Personal-Responsibility-Humbling

Planning & Responsibility

It’s supposed to be hard, if it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great. – Jimmy Dugan, a League of the Own

Many of you know that I spent the first 5 years of my career as a teacher and coach. My first job was a junior high coach in a district east of Austin. In addition to our junior high responsibilities, we assisted the high school with scouting and game film on Friday night and Saturdays.

In my second year, our head coach changed things up a bit. Scouting was less important with the improvements in game film. So the junior high staff was called up to work the varsity games.

Our head coach guest starring in Friday Nights Lights.

I was pumped until I was given my assignment: running the chains. For those not familiar, this is the current down and 1st down markers. Our coach had decided that a way to save money was to not hire officials for this.

Here I was, thinking I would be on the sidelines coaching a varsity football game. Instead, I was on the visitor sideline doing a $15/hour job that was deemed too expensive to pay for.

It got worse.

One game, the opposing coaching staff discovered that we were coaches. Their head coach was furious. I get it. We were standing right next to his coaches that were calling plays and giving signals.

The entire game came to a halt. Everyone in the stadium was looking at us as the officials tried to figure out what to do. Everyone agreed that we could stay but couldn’t go to the locker room at halftime. We had to sit by ourselves while the band played for 30 minutes.

One bright spot was this experience led to meeting one of the childhood heroes. During another game, I got to speak with Craig Biggio, former Astro great, on the sidelines because his son was playing for the opposing team.

With markets down and inflation up, we’re having one of the humbling years as investors. But these experiences help to strengthen resolve and makes us better moving forward.

Andrew Eppes, RICP®

Andrew Eppes is a registered representative of and offers securities and investment advisory services through MML Investors Services, LLC. Member SIPC. www.SIPC.org. Nexus Advisors, LLC is not a subsidiary or affiliate of MML Investors Services, LLC, or its affiliated companies. 14241 Dallas Parkway Suite 1200 Dallas, TX 75254 972-348-6300. The idea of retirement means different things to different people. CRN202502-1630160

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