I often find inspiration in charities that demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit and make a real difference early on in their lifespan; imagine my pride when I witnessed that first-hand in a charity started by my own nephew, Newell Hill.

I was fortunate to participate in a local event last month hosted by his charity: Keys 4/4 Kids. They are founded on the principle that music inspires kids to believe in themselves, so they set out to promote arts education and mentorship through various efforts that connect kids with music. Newell founded the charity in 2000, working out of his parents’ basement. They’ve since grown to four retail locations where they sell donated pianos to fund their work with kids. In the picture above, you see me with Newell at St. Louis’ renowned Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital where children painted a Keys 4/4 Kids piano as part of The Ellen Project.

Jim Gallagher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch included both Larry Swedroe and Matt Hall in a recent piece about the 5th anniversary of the market bottom in 2009. Jim offers this advice: “Stay calm and ignore the so-called market gurus. Nobody can predict the market.”

Click here to read the full length article and to see a special video recording of Jim Gallagher and David Nicklaus exploring lessons from 2009.

Larry Swedroe, author and Director of Research for The BAM ALLIANCE, and Matt Hall, President of Hill Investment Group, discuss Larry’s latest book: Think, Act, and Invest Like Warren Buffett on February 5th, 2014 at the Saint Louis Club in St. Louis, MO. Nearly 70 guests had the opportunity to learn about why Larry wrote the book, hear some key lessons of investing, and ask questions.

Correction: Larry’s example about commercial real estate and defaults is off by one year. It happened in 2008-2010 rather than 2009-2011.