When my children were young, I felt like my entire life was a constant fight to keep them alive. I was like Trinity in "The Matrix," Jackie Chan in any film he's ever made, and Mrs. Incredible (from the animated "The Incredibles"), all in one, stretching beyond all scientifically proven capabilities of the human physique to keep them out of the street, body-blocking falling hazardous objects, and trying to keep chokeable items out of their grubby little hands and faces -- all at the same time.

Educating them about how best to operate in the world, advising them about the joys and pitfalls of life, even teaching them their Sunday school memory verses, all came a very distant second, fourth or even 15th priority behind keeping them alive for the first few years of their lives.

It was quite similar, now that I think of it, to the role I played with my real estate clients and readers at the top of the market. Back then, it was all I could do to battle harmful misinformation and aggressively over-high hopes of the "too-good-to-be-true" variety.  more...