UPDATE: As time went on since I began posting articles in February 2012, many of the posts under “Marketing” began to have little to do with this topic. Therefore, in May 2014, I have moved the majority of them to “War*Peace*Gratitude” to better reflect the actual contents. The remainder of this welcome note to you is purposely kept intact, however, so as to reflect my thinking at the inception of this website. Thank you.
What prompted me to create this website was the publication of my book, “To America – With Profound Gratitude: My Journey to Freedom and Independence.” If you are curious, you can find out more about the book by clicking on the Autobiography tab on the menu bar, which is located above the banner picture. If you are a yet-to-be-published author, you may be interested in the topics of Publishing and Marketing.
Once upon a time, when I arrived in the United States as a young adult, I thought that my journey to freedom and independence was complete. In fact, for nearly 30 years thereafter, I took freedom and independence for granted. Today, I know that the journey never ends, even in the country whose Constitution espouses these concepts.
Consequently, beyond Publishing and Marketing of my book, this website’s primary focus will shift to the topic of freedom and independence. President Ronald Reagan’s quote aptly describes what happens in a society if we are not vigilant: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
I consider my financial freedom to be one of the foundational pillars for freedom and independence. For the foreseeable future, therefore, this website will focus on how I’m dealing with the current economic issues. This will be covered under the Investing tab.
For many of you, the economic challenges started in 2008. For me, it started with the market crash in 2000. That’s when I realized that delegating the task of managing my hard-earned money to so-called experts is the first step toward losing my financial independence. Unless I take the bull by the horns, what follows next will be even more serious: loss of freedom and independence. It has been over a decade since such nightmarish thoughts crossed my mind. Since then, everything I do has been focused on making sure that the nightmare does not become a reality.
I cherish being able to face the challenge head on, day in and day out, in the country of my childhood dreams. This has not been easy but nothing worth attaining ever is. What I do recognize and appreciate is the fact that I am free to choose how I spend my days. Out of this gift of freedom – that we all get to enjoy today in the United States – comes a sense of inner peace. This, I believe, is the essence of freedom. With passion, focus, and commitment, I have no doubt that my daily efforts will help enable me to remain free and independent for the rest of my life.
So long as I am physically and mentally able, I am making a commitment to keep this website, and particularly the Investing blog which started in July 2012, updated on a monthly basis.
Listed in the Other Interests tab are a few of the key websites from which I wish to learn and formulate my future.
If your passion happens to be similar to mine, then we have something in common. Let’s encourage each other and enjoy the journey together, shall we?
Cheers to freedom and independence!
Reiko McKendry
