SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER | How We’re Gearing Up For the Election 💪
Hi friends,
As we enter the final weeks leading up to the Presidential Election, we’re having important conversations, donating, writing letters (join us October 10!) and compiling resources for you.
In this month’s newsletter, we’re sharing good news from both Oregon and Washington D.C., and our thoughts on the recent interest rate cut.
In hope and action,
Georgia + Team Modernist
investment insights
As Financial Planners, we think a LOT about healthcare coverage, premiums, out-of-pocket costs, inflation rates, ongoing legislation.
You name it, we’re thinking about it for our clients’ financial plans. Since it’s that time of year when folks are enrolling or considering enrollment, we thought we’d answer some FAQs about Medicare.
And for more good news on wonky answers to our health care crises, The Progress Network reminds us that ”Combined, the percent of the entire American population that has insurance coverage of some type is now 92.1 percent.“ Here's to legislative solutions to systemic problems!
fund your heroes
Democracy is an action verb so come help us get out the vote in swing states! We'll be writing letters here at Modernist HQ in lovely downtown Portland from 3-5 p.m. on October 10th—and we’d love to see you. We’re aiming to write 20 letters each.
Paid parking, snacks, and letter-writing supplies are provided. Drop us a line at hello@modernistfinancial.com to RSVP!
structure your wealth around your values
Elections stir up a lot of emotions, and as we all know: drum up a LOT of noise! We created our newest Election Dispatch as a resource to help you gain clarity on:
How politics has affected the market historically
Strategizing your political giving for maximum impact
What to do (or not do 🤔) when it comes to your own portfolio
A 👀 At Voters’ Priorities:
A new report from Gallup shows that voters are reluctant to vote for a candidate over 80 or a felon (hm!), but many say they would back a woman, a Catholic, and a Hispanic or Black candidate. 🤞
from the team
Our very own Josh Cole will represent Modernist on a panel exploring a critical question: Can Innovative Technologies Make Green Finance Better? He’ll talk about how we’re thinking about AI as a human-centered, impact-driven small business.
RSVP here and stay tuned for his insights from the event.
modernist takes it outside
Says Georgia on upcoming interest rate cuts: “It's good for you as a debtor, it's mixed as an investor; your bonds will earn a bit less, but, markets, especially small companies and real estate, could get a bump when debt is cheaper.”
Georgia joined Farnoosh recently for a new episode of So Money to shed light on how to calculate the real cost of your mortgage and some voting rights orgs to support ahead of the election.
Good News
Rep. Andrea Salinas and (friend of the firm) Kali Thorne Ladd CEO of Children’s Institute in D.C. Go Kali and team!
We were thrilled at the good news from the Children’s Institute trip to Capitol Hill to support what is being hailed as the “boldest bipartisan proposal to make child care more affordable,” the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act and the Child Care Workforce Act. Updating the federal tax code is an important part of the solution with early childhood and child care tax incentives as a priority in this conversation. Tell your legislators you support!
In an effort to define our democracy for the next 250 years, the letter-exchange program Dear Stranger is hitting the road! They’re partnering with libraries and museums across Oregon to host letter-writing stations kicking off with the prompt: “What is the Oregon you want to live in?”. Keep an eye out for your local drop box or mail your letter by October 31.
A SONG THAT’S REALLY ABOUT COMMUNITY
A song that “wrote itself” from the depths of the pandemic, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer’s “Hold Each Other Up” became an anthem with its mix of Appalachian music and traditional Chinese instrumentation. The message resonates as we’re getting ready to cast our votes for the future we want to build together.
“We’re gonna hold each other up
Gonna lift each other high
Gonna love each other better than before
This old world will keep on turning
And our hearts will keep on yearning
For each other when the world is so unsure“