Captain Fantastic

Solomons-financial-advisor-wimbledon-blogger

Captain Fantastic

The new movie Captain Fantastic won’t be everyone’s proverbial “cup of tea” but it is perhaps one of the better movies that I have seen over the last few months. In essence it is the challenge that we all face, (not merely parents) about how to carve out a life worth living from the plethora of choices that exist.

In the film, a couple (Ben and Trin) decide to go “off grid” to educate their children in the things that they believe to be truly important. There is much to their credit, not least of which is the relationships that they build between each other. Of course not all the decisions are wise, sometimes getting lucky, narrowly avoiding disaster. Their choices are grounded in beliefs, naturally rather leftist and alternative to the mainstream, but are a welcome and timely reminder that the status quo or indeed the general culture of the day, clearly hasn’t really achieved its promises, which often seem as empty as the off casts and refuse that at best, are redirected to landfill. This is a vivid reflection of the tension within the American dream, though of course, could equally be a British one.

Values, norms and challenges

This is not a comfortable watch, there are a plethora of challenges, notably the physical endurance challenges that the children face, but also our own cultural comforts and inability to face some of the glaring facts of modern, or post-modern life. One cannot help but admire the comprehension, creativity and engaged accomplishment achieved by all the children, albeit without the context of wider “socialisation”.

I’m not giving anything away by outlining a plot which centres around Ben, (Captain Fantastic) trying to look after his children following the death of their mother. Cultural values collide within the wider family leading to the inevitable flashpoint. Whatever you think of Ben’s methods or values (played by Viggo Mortensen – you may know from Lord of the Rings) there is a very moving penultimate scene in which he provides some parting words as he “blesses” his son Bo (George MacKay). Words that perhaps we all long to hear.

So, as ever, this prompted me to consider the choices we (ok…. I) make all the time. Invariably clients want to protect the lifestyle that they have, but perhaps it is worth pausing to reflect if this is really what you want. We all tend to live within what is familiar and shy away from giving ourselves too much creative leeway to construct a life that may look and feel considerably different from the one we currently live. I’m not passing any value judgement, merely reminding you (and myself) to pause to consider if we are conforming to expectations rather than forming them.

Here’s the trailer, the film is officially released on Friday 9th September. The American “child actors” are typically brilliant, but 24 year-old London born George MacKay is exceptional and certainly has a very bright future as an actor and continues to make some very sensible role choices.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email info@solomonsifa.co.uk

Seeking Harmony – Lessons from “Quartet”

Wisdom From Experience

As I mentioned in my post on Friday, I have been somewhat engrossed in the BFI festival. Perhaps my favourite film of the festival was “Quartet” and I wondered what lessons from Quartet could be drawn. A story about musicians who find themselves spending their dotage together in a rather beautiful home for elderly musicians (which is actually Hedsor House, in Taplow). This was Dustin Hoffman’s very first film as a Director and one can certainly appreciate that he has gained much wisdom from years of experience as an actor. One might say that his has been a priceless experience.

Fantastic Ensemble

As you may imagine, a house of musicians has moments of tension as ego’s push against each other, but within this story there is a growing appreciation of the contributions and skills of others and the need to forgive previous wrongdoings. I won’t give too much of the story away, but let’s simply say that it is both comedic and tender. A fantastic ensemble of actors, who are all very well cast. The experience reminded me of some work that I have done with actors living in the local area.

Uncomfortable Truth

Residential care is not something that many people think about and far fewer do much to plan for. There are a variety of options for people to consider and I would suggest that having these discussed and properly assessed is an important aspect of long-term financial planning. The danger of not reflecting on issues that are uncomfortable is that they may become a decidedly uncomfortable reality. Long term care is not something that is needed by everyone, but with improvements to diet and medicine, we are living longer and sadly the Government of the day is unlikely to be in a position to make the best decisions about your well-being. It is important that good financial planning does not hide or neglect potential concerns, good financial planning is not about providing pleasing information, but about providing truthful, objective information to help clients make informed decisions. To my mind this means having a plan that is immersed in your values and choices. It should be, well… a harmony.. each has a unique part that complements the others.