FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER | Honoring Our Heroes + Doing The Work 💸

Hi friends,

When Black History Month arrives, I try to center Eve Tuck’s work on “damage-centered” discussions of underrepresented communities. Her essential work reminds me to focus on uplifting Black creativity and joy while acknowledging the huge amount of justice work yet to be done.

So, this February you’ll find our heroes alongside the organizations helping to unwind racial wealth inequality, i.e. Modernist’s generosity focus.

In solidarity,

Georgia + Team Modernist

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investment insights

 🤓 Nerd Alert! Our updated 2023 Investment Methodology is hot off the digital presses!

Check out this accessible deep-dive into the hows and whys of the evidence-based strategy we use to construct our portfolios. It’s fun and pretty, we swear!

Are you up to speed on the SECURE Act 2.0? We have an overview of what you need to know, whether you’re a retiree, pre-retiree, or business owner.

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modernist takes it outside

What does it mean to be a progressive wealth management firm? 🤔

Georgia spoke with ThinkAdvisor about her path to founding Modernist, why the firm DOES talk politics with our clients, and aiming to cause good trouble in the financial industry.

Read their conversation here.

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STRUCTURE YOUR WEALTH AROUND YOUR VALUES

Resources for Learning and Un-Learning during Black History Month:

💡 Suspending Damage: A Letter to Communities from Eve Tuck on rethinking “damage-centered” research, speech, and thinking about marginalized communities.

💡 Priced Out: a short film about Black homeownership and gentrification in Portland.

      Hot Tip: Stream it for free via Kanopy using your library card!

💡 The Reframing Racism workshops at Center for Equity and Inclusion are required learning for Team Modernist since we can all benefit from understanding the basics of how racism works in our culture. Lucky for us (and you), the new 2023 dates are live!

💡 Aiming to run an anti-racist business? Our HR friends at Workplace Change have a fab library of videos on equity-focused workplace insights. Hear from the famous Serilda herself!

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FUND YOUR HEROES: GIVE MONEY

💸 Equitable Giving Circle is a Black-led nonprofit redistributing resources to the BIPOC community via a food pantry and CSA, housing stability program, and ongoing community wellness.

💸 With a proven track record of 25+ years, the African-American Alliance for Homeownership helps families obtain, retain, maintain, and sustain their homes, leading to greater financial stability and wealth-building in marginalized communities.

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fund your heroes: give time

🔉 CASH Oregon is looking for volunteers this tax season!

They help low to moderate-income families in need access important tax credits and greatly increase their tax refunds each year.

No need to be a tax expert!
They’re looking for: tax preparers, intake specialists, client facilitators, and interpreters.

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ART BREAK: octavia butler

When Georgia tries to imagine what is possible in finance, she often delves into the work of feminist and anti-racist science fiction writers!

So, of course we love this gorgeous, interactive NYT tribute to the life and words of Octavia E. Butler. (Yes there is a paywall!)  A thinker ahead of her time, she wrote prescient tales of climate crisis, political and social upheaval, and the consequences of power hierarchies. Enjoy this visual journey from the Pasadena public library to her historical research trips to the South and eventually a Mars rover.

All hail Octavia!

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A Song That is Really About unsung heroes

Stevie Wonder’s “Blackman”

Stevie Wonder’s 1976 “Blackman” continues to resonate today. Though Stevie never made an official music video, this fan video shines a light on the heroic forebears who have fought injustice.

First man to die / For the flag we now hold high / Was a Black Man...
We pledge allegiance / All our lives / To the magic colors / Red, blue and white
But we all must be given / The liberty that we defend / For with justice not for all men / History will repeat again...
But as your hand touches your heart / Remember we all played a part in america / To help that banner wave

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