TEAM MODERNIST ON Life Transitions, PICA's T:BA Festival, and Miles Davis
This month we’re thinking about Transitions and our approach to change.
One of Modernist’s core values is “Innovate & Iterate” because we know that change is a constant in our lives. We seek to embrace change by anticipating it whenever possible while keeping a positive mindset. This attitude doesn’t just support our fast-growing business; it is also at the heart of our work with clients. –Georgia and Team Modernist
Nerds of note on transitions
Prospective clients invariably reach out to us when confronted with major life transitions, like inheritance, marriage, (grand)parenthood or a business sale. Each of these events involves financial decisions that are made more complex by natural emotions like joy, helplessness or grief (among others).
Our financial planning process is structured to support people during transitions. Our favorite tool for getting started is the “Life Transitions Survey” (link below) which helps our clients identify the transitions they are currently facing and those they hope or expect to face in the future.This allows us to support them as they navigate their evolving financial reality.
We invite you to download the survey
You can complete this solo, with your partner or a friend (each of you should fill out this tool independently). Here are some questions to jump-start your discussions.
Which marked transitions do you most look forward to? Why? Which are you most concerned about?
Which will be easiest? Hardest?
Which do you feel most prepared for financially? Least Prepared?
Which transition has the most unpredictable financial implications?
Compare your selections on the Life Transitions Survey with those of your spouse/partner. How do they differ? How are they similar? What does this tell you?
Around town
Speaking of transitions, this month marks the official start the 2016-2017 art season! To whet your appetite, we suggest PICA’s TBA events starting September 8th. Kelly Pratt’s opening night event “Fanfare: Birth>Rebirth” seems particularly fitting for this month’s focus on Transitions.We hope to see you there!
Music that’s really about transitions
The “passing note” in a song is a musical note that is foreign to a harmony and is introduced between two chord tones in order to create a melodic transition. No music is richer in the use of passing notes than jazz. See if you can hear the passing notes, especially in the solos, in “So What,” the first song on Miles Davis’ celebrated 1959 album “Kind of Blue.”
Portfolio perspectives
In the very very unlikely case you haven’t heard, our political leadership will undergo a change in November. While the consequences for the nation are potentially Yuge!, historically, the effect of elections on market performance is negligible. Read on for our investment committee’s quarterly explainer on this and other topics here.