Yeske Bue Weekend Digest 5/22/2009

Memorial Day weekend is upon us and we hope you’ve made plans to do something fun for the weekend. In honor of the coming holiday, we’ve devoted this issue of the Weekend Digest to all things Memorial Day. Have a great weekend!

Media Matters

Scott Simon, writing for Morningstar Advisor a few years ago, called upon financial planners to embrace the solemn responsibilities of a fiduciary. In doing so, he invokes the sacrifices of those in the military who we honor on Memorial Day and asks:

“In these times when we are asking men and women in uniform all over the globe to lay down their lives to defend America and to help build a better world, is it too much to ask that each of us do our utmost to help create an America imbued with the ideals for which so many of our countrymen shed their blood through the ages?”

Scott then does Dave the honor of quoting from his national conference speech in Philadelphia, where he called upon his fellow financial planners to aspire to the highest standard of conduct in their work with clients.

How to Get Help

And don’t forget that our updated client page (https://clients.yebu.com/) offers a full list of who does what and who you should contact for help with various issues. Contact numbers and email links are available from that page as well.

Some Memorial Day Facts

* Memorial Day began at the end of the Civil War. Waterloo, N.Y., is considered the official birthplace of Memorial Day.
* General Logan, commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, established May 30, 1868 for “decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country.” The holiday was initially known as Decoration Day.
* It’s customary to fly the flag at half mast until noon and then raise it until sunset on Memorial Day.
* A World War I poem inspired the wearing of red artificial “buddy poppies” on Memorial Day, which you can buy from VFW vets.
* In 2000, Congress established a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day, asking Americans to pause for one moment in national unity.

Things to do on Memorial Day

* Attend a morning memorial service at your local cemetery.
San Francisco Events
Northern Virginia Events
* Place flags and flowers at the grave sites.
* Buy and wear a VFW poppy.
* Write a note to an active-duty soldier.
* Fly the U.S. flag.
* Participate in the National Moment of Remembrance.
* Thank a veteran.

Quote of the Week

Instead of providing a quote, we’re going to recommend that you visit the Library of Congress site devoted to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. It doesn’t get any better than this.