Abundance

By Mark Erickson, CPA

Was there abundance in 2008? Anything but, right? Maybe not. There were significant reductions in monetary net worth during the year for most people—real estate, stocks, etc. And yes, for many nearing retirement, plans had to be altered, and for some in retirement, budgets had to be streamlined.

But when we examine “abundance” in our lives shouldn’t the scope of our assessment go beyond monetary considerations? Didn’t our abundant freedoms remain intact? Did we ever go hungry? Did the spiraling economy steal the precious moments we had with family and friends? In 2008 either our health was good or there were abundant resources available to address our medical needs. More than 90 percent of us have jobs. Have you stopped to look at the snow-covered peaks this winter? Weren’t there abundant opportunities to help others and in doing so, didn’t we experience an abundance of joy? Indeed, there was abundance in 2008!

Over the next couple weeks (but before this article is published) the Inland Empire will have hosted its first 4 X 2-hour chapter event and I will have participated in our winter Council meeting and CPA Day at the Capitol. I am hopeful many of you were able to attend the 4 X 2-hour event. As I write this, I am excited about and look forward to CPA Day. We will be educating legislators primarily on the need to mandate the 150-hour requirement for licensure. California is one of only four states that have not enacted a mandatory 150-requirement for licensure. We stand to be severely impacted by not being a substantially equivalent state. Read more here. CalCPA staff and volunteers have met with several legislators at their district sites and will continue to meet with those who have not yet been visited. Please consider volunteering for this important advocacy effort. Find more details on how you can participate.

Please be reminded that the chapter is posting its chapter meetings as podcasts on our website. Our October State of the Profession meeting, our December tax meeting and our January 4 X 2-hour events are now posted. These podcast are available to members only, so a membership password is necessary to gain access.

And one more time! Our last Inland Empire Guest Social is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18 at Dave & Buster’s in Ontario. Please join us for a mid-tax season or pre-finals break. For those who haven’t attended, this is a great opportunity to network and rub shoulders in a very casual environment. I promise a good time.

So let’s proceed into 2009 with grateful hearts over the true abundance in our lives, never forgetting to help the less fortunate, so that we can experience the blessing that can only come from lifting others up.

Respectfully,
Mark Erickson, CPA

This entry was posted on Monday, February 2nd, 2009 at 8:04 am and is filed under President's Message. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.