Which founding father (or historic figure) would you most want to have over for a backyard BBQ—and why?

  • Tom F: Benjamin Franklin. Amongst other things, he was an inventor, diplomat, writer, and drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence. My hunch is that he’d be a fairly interesting guy to enjoy a cookout with. 
  • Dante: Harry S. Truman – he did the right thing.
  • Yoyo: Benjamin Franklin, cause who doesn’t love Benjamins?!
  • Nick: Benjamin Franklin (He’s the perfect combination of smart and a party animal.)
  • Prescott: John Quincy Adams – interesting and local founding father that grew up just a few miles from where I live now.
  • Carrie: Currently, my kids (age 12 & 13) are totally obsessed with the Broadway play, Hamilton.  So, they would NEVER forgive me if I didn’t invite Alexander Hamilton!  The poor guy would be inundated with questions from them . . . Nonstop!  (If you know you know)
  • John: I would like to have George Washington over for my July 4 BBQ for a few reasons. He was there in the beginning, and I’d like to know how they had the courage to move forward against the British. Second, I played George in a 4th grade play… so I’ve always had an interest in him. And last, I’d ask him to examine life as we have it here today in the USA and ask his opinion on some of the most pressing political issues of today… immigration, deporting of Illegals and the financial condition of the country as it stands today and the forecast going forward.

Which all-American invention do you secretly love most?

  • Dante: Microchips – I recently read Chip Wars which was very interesting.
  • Nick: Baseball (what’s better than watching a Yankees Sox game?)
  • Prescott: Basketball.
  • Laura: Denim. Year round, dressed up or down.
  • Carrie: Without a doubt, the best invention ever is the personal computer.  I remember life before the computer, and it was not fun. The worst was being in school doing reports on typewriters (with whiteout!).  Not to mention having to rely on the library hours and book availability to do research!!  I absolutely love computers and could never go back to life without them.

If you could declare independence from one minor life annoyance, what would it be?: 

  • Tom F: my morning alarm, because I’m definitely not a morning person!
  • Adam: Daylight savings. They fought a revolution over a tea tax. We lose an hour every spring and just accept it? The Founding Fathers would riot.
  • Dante: Personal articles.
  • Laura: Keeping the house clean.
  • Yoyo: Folding clothes. Please, someone invent a clothes folding machine.
  • Nick: Traffic.
  • Prescott: Bad drivers and traffic.
  • Annie: iPhone alarms.

What’s one freedom you’d never give up—big or small?      

  • Adam: The freedom to always grab another hot-dog, calories don’t count when you’re standing up, right? Also, freedom from mustard stains.
  • Alex: One freedom I would never want to give up is upholding our ‘no jerk’ policy here at Napier. If we do not enjoy working with someone, we will not engage because life is too short and you should enjoy each day because you never know when that will change.
  • Dante: My right to watch football on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and every holiday there are games!
  • Tom S: Coffee break.
  • Yoyo: Making poor financial decisions with online shopping.
  • Nick: Fast cars.
  • Prescott: Home ownership.

Invest like its 1776 (What would you invest in if you lived in 1776?

  • Adam: I’d start the 1st Colonial Consumer Staples index fund, investing in lantern oil, powders (wig & gun), wagons, ect… Why pick individual stocks when you can own the whole revolution? Hold until (financially) independent!
  • Dante: Fur pelts.
  • Nick: Land (most of the colonies economy at this point was based on agriculture and the wealthiest individuals were land owners.
  • Prescott: Agriculture and land.

If I weren’t in finance… (what other job would you be doing this summer?) 

  • Alex: I would likely have been an architect or potentially a city planner. I find planning and organization soothing to my soul…. But I think I am in the right profession already.
  • Tom S: Landscaping or lifeguarding.
  • Prescott: Fishing charter captain.
  • Annie: Interior Designer.
  • Laura: Landscape Designer (my latest hyperfixation.)

What’s on your reading/listening/watching stack this summer?

  • Dante: Probably starting a Brandon Sanderson series.
  • Schulte: Another summer of studies ☹. Tax and estate planning textbooks.
  • Nick: SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
  • Laura: It depends who’s asking…for peace of mind: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. For productivity: Essentialism by Greg McKeown. But, 90% of the time you’ll find me deep in a Fantasy Fiction series just for fun.
  • Prescott: Nothing!
  • Annie: CFP books…half kidding 😉 for shows: White Lotus and Sirens.