DECEMBER NEWSLETTER | Meet The New Faces of Modernist
Hi friends,
You may have noticed...we have some new faces at Modernist HQ! Thanks to our awesome clients and community, we grew a bunch in 2021 and needed more badasses on the team. So, please say a warm hello to Nadja, Mari, Bernard, and Alejandra! (Our Team page is freshly updated if you want to learn a bit about them and their fave $$$ songs.)
So, what does the expanded team mean for clients and our community? Even more support for structuring wealth around your values, continuing to define the community impact of client and firm financial decisions, all while building a pipeline of talent from diverse backgrounds!
I'm delighted that 2021's growth confirms that my “wild” dream of a thriving values-driven financial firm…wasn’t so wild after all.
Thank you for being part of the change we want to see in the world,
Georgia + Team Modernist
investment insights
December 31st is coming up fast! On the blog, we shared a handy guide to Charitable Giving Strategies to help guide your decision-making and explain commonly used terminology. It’s available as a downloadable PDF too!
Download a PDF here!
In another post, Where To Save Your Next Available Dollar, we shared thoughts on prioritizing the different savings vehicles you could use. We added another colorful infographic for you visual learners out there!
Structure Your Wealth Around Your Values
When we hire, we're guided by our core value: Invite & Include. We strive to open our doors to folks from different backgrounds and industries.
Our new crew brings fresh perspectives and a commitment to community along with Masters degrees in Engineering Mgmt (Bernard) and Sustainable Biz Mgmt (Alejandra has two!), opening and running charter schools (Nadja), seamlessly managing a law firm office (Mari).
Together, we're committed to co-creating and sustaining an inclusive company culture while deepening how we actively do this work, together.
modernist takes it outside
Georgia joined So Money podcast host Farnoosh Torabi for another opinion-filled episode, this one for the CNET series: The Cost of Climate Change.
They chatted about how Modernist thinks about ESG fund performance (hello, long game!) and the potential impact of climate change on investments and financial choices.
Says Georgia: "The more asset flows there are into ESG investments, the more robust the infrastructure will be and the more competitive the market."
Farnoosh also included Georgia in her accompanying CNET article on how to retrofit your retirement strategy for climate change.
FUND YOUR HEROES
👆 As EGC says: ongoing support creates sustainability for orgs!
Another theme that’s been coming up in our conversations is how to get unstuck when it comes to giving. We hear from folks that they don’t know where to start. Our advice: small amounts matter!
Georgia recommends setting up recurring donations to orgs you care about ($5 or $50 or $500… whatever feels small to you). She feels all the good vibes when the names of her fave organizations pass through her checking account each month! Plus, it helps the organization predict their revenue and make better planning decisions.
ART BREAK: modernist founding inspiration
The work of the Guerrilla Girls is one of our founding inspirations for Modernist.
This collective of artist activists call themselves “The Conscious of the Art World.” Since the 80s, they've used obscured and unsettling facts, sharp wit, and striking visuals to expose sexism, racism, and corruption in the art world.
Their work continues…and inspires us to keep innovating on our efforts to build a more inclusive financial industry, too!
ADVANTAGES OF BEING A WOMAN ARTIST (ITALIAN0) Cheap Street Art Fair, installing some of their posters on the streets of Bologna, Italy. © 2017 Guerrilla Girls
"WHITECHAPEL STREET: In 2016 we re-examined a 1986 poster (It’s Even Worse in Europe) to find out how things were going for women and artists of color in Europe. We sent almost 400 questionnaires to European museums and kunsthalles and let them explain the situation in their own words. We got 100 replies and made an exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. The 300 who ignored our request? We put their names on the floor where visitors walked all over them." © Guerrilla Girls
A Song That is REALLY About labor & compassion
“Santé” by Stromae
Especially this time of year, we LOVE this very danceable call to acknowledge and uplift frontline workers. Let's answer it by practicing compassion and generosity with the folks working alongside us every day. Enjoy and share this joyful noise with the folks you love!
Yes, let’s celebrate those who can’t celebrate.
Once again, I’d like to raise my glass to those who don’t have one.
Airline pilot or nurse, truck driver or flight attendant
Baker or fisherman, a drink to the champions of the worst schedules
To young parents rocked by tears, to professional insomniacs
And all those who suffer from heartache, who can't be celebrating.