Your Mark On The World combines inspiring stories of ordinary people doing remarkable things to make the world a better place with practical advice to empower anyone to give more to a cause (charity, non-profit or social venture) without giving up a career or family. The inspiring stories include: Botevy's life and death struggle through Pol Pot's killing fields that led her ultimately to create an orphanage in Phnom Penh. Rick's personal crusade to cure cystic fibrosis to ensure that his two afflicted grandchildren will attend his funeral and not the other way around. The eight-member Smith family's world service tour. David's decision to walk away from a successful career as an international executive to volunteer to care for victims of leprosy in rural India. These stories are combined with practical financial advice to empower you to give more to a cause without giving up your family or your career. The book answers your questions: How do I get out of debt and stay out of debt? Which charity or cause do I choose to make my donation? How do I decide where to volunteer? How can our family plan a volunteer vacation? How can I save money for retirement? How much should I contribute to my 401k? Can I use Mint to manage my budget? How to retire early enough to devote healthy years to volunteering? This must-read book provides an overview of philanthropy in America and around the world, providing you with a clear picture of charity and its fruits.
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Devin D. Thorpe wrote Your Mark On The World while working as a professor of business in China, providing a transition from his successful corporate career to a life more focused on humanitarian service. Previously, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for a multinational corporation and as the treasurer of Nasdaq-listed multinational. His other experience included seven years of operating his own boutique investment bank and financial advisory business, and a time as the owner and manager of a mortgage company. He earned an MBA at Cornell University after spending two years on the staff of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee. Devin’s passion for volunteering was born at age eleven while shoveling mud out of a stranger’s flooded home.
Popular speaker and author Devin D. Thorpe brings a broad perspective to financial planning, having owned and operated an investment-banking firm, which included an investment advisory business, a mortgage brokerage and having served in a variety of corporate finance positions.
Devin launched his writing career while serving as a business professor at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, China on behalf of Brigham Young University's Kennedy Center China Teachers program. Previously, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for the multinational company MonaVie, listed in Inc. Magazine's 2009 Inc. 500 as the 18th fastest growing company in America and, at $834 million in revenue, the third largest company on the list. Prior experience includes two years working on the staff of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee during Utah Senator Jake Garn's tenure. He also served briefly in Utah State Government, working at USTAR under Governor Jon Huntsman.
He earned an MBA with focus in Finance and Accounting from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management. He completed his undergraduate degree in finance at the University of Utah, where he later worked as an adjunct professor of finance. In 2006, Devin was recognized by the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah as a Distinguished Alum.
Devin ran his first marathon in 2011, finishing in 4:35.
This book is somewhat unusual in its presentation. It is not a book designed to make you feel guilty for not joining in every good cause in the world, and it is not a book that sets out to sell you on its plan for you to achieve all your financial dreams. It is a book that combines a strong argument for finding a cause you like (where you can make a difference in the lives of others), with some basic counsel on how to get your personal financial life in order so that you might maximize the amount of good you can do.
The chapters alternate between stories of real people who have accomplished some amazing things in serving and helping others, and easy to understand discussions of how to analyze and modify your financial situation for the better (which should empower you to go out and do more good yourself.) The book starts out with a personal story by the author that grabs your attention and makes you want to keep reading. The chapters that tell the stories of people who have found ways to really make a difference to the people they serve illustrate the variety of need in the world and the multiple ways that it is possible to make an impact on the lives of others. The financial advice chapters are basic enough to be understandable by those of us who didn't get our degrees in finance, but have enough depth to teach some important principles to enable people to take steps to improve their overall financial situation and take control of where their resources go.
If the purpose of the book is to convince and inspire people to find a cause and then go make their mark on the world, it certainly accomplishes that goal. It gives you the concrete examples that show how people can really do it, and the tools to enable anyone to make a plan and start doing it themselves.
Just finished this quick read, and very much enjoyed it. The author's writing style was very conversational and nicely paced. It is alternating chapters with an inspirational/motivational story of lives being changed, with a chapter on financial planning/advice to help you come up with a plan to do your part. No guilt for not doing enough, just an approach and some ideas on what you can do to make your "if I had a million dollars I would.." come true. I very much liked the tactial step-by-step approach to making a difference in the world, in very real and measurable ways.
This book is actually about finding a passion in life and reminds us there is more to life than the day to day. It tells us how to make a real difference with our time, money, and our hearts. The author not only assures us that we make a difference, but he tells us how to choose our passions and focus them to make a maximum impact on our chosen cause. He shows us how to organize our lives to make great things happen. The author shares some amazing anecdotes of people who have helped and been helped, and shares his great experience and the fulfillment it gave him. It's very informative and exceptionally inspirational.I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
