DECEMBER NEWSLETTER | 2023 Reflections for 2024 Recalibration
Hi friends,
While winter is our busiest season as financial planners, it’s also a time for rest and reflection, hot baths, delicious dumplings, and gathering with loved ones.
As the calendar year draws to a close, we’re reflecting on what we accomplished and recalibrating our tools for deeper conversations in 2024. Stay tuned!
As always, we’re grateful to our friends, clients, and community for making this work possible.
In gratitude,
Georgia + Team Modernist
investment insights
The IRS has published their 2024 contributions limits, so we’re busily updating our clients structures to reflect these new numbers.
To help you end the year with confidence while preparing for your future, too, use our blog post Paperwork Makes The Dream Work to update your own funding structures:
💰 End of year deadlines
💰 2024 IRS Retirement Plan Contribution and Benefits Limits
💰 Our 2024 Tax Guide
Here’s to starting 2024 with our money houses in order!
STRUCTURE YOUR WEALTH AROUND YOUR VALUES
We’re deeply inspired by Oregon Humanities and their focus on sharing stories, facilitating conversations, and evidencing the value that everyone matters.
On a recent episode of their podcast The Detour, they dig into the idea of Civic Love with Lisa Yun Lee, executive director of the National Public Housing Museum. Lee and their colleague Tiff Beatty created 36 Questions for Civic Love, a guided activity to foster connection and practice listening with curiosity. Give it a try at a holiday gathering this year!
modernist TAKES it outside
Tune in to hear Georgia join Farnoosh Torabi on the latest episode of So Money! Along with suggestions for how to structure your own generosity practices, they answer listener questions on:
💰 How to break up with your financial planner
💰 Navigating refinancing a mortgage post-divorce
💰 When and why to use a HELOC for home renovations
Friend of Modernist, Charlotte Cowles, included Georgia’s advice in her #MyTwoCents column for The Cut! This edition has great takeaways for any type of financial windfall (and future unexpected windfalls!): take stock of any debt, shore up your reserves, and invest for long-term growth. 🌱
FUND YOUR HEROES
Looking for ideas for impactful end-of-year giving? We love a Community Foundation because they’re:
❤️ Experts in their charitable landscapes.
❤️ Donor-focused, so can help even when you don’t know where to start.
❤️ Able to direct your gift to multiple organizations across multiple areas of impact.
❤️ Are required to distribute from their funds, avoiding the deep problems with retail Donor Advised Funds (watch Georgia's speech on this topic).
❤️ Can help you add a charitable fund in your will that your loved ones can advise after your death.
In Oregon, we love: OCF's impact advocacy, research, and fund support. Modernist has our Donor-in-Movement Fund at Seeding Justice; we also ❤️ their Community Funds for Water rights, Reproductive Health, and Worker Relief.
A Song That is Really About financial planning
“Don’t Stop” is the ultimate Financial Planning anthem! This Fleetwood Mac classic gives us just the motivation we need for the final push of year-end client tasks. Added bonus: they are a perennial source of hair and fashion inspiration!
Don't stop thinking about tomorrow / Don't stop, it'll soon be here
It'll be better than before / Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone