I recently attended an LDS Stake Leadership Training meeting where we were instructed on the unfortunate reality of investment fraud and online scams. I hadn't really ever thought about this before from the viewpoint of my Church membership, leadership positions, and ministering to my fellow ward members, neighbors, and community. It was a good reminder of some of the pitfalls we run into contextualized in Utah and LDS Church culture. To summarize the information presented at the training, always remember the following best practices:

1. If it sounds too good to be true, it is! Remember that there is a direct, adverse relationship between risk and reward. Anyone that disassociates risk from reward is probably selling a scam.

2. Ronald Reagan frequently used the phrase "Trust, but verify." When it comes to making an investment, verify then trust!  As believers in Christ, we look for the good in people and we trust our fellow, like-minded, church-going friends. Anyone who is telling you to blindly trust them with your money is probably selling a scam, especially if they're pressuring you into making that investment right away or you'll be missing out. Good investments today are usually good investments tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, etc.

...this article is incomplete. Come back later to learn more!

I have been a cellphone user for roughly 25 years, and a smartphone user for at least 17 years. I never would have thought after all this time that I would finally give iPhones a try. I have always been a Windows and Android user (I did use a Blackberry for work when they were on top of the smartphone world), and I always pushed back against Apple devices because they are trendy and expensive. But what do you do when your cell phone carrier gives you the opportunity to try the new iPhone for free? Well, you get a free phone. (Let's be honest though, free is a loose term. You still have to pay taxes and commit to two more years of service with your wireless carrier.) I have been looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. I will share my experience here, so if you're thinking about making a switch (whether from Android to iPhone or iPhone to Android), check back here regularly for my updates on which platform is winning the battle.

See the results now!