“Of course, I'm spending time helping re-assure clients and help them prep for tax season. I am also setting aside time to do the following:

One, read more. I have always loved reading. Before the coronavirus shutdown, my daughter checked out 32 books from the library. The most recent reads were 'Successful Aging' by Daniel J. Levitin and 'You're Not Listening' by Kate Murphy.

Two, since gyms are closed and we have to practice social distancing, I am using this time to explore the nice trails. Sometimes, I have one of my kids join me. We walked Rock Creek last week.”

“I have never worked so hard without leaving my front door. I have been proactively talking to clients, letting my business owners know about the loan programs, etc. My networking has all gone to virtual meetings and I have talked to every alternative investment provider I use.

Exercise is the only change as I can’t go to gym and work out with my daughter, so I do pushups after I use the elliptical at home.”

“I have been caring for a pregnant mama cat who is set to give birth to kittens any day. The whole family will be living with us until the kittens are old enough to be put up for adoption at our local animal shelter.  It’s been great knowing that no matter when she goes into labor, I’ll be here to support her and I’ll be home to provide help to the kittens as they grow. Many shelters are in need of volunteers right now, so I would encourage anyone who has considered fostering animals to use this time as a trial run. It’s not only a fun way to help the community but for many of us, animals can be a tremendous source of comfort during these stressful times.

I have also been using the app Duolingo to practice French and learn Spanish. They offer free practice courses for a number of different languages and they structure each lesson in a way that makes it feel like a game. I was a French major before I went into financial planning so, it’s been fun to get back to it. Since they say that people who speak a foreign language often stave off cognitive decline, hopefully it’s good for my health, too!”

“I’m fortunate that my work life hasn’t been affected since my fiancée and I usually work from home. As you can imagine, the biggest challenge is keeping ourselves entertained. So far, I’ve binge watched the entire new season of 'Ozark,' and learned to cut my own hair. Based on the outcome, my barber’s job is pretty secure once things return to normal.

I’m also using this time to be more structured and build productive habits. To me, that means having a morning routine (prayer and journaling), exercising twice a day, and catching up on my reading list. Next up is 'Small Giants' by Bo Burlingham.”

“While I am basically still working full-time (maybe overtime!), I am not doing a lot of errands or going out to dinner (I had no idea how much time I was spending on those!) As a result, I find I am cooking at home MUCH more, experimenting with recipes using what I have available.

Also signed up for a 30-day free trial of AcornTV, and am bingeing on a variety of programs, including 'Rebecka Martinsson,' a dark whodunit from Sweden.”

"I've had the opportunity to catch up on the newest season of 'Ozark.' This is hands down one of the most entertaining shows out there now! Especially, because Marty Byrd, the main character, was a financial advisor before he got entangled in the whole laundering money thing ... lol.

Another thing is that I created an online course called Investing Like A Boss to help beginners start investing in the stock market. With the volatility in the stock market, I received a ton of emails and phone calls asking if now is a good time, should I sell, or what are the best investments. So, to save a ton of time, I created an online course that teaches how to build their own well-diversified portfolio from scratch.

This experience has been interesting and fun at the same time. It's also allowing me to spend a lot of time with my children. I'm loving it!"

“I'm working on my unfinished wedding album! We got married in 2017. I really have no excuse not to finish it now!”

“With more time on my hands and nowhere to go, I have turned to 3-D jigsaw puzzles in this time of self quarantine and social distancing.”

“Coincidentally, we adopted a 3-month-old puppy a week before quarantine went into place. My daughter’s school is closed as well for the foreseeable future. So consequently, puppy training and homeschooling are my pastime activities.”

“I'm watching Ted talks, sharing them with friend and kids and talking about them. Shawn Achor and Angela Duckworth are big hits.”

"I make a detailed list for the day of exactly what I want to do. I include all the normal work items of a typical day, but also break out time for the family and my dog throughout the day, making sure to have breakfast and lunch with them and see them a few times during the day. I am trying to do happy hour FaceTime every evening. It seemed corny at first, but just having a beer with friends and family face-to-face to talk about our days is super helpful.

[I also spend] more time on advisor-centered websites. It has been very helpful to read what other advisors are doing to cope with everything. I started a group chat with some other advisors I have met over the years. It's a bit strange at first to talk with the 'competition' but nobody knows what you are going through better than other advisors. It has been so helpful to talk about all the stressful parts of the job, but also to share stories about daily life in our jobs right now."

“The most important thing? Relishing the time I am getting to spend with my cubs! Cooking for them and doing fun projects, like coming up with interesting and fun food recipes. We as a family are big readers with thousands of books in our home library. I have also been reading a lot of books that I had to find the time for, which I now have.

I have been going to long walks too (great for health) that allow me "me time" to reflect, meditate etc.”

"I am playing tons of Ping-Pong and Frisbee with my son. I am also teaching him how to make change using pretend store items. They don't teach useful math in school so, now's my chance."

“I've been making it a point to go out for a walk or run more frequently. I've been getting ahead of the game for my licensing and designations CE, and I've been using Zoom, not only for client meetings, but also to stay connected with friends and colleagues.”

“I am getting a lot of work done on my boat. I am working on changing website companies for a better one and I am reaching out to all my clients even those I rarely get to speak with. [I’m doing] a little more yard work than normal.”

We have tons of extra time. I transitioned out of the corporate investment world in January 2019 to launch our fee-only RIA here in Texas and we went live March 2019. It’s been a great year and I have loved growing the firm. Now with life being different for a bit, we have offered up to 20 hours a week to provide volunteer pro bono help for anyone that needs support in finding answers to their financial questions that may have been impacted due to the current circumstances.

Our two kids no longer have school activities or sports, all of our community events and networking activities are canceled; now we have more time to help others and to give back to the community. Mixed in with that, we love anything with two wheels. We love riding bikes and motorcycles responsibly so we stay safe and have fun! I also like working on bikes of any kind. 

In addition, this week we have started digging into the stimulus package to be educated on the details so we can be a resource on the topic.