Keith’s Sunday Morning Radio Show Opening Comments

I may just have to shoot the next person that comes up to me and says, “Congratulations on your retirement,” or “It must be nice to be retired,” or — my personal favorite, “Gee, I’m really surprised you retired.”

For the record: I am not retired!

Look, many of you knew me as the President of DeGreen Wealth Management. And you knew that my company was sold this past fall. I’m grateful about all that, but look at it this way: I started a business, I built a business, I sold a business. And I’m still in business — just not that business.

One thing is for sure, though: I am not retired! With the blessing of my family, I have now embarked on the most exciting project of my professional life — and I hope YOU will join us for the ride!

We went to see the movie, Rocky Balboa this week. My two young sons absolutely could not understand why I — their dad, a grown man — would cry at a Rocky movie. I suppose they’ll have their version of Rocky some day: Something inspirational that speaks directly to them; but for me and my generation of guys, we will always love Rocky — and for good reason.

First, what every guy over 50 understands: Sylvester Stallone is a character Rocky Balboa plays in real life. Read that again: Sylvester Stallone is a character Rocky plays in real life. He (Rocky) was absolutely born to make these movies, and I’m grateful to him for doing so.

I saw the first Rocky movie 30 years ago — in 1976. I was broke, alone in a one-room apartment in Fairfield, Ohio, and living on peanut butter sandwiches. No lie — that was my life!

Then along came this punch drunk fighter from Philadelphia who said, “I just want to go the distance.”

And a whole generation of guys my age, said, “Me too!”

Then in, Rocky II, before the next big fight, Rocky’s wife, Adrian, gave him great advice. She said: “Win!”

And a whole generation of guys my age said, “Me too!”

For the next 10-15 years there were other Rocky movies and each spoke to some core need — some core value — that my generation needed to address and to conquer; and each time we went to see the next movie, a whole generation of guys my age said, “Me too!”

And now — 30 years later — the timing could not have been better for what is absolutely the best Rocky movie ever — Rocky Balboa.

Guys, if you’ve had some success in your life, and if you’re surrounded by well-intentioned people who think your job now is to sit around and be proud of what you once did; If you know people who define you by what you were; If people you encounter don’t understand that you are not your job, your past, or whatever they once thought of you — then right now — today — go see Rocky Balboa. To borrow a Clint Eastwoodism: It’ll make your day!

Each Rocky movie has at least one great take-away line: Rocky saying, “I just want to go the distance”, or Adrian saying “Win”, or Rocky speaking to the entire Soviet Union before its collapse, “If I can change we can all change,” and so on.

So what’s the take-away from the current movie, Rocky Balboa? There are several, but probably the best is Rocky talking to his adult son, saying:

“Life is not about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can GET hit, get up, and keep moving!”

Me too!

And so, my friends, on this New Year’s Eve, I address this question to all of you, regardless who you are, regardless where you’ve been, where you are now, or where you’re going:

How many times have you been hit? How hard! Poor baby! Are you going to do like the Frank Sinatra song and “Curl up in a big ball and die, my my?” or are you going to get up and keep moving?

Just because you finished something — your career with United Widgets, your business, your diet — it doesn’t matter. Just because you have finished something doesn’t mean you are finished!

You are just getting started! If life is good and you can look back upon recent successes, then you are not ready for any victory laps on the way to pasture; and if life is bad, and you’ve been hit — hard — you are not ready to quit, to lay there, to give up, to die.

Whatever life has thrown at you so far is just God’s way of making diamonds from coal — it’s done with pressure after all.

Whatever talents you’ve been given — those are God’s gifts to you. What you do with them — not what you did with them, but what we do with them NOW — is your gift to God!

We’re calling our radio program The Keith DeGreen Global Adventure Personal Finance Show. We’ll literally be traveling all over the world on our ship, The Global Adventure, and I hope you will come with us not only every Sunday morning on KFYI radio — 550 AM (8-11 AM Arizona time, on the air or online), but every day on the web at theglobaladventure.com.

Remember, we have twelve cameras on board to help share the experience!

Under the guidance of our Captain, Wolfgang Petrasko, we’ll be outfitting the ship and running it through its paces on shakedown cruises between now and April 1. Then it’s off to Asia via Hawaii, the Philippines, and points in between, as we explore opportunities around the world. Bu April 1, 2008, we should be entering the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal!

It’s all very exciting. But this is my global adventure. What’s yours?

My hope is that whatever we do this coming year and beyond will help to inspire you to accomplish even greater things: Things that only you can do; things that matter to you. Things that change the world!

You know, I’ve ALWAYS believed in written goals. As corny as it sounds, I do them every year and throughout the year. Here are some of my goals for 2007:

1. To travel from San Diego westbound toward the Mediterranean by private ship, stopping at many interesting ports of call, discovering the economics, culture, politics and investment opportunities wherever we go — and reporting it all back to you!

2. To produce excellent risk-adjusted returns within my personal portfolio — and to share my successes and failures with you! and

3. To establish, with your help, the Global Adventure Franchise as a viable long-term business entity that entertains and educates — profitably!

Does that sound like retired to you? Join us as we redefine the great things we can all accomplish — together!

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