OCTOBER NEWSLETTER | On Remaking A City for The Future 🪄
Hi friends,
We’ve loved our few rainy days in Portland and are welcoming the shift in seasons.
This month we have positive change + politics on the brain, and are delighted to amplify the voices of a few of our badass friends who are taking action to redefine Portland (and the possibilities in all cities post-pandemic).
Make sure to read to the bottom for one of my New Wave faves.
Georgia + Team Modernist
investment insights
📣 Don’t let talk of a recession faze you! 📣 As evidence-based investors, we look to history for solace. Positive average performance of 8.8% in the two years following a recession? Sounds good to us!
So, remember the big picture, when “Cash is Queen” she’ll carry you through down markets... when we remind ourselves of the market-evidence and vision embedded in our financial plans.
STRUCTURE YOUR WEALTH AROUND YOUR VALUES
We’re thrilled to see the narrative around downtown Portland shifting and business leaders stepping up to take action! This reminds us of Rukaiyah Adam’s incredible 2022 TEDxPortland talk (a must-watch, truly, no matter where you live). In A Love Letter to Portland, she asked:
❤️ How do we express collective empathy?
❤️ How do we define evolving community standards?
❤️ How do we communicate those standards?
Her questions reminded us that what we're experiencing in Portland is a remaking, so “Pick an issue and do something about it!”
modernist TAKES it outside
Farnoosh and Georgia tackle listener questions on the latest episode of So Money, all with the common thread of how we experience 〰️ fear 〰️ when we make money moves. We’ve all been there!
Tune in to hear about:
🖤 Navigating the sense that there are too many things to save for—how to overcome the overwhelm?
🖤 Balancing saving for short terms needs, real estate dreams, and retirement.
🖤 Weighing which tax efficient accounts your future self needs: SEP IRAs, Solo 401Ks, and Roth IRAs, oh my! As Georgia reminds us: don’t expect logic from the US tax code. 😜
📈 More accolades from PBJ! 🏆
We’re #84 on Portland Business Journal’s list of Fastest Growing Companies! With the busy year we’ve had, we’re proud of keeping our growth aligned with our values.
FUND YOUR HEROES
With so much on the ballot next year (civil rights, reproductive freedom, democracy, equitable tax policy...) we could all use a reminder that women and people of color are underrepresented at all levels of government. So! Now is a great time to fund orgs that are working to change representation:
good news: progressive policy in action!
Paid Leave Oregon shows how progressive policy can shape collective benefit. Oregon's new program offers qualifying folks up to 12 weeks paid leave for life events such as parental or medical leave.
This is a huge win for small businesses like Modernist, who now have have governmental support in making more paid leave possible and affordable; supporting community well-being and economic stability across the state.
We hope you’ll join us in spreading the word and celebrating government solving for our collective needs! 📣👏
ART BREAK: SLAYING RIGHT WING HATE WITH SEQUINS
Friends of the firm Eden Dawn and Emma McIlroy shattered records with this summer’s Drag-A-Thon (simultaneously winning a Guinness World Record and raising over a quarter of a million dollars for the Trevor Project!).
Now we’re getting a peek behind the curtain with a new podcast co-hosted with local reporting legend Fiona McCann sharing hot interviews with fabulous queens/kings, celebs, and backstage hi-jinks.
A Song That is Really About Dreams & Goals
Envisioning our financial goals is an essential step in making the behavioral and structural changes that will get us there. This New Wave gem from The Human League reminds us what dreams are made of.
Everybody needs love and adventure
Everybody needs cash to spend
Everybody needs love and affection
Everybody needs 2 or 3 friends
These are the things
These are the things
The things that dreams are made of