Live like you really mean it

Have you ever had a gun put to your head? I have. It wasn’t fun.

We emigrated from England to the United States in 1992 when I was 13. On the first day, we checked into a budget motel in Escondido. It’s no longer there. I believe the roaches and termites decided to just eat everything after a while.

On the second day, we were jetlagged. On the third day, I walked into the middle of a robbery. You see, the hallway angled into the lobby, so when you came down from your room, you just sort of ‘poof’ appeared in front of the front desk. Well, I ‘poof’ appeared in front of a masked gunman.

I vividly see him with his arm extended across the counter, pointing the gun at the clerk’s head.  And then he turns and points it at my head just feet from him. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I’m one of those people who observes, takes it all in, and then says or does something. I just stood there looking at him as he stood there looking at me.

Maybe that moment of silence saved my life. Maybe if I ran, he’d have pulled the trigger. Maybe it wasn’t even loaded. Maybe walking in distracted him and de-escalated the situation and prevented him from shooting the clerk. Maybe I saved both of us that day? I’ll never know. What I do know is that he didn’t shoot either of us.

Eventually, he lowered the gun, grabbed the cash scattered across the counter like a scene from a movie, and bolted to the car we saw outside. That was my “Welcome to America”.

Now, as expected, I make this about YOU.

If that robber put a gun to your head right now, and if he tragically did shoot, how would life look for those you love most? I realize I’m extremely graphic with a cruel and devastating scenario. Yet focus on the people you love most for a minute.

Would they be okay? Or would they be left scrambling?

If you’re a working ‘stiff’ like me, would your family be left ‘up the creek’ because you didn’t have adequate life insurance, retirement savings, or college funds? Could they make sense of your RSUs, ISOs, and ESPPs? If retired, did you make plans for the money to outlive you and your spouse, or will there be a secondary tragedy in your spouse outliving your retirement income?

And does anyone outside of the family know how you think, what you value, or what you’d want for the people and the work you left behind? What if you could do a ‘digital download’ of all that to a competent third party, just in case?

If you own a business, would your employees still have a job? Would the business survive? Is there a funded buy/sell or key person plan in place, or just an idea and a handshake? And what does your spouse or partner think will happen if something happens to you?

And if you got a second chance and the gunman didn’t shoot, what would change starting right now? Would it jolt you awake a bit? Would it push you to finally finish the plans you thought you had in place every time you told your family, “I love you”?

I can’t put my finger on exactly how that event changed my life, yet I know it did. And I’ve made sure that if something ever happens to me, my wife and daughters won’t have to worry about money or the business – unless they want to.

Can you say the same?

Now, let’s end on a lighter note. This is the Holiday Edition of the CBJ after all!

Close your eyes for a moment and picture what the season ahead looks like for you: The lights. The gatherings. The laughter. The presents. The food. The people. These are moments with people who matter. Treat them like they matter. And take care of the things that need taking care of.

Because that’s the greatest gift you can give!

On behalf of PEEK WEALTH, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year! See you in 2026 (incredibly!).

Oh! And scan the QR code to see where your gaps are and what should be next on your list for those you love.