If I hear "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" one more time on the radio, I'm going to scream.  One of the fundamental principles you learn when you study finance is that the value of organizations is more than the sum of their actual parts - and that the confidence that investors feel about their future has a big impact on the market value of those organizations.   So, growth and prosperity, as difficult as they are to envision in the current climate, still persist in the future for those who can act on the courage of their convictions.  If you want to read a cogent explanation of what's gone wrong in the current economy, read this article by Ben Stein.

If you'd like to reflect on a few things that may be going right, I offer a few ideas from our board members about reasons to be optimistic in 2009:

Me, I've worked through multiple economic downturns and lived to tell the tale.  I don't take the current world situation lightly - I have two children in private college - nor do I believe that wishful thinking alone will drive results.  I do believe, however, that maintaining a spirit of optimism can only enhance thoughtful strategies for managing through tough times.

What do you have to be optimistic about in 2009?

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