If a picture speaks a thousand words, how much meaning can we pack into a picture with some words? Here are a few thoughts on the value of good advice. Enjoy!

On the eve of the presidential elections, how to survive and make best use of our time here on earth may be even more top of mind than usual. What better time to share a recent piece by Fast Company’s Laura Vanderkam: “Cancer Survivors Share Hard-Won Lessons On Managing Time Well.” Beyond being fascinating in its own rights, the article features our own Matt Hall reflecting on his experience living with leukemia (a subject he also explores more extensively in his book, “Odds On.”)

When Matt was hit with the bad news in 2006 (only about a year after co-founding Hill Investment Group), he found it hard to sustain his usual “Take the Long View” outlook. As Vanderkam’s article relates:

“[Matt] recalls being in his car afterward. His wife was driving. He looked out the window and saw other people in their cars, heads moving to the music. ‘Life goes on, but in my car it felt like life was at a standstill.’”

Fortunately, Matt and his doctors found a treatment that has enabled him to effectively manage his chronic disease during the decade since. If anything, his commitment to long-view living is even stronger, with an intense approach to living every day. (Although those of us who have known Matt for years would debate whether that’s really all that new!)

In summarizing Matt’s and other cancer survivors’ experiences, the article wraps: “For all the different reactions, one theme emerges: Surviving tends to make people think that there is no point wasting time and energy on things that are neither meaningful nor enjoyable.”

As you consider this and future elections, you may want to heed Matt’s and his fellow survivors’ life experiences. Focus on the details you can control in your life. Don’t “fool around with small stuff,” as Matt advises. Hire someone else to mow your lawn. If you have been longing to do something … do it.

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Members of our team are self-proclaimed bookworms and eternal evidence seekers! We always love to hear recommendations for new books, magazines, articles, interviews, and especially podcasts. Matt Hall has put together a list of some of his favorites. To listen in, just click on any that pique your interest.

Charley Ellis – We love him, his story and the way he speaks. (If you listen to only one podcast on the list. this is the one to choose.)

David Booth – Cofounder of Dimensional, now the sixth largest fund company in the world, we think the story is worth your time.

Cliff Asness – Brilliant communicator.

Larry Swedroe – Author of 15 books and Matt’s mentor from Buckingham.

Michael Mauboussin – We like the way he thinks.

Howard Marks – He has a different approach to investing, but is a great communicator.

Jack Bogle – Sometimes myopic and abrasive, but a living legend.

Burt Malkiel – Similar to Bogle, but also still a legend.

Cliff Asness (again) 

Cliff Asness (one more time) … on hedge funds and equity returns