According to the 2013 World Giving Index, the United States is ranked as the most charitable country in the world. Americans collectively donate billions of dollars out of their pockets and countless hours of their time for the benefit of others. What is the motivation?

I’ve reflected on my family’s motivation, and our simple answer is that we feel it is the right thing to do. We’re fortunate to have the resources to help others, and we know that a portion of our own success was the luck of being in the right place at the right time.

Your reasons may include:

• Having a connection to your school, religious group, or other organization
• Tax benefits
• Having excess resources that are otherwise not needed

The biggest benefit of philanthropy, however, is increased happiness. A 2009 Harvard Business School paper showed that giving increased happiness, and increased happiness led to more giving. From a personal perspective, I can attest that my wife, Lynn, and I have gotten a great deal of satisfaction from helping others. Is your experience similar?

Barron’s January 4th issue published an unlikely cover story about Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA). Unlikely, of course, because the publication has always focused on market timing, weekly trends and anything but the long view. The article’s author takes a refreshingly intelligent look at the difference between DFA’s approach and traditional index funds, among other topics.

As we launch full-speed into 2014, we are all bombarded with predictions about the future. Again. And again. Our fans know we’re not big on predictions—particularly any related to the economy and the stock market—because we know that we’re better off focusing our energy on a well thought-out plan, sticking to it, and taking the long view.

To borrow from one of our favorite authors and speakers, Seth Godin, you might describe our approach to investing as “resilient.” Read his post for yourself and see if you concur. Remain resilient!