We could all learn a lot from the evolution of the lowly lemonade stand. Still manned by cute kids on hot summer afternoons, many lemonade stands have gone high tech. If you look closely at those hand-lettered signs, you might see a QR code directing you to a secure payment site so you won’t have to let your lack of cash limit your order. Social media marketing also helps drive traffic to the stands. Some lemonade stands even offer online ordering and, of course, curbside pickup. As a result, those cute kids are raking in the dough. More than 55,000 of them are also taking advantage of an app run by the non-profit Lemonade Day, which guides them through social media influencing, investing, marketing, advertising, online orders and even philanthropic efforts to promote their brand. Today is National Lemonade Day and one way we can celebrate it is to support a neighborhood stand. Another is to look at areas in our life where we could apply a lemons-to-lemonade philosophy. And, rather than shake our head at the ways modern technology is changing the world, we can look at opportunities to embrace those changes and use them to augment our own lives. The wise use of technology has made budgeting, tacking investments, planning retirement, scheduling appointments, keeping in touch with family members and a whole host of daily activities much more manageable. That’s the lemonade part of the lemons we face when technology challenges us. If we put the work into understanding how new technology works, why it’s necessary and what dangers lurk in its wake, we can enjoy benefits we might not even have imagined. Happy National Lemonade Day! Whether you get your lemonade from a stand down the street, order it from an app, or make it yourself, we hope you have a very refreshing day. And, if you’d like information about how technology can make retirement planning easier… | Read More »