Wealthy Bag Lady Blog

Advice for Rihanna

Rihanna and Chris Brown are bringing the ugly specter of domestic abuse into the spotlight. They show us that domestic violence happens no matter how rich, young or talented you are.

As a survivor of domestic abuse, I want to tell Rihanna to leave him after the first violent incident. I know that he is sorry and feels terrible about himself, but some distance and therapy are needed here if Rihanna and Chris Brown are ever going to repair their relationship and their careers.

Ironic Death of Author of 100 Things to Do Before You Die

Dave Freeman, an advertising agency executive who co-wrote the book, 100 Things to Do Before You Die, hit his head at his Venice, California home and died on August 17.

His life and untimely death reminds us that we need to live every day like it's our last and go for our extreme dreams.

According to co-author Neil Teplica, "It's a credit to Dave. He didn't have enough days, but he lived them like he should have".

Tim Russert and Our Fathers

Tim Russert was one of the best interviewers in the news business, anchoring Meet the Press and asking business and political leaders the tough questions. He was remembered as an extraordinary journalist, a great father and a great son. He wrote 2 books about his father. How ironic that he died just a few days before Father’s Day.

Now I want to brag about my father. I’m very much in gratitude to have my father and my mother still with me. My dad is the best example of the “Greatest Generation”. It’s hard for me to imagine a time when he had no responsibilities. Growing up without a father himself, he supported his mother and sisters even as a child. After joining the military as a teenager, he left Omaha, Nebraska and came to California. He says he could “smell the opportunity” in the Golden State and knew that he would raise his family here.

The day I was born was one of the happiest days of his life. I held on tight to his hand and created a father-daughter bond that would last my whole life.

Here are some great lessons I learned from my father:

1. Be willing to sacrifice for what you want. Here’s something you don’t really hear about in today’s entitlement society where people think they can have it all and have it now. My father was the first one in his family to attend college, but as a student, he had to work 2 jobs, sacrificing sleep and partying with the guys.
2. Your word is your bond. If my father say’s he’ll call you at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon, you can set your watch by his phone call. If I have any integrity, it’s because of him.
3. Be loyal to your family. When my mother was in the hospital recovering from surgery, my father was in her room for 24 hours a day, even having the nurses bring in a cot for him to sleep in.

I’d love to hear comments and stories about your father.