate me sharing this startling revision to an entire PTA audience.

But in the days that led up to the event, my brothers continued to wield their influence, and my resolve faltered. Maybe they were right. Perhaps this was what Mrs. Greve really wanted me to say, but she just didn’t know how to communicate properly.

Ever aware of my older brothers’ ways, my mother sensed something mischievous was afoot. Cornering me the night before the big performance, she left no question of which path I should take. You. do. what. your. teacher. tells. you. to. do, each word punctuated with a jab from her pointer finger. Don’t listen to your brothers. They’ll only get you in trouble. I swear that finger was infused by magical Mom powers.

But so dark was my brothers’ hold on my life that even my mom’s magical touch was not enough to keep me from faltering.

I had two options. Did I follow the tried-and-tested speech outlined to me by Mrs. Greve and militarily ordered by my mother? Or did I follow the advice of my all-knowing, radically cool, and giggle-inspiring older siblings? At this stage in my young life, I daresay it was the biggest dilemma I had ever faced. With my mom’s words echoing in one ear and my brothers’ collective instruction reverberating in the other, I was truly torn.

Finally, the big night arrived. As I approached the podium, dressed in a topcoat and matching vest, my heart raced while my tiny palms grew clammy. The filled-to-capacity gymnasium seemed to expand in both size and scope with every step. As I did on the night of my first command performance with my brothers, I squared my shoulders and inhaled deeply, fully aware of the life-altering decision I was about to make.

My eyes glanced toward my mother, who was seated directly in front of me, her finger poised for action. I then panned over to my brothers, who were seated slightly to her right. Warren’s wry smile felt half encouraging and half threatening. Ever so slowly, I began,

Lay-dees and teachers …

At this point, I was in a compromised situation, having unwittingly blended both proposed openings together. It was still up to me which path I should take.

They say your life flashes before your eyes during moments of intense fear. While I cannot fully speak to that reality, I can tell you that in the next split second, my mind felt like it processed an entire Choose Your Own Adventure book, and I could see the two options would result in very different outcomes. And for the first time in my four short years of existence, I recognized a distinction between counsel and advice.

Advice was what my brothers offered. They had opinions about how I should live my life—opinions that sought to benefit them but offered me little value. On the other hand, my mom offered counsel that was based on experience, knowledge, and care for my well-being.

Thankfully, that night I chose to follow the counsel of my mom over the advice of my brothers. And this distinction between counsel and advice is one I have continued to affirm after thirty years in the finance industry.

Why Advice Is Like Eating Fish and Why I Don’t Give It

At its core, advice is just someone else’s opinion on what you should do based on little more than their opinion. It often has nothing to do with their experience, actual knowledge, familiarity with who you are, or even the nuances of your situation.

Advice is like eating fish. You’ve got to spit out the bones. It might taste great and be the freshest bit in town, but one always must watch for the bones. The bones we bite into are often hidden, frequently unexpected, and always uncomfortable. And sometimes they are downright painful reminders of the inevitable crunch that happens when we let our guard down.

Financial advisors are the quintessential dime a dozen, exonerating the detrimental impact of market downturns on your retirement income with casual statements like Well, I told you there might be some bones. And then after they make this catchall pronouncement, they place the onus back on you, acting as though it’s your decision to invest that is the reason for their ineptitude.

Crunching bones is all well and good when the stakes are low. But you don’t want to be crunching bones when your retirement income is your income. You don’t want to have to rely on advice, especially after you examine what advice actually is and where it comes from.

The Two