DECEMBER 2020 NEWSLETTER: Gratitude, ESG Investments, and a Buddhist Monk covers the Beatles
Hi friends,
As the New Year approaches, we are reflecting on our daily firm practices that nurture mindfulness and gratitude. Despite this trying year, we've discovered that generosity is an enlivening response to gratitude, leading us to double our giving from 1.5% to 3% of our gross revenue.
We encourage you to join us in translating gratitude into generosity. Consider donating a percentage of your paycheck (or revenue) to #FundYourHeroes. Or buy breakfast and a coffee for a neighbor who is hungry. Or call a friend to send them all your loving, like Kossan sings below.
Together towards generosity in 2021 and beyond,
Georgia + Team Modernist
Investment Insights
More and more folks are interested in aligning their values and their investments.
In the New York Times, Ron Lieber recently wrote about an innovation in the world of ESG: direct indexing, which Modernist uses as one our methods for reflecting our client’s values within the US stock market.
Read more about Modernist's approach to Sustainability portfolios.
#fundyourheroes
Donate to Project Turnkey. This initiative from the Oregon Community Foundation helps non-profits buy hotels/motels to use as shelter for people experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness.
The project includes two funds, one for counties/tribal communities and the other for Oregonians impacted by the 2020 wildfires.
Equitable Giving Circle empowers BIPOC communities in Portland by leveraging economic deposits from communities of privilege as a start towards economic equity.
Their first two projects have focused on housing stability and a CSA program sourcing from Black and Brown farmers.
MODERNIST TAKES IT OUTSIDE
Georgia joined Farnoosh Torabi on another episode of So Money, this time debating the cost of education and how to teach kids about student loans.
Meanwhile, Portland Business Journal named Modernist one of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in the region!
In a year with so many unknowns, we’re thankful for the clients and collaborators who walk (and dance) alongside us.
a song that is really about missing you
Kossan performs The Beatles’ “All My Loving”
Close your eyes and I'll kiss you / Tomorrow I'll miss you / Remember I'll always be true / And then while I'm away / I'll write home every day / And I'll send all my loving to you
As we say goodbye to 2020, we’re sending you this cover of the Beatles All My Loving performed by Kossan, a Zen monk living in Japan. (He also chants outside the Met and covers the Ramones.)
Georgia often cites her meditation practice as central to her work with clients and as an entrepreneur.
Please take this opportunity to A) meditate with Kossan for the last 2.5 minutes of the video and B) imagine the joy of the monk back-up singers at the chorus!