Happy 4th of July!
Yeah! We are back to celebrating July 4th again! Hello from Southern CA. I’m writing today from Bruce’s house in Glendale, CA. We will be here for a week celebrating the July 4th week and weekend…getting back to the normal we knew pre-pandemic.
July 4th will not only be a celebration of our nation, but also the first holiday we can celebrate together since the pandemic. With the success of the COVID vaccines halting the spread of the virus, most of us are returning to a normal life in varying degrees.
However, life is not quite normal yet. As my long time Musing readers know, we generally celebrate July 4th in a big way. This all started growing up in MS - My dad’s birthday is July 4th and he was proud to celebrate every Independence Day with a giant party. The day was always about his special barbeque and lots of fireworks….and Chinese families throughout the MS Delta showed up for the celebrations and the many tables of Mahjong too.
The party became a not-to-miss event when we moved into our first home after living behind the store during my junior year of high school. Our home was in the country (we weren’t allowed to buy property in town) on 2 acres…lots of room for many cars to park, have big parties, and shoot fireworks! After my dad died, the party continued without a break because my eldest granddaughter Micaela was born on July 4 and my youngest daughter Dana and her husband Kenji were married on July 4 as well.
Flash forward to 2020…this year we wanted to resume celebrating. However, we initially thought we should only celebrate with the immediate family of 10. As more and more got vaccinated, the guidelines became more relaxed. We now will have just close family…my kids, sisters, brother and their kids plus a few close cousins….that should keep the group to about 40 and all will be vaccinated except for the little ones. Fortunately, Lise and Bruce’s home has a huge patio with a lovely view….perfect for a large outdoor barbeque party. We used to have almost a 100 pre-pandemic. Forecast is to be perfect southern CA weather. Family is coming down from SF; flying in from Dallas and Seattle. I’m so excited since we haven’t seen each other since 2019!!
When we first arrived, we were greeted immediately by Cole, our grandson and of course, Ella the dog. I knew Cole had a real growth spurt during Covid…but I was still shocked by this now tall, handsome, and lanky dude. I still remembered him as cute, little Cole. Even though I saw him on our weekly zoom calls, the change was not so apparent. Later this week, as my other grandchildren and little nieces and nephews arrive, I’m sure to have more pleasant surprises.
Margaret with Cole and Ella
Everyone I know was celebrating their lives returning to some form of normal… until the collapse of the condo building in Surfside, Fl. Initially, we were all filled with hope that many could be rescued. Hope turned to sorrow as the constant news coverage pointed to few survivors. While I‘m sure there will be many reasons for the collapse, the recent reports indicate a key failure to maintain the building consistently due to the costs. For sure, the failure of the building is an enormous human tragedy for which there is no price tag.
Which leads me to think about the importance of maintenance and how critical it is in all aspects of life…from our health, to our bodies, to our homes and to our financials. And to our roads, bridges and waterways. Nothing can be ignored or forgotten without consequences. Think if you never went to the dentist, no matter how much you brushed your teeth. Think how critical airplane maintenance is to your safety.
There’s a good reason to review your financial plan regularly with the Starner Group. And for sure, the pandemic and now the sudden death of many from the collapse of the Surfside Condo, is a reminder to have your estate plan up-to-date. And given the potential changes in the tax laws, a review and update of your estate plan makes a review more important. Scott, Bruce, I, and the entire Starner Group team are always here and available. We have even seen a few of you in person already!
Happy July 4th to all of you and I will be sure to report on our family celebration.
Sincerely,
Margaret C. Starner
Senior VP - Financial Planning
2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Suite 500
Coral Gables, FL 33134
BARRON'S Hall Of Fame Advisor
BARRON'S 2021Top 1200 Financial Advisor
2021 Forbes TOP WOMEN Wealth Advisor list
2021 Forbes BEST-IN-STATE Wealth Advisor list
2020 Forbes TOP 250 Wealth Advisor list
Investment News - Lifetime Achievement in Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Award
Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. "Barron's Hall of Fame" is an award honoring a group of advisors who exemplify long-term success and commitment to their clients. Each member of the Hall of Fame has appeared in 10 or more of Barron's annual Top 100 Advisor rankings, and their long-looking commitment to excellence is a hopeful example for the industry to follow. The Top 100 Advisor rankings are based on data provided by individual advisors and their firms and include qualitative and quantitative criteria. Data points that relate to quality of practice include professionals with a minimum of 7 years financial services experience, acceptable compliance records (no criminal U4 issues), client retention reports, charitable and philanthropic work, quality of practice, designations held, offering services beyond investments offered including estates and trusts, and more. Financial Advisors are quantitatively rated based on varying types of revenues produced and assets under management by the financial professional, with weightings associated for each. Investment performance is not an explicit component because not all advisors have audited results and because performance figures often are influenced more by clients’ risk tolerance than by an advisor’s investment picking abilities. The ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of advisor’s future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Barron’s is not affiliated with Raymond James.
Source: Barron’s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors,” March 2021. Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. The rankings are based on data provided by over 5,000 individual advisors and their firms and include qualitative and quantitative criteria. Factors included in the rankings: assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work. Investment performance is not an explicit component because not all advisors have audited results and because performance figures often are influenced more by clients’ risk tolerance than by an advisor’s investment picking abilities. The ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of advisor’s future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Barron’s is not affiliated with Raymond James.
Source: Forbes.com (January, 2021). The Forbes ranking of Best-In-State Wealth Advisors, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years' experience, and the algorithm weights factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Out of approximately 32,725 nominations received, based on thresholds, more than 5,000 advisors received the award. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK receives a fee in exchange for rankings. This ranking is not indicative of advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. For more information: www.SHOOKresearch.com.
The Forbes ranking of America’s Top 1,000 Women Wealth Advisors, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative data, rating thousands of wealth advisors with a minimum of 7 years of experience and weighing factors like revenue trends, AUM, compliance records, industry experience and best practices learned through telephone and in-person interviews. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Research Summary (as of April 2019): 32,000 nominations were received based on thresholds (9,654 women) and 1,000 won. This ranking is not indicative of advisor’s future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients’ experience. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK receive a fee in exchange for rankings. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please visit https://www.forbes.com/top-women-advisors/#28abc5bd51f4 for more info.
Nominees for the InvestmentNews Diversity & Inclusion Lifetime Achievement Award must currently be working as financial planners, registered representatives or registered investment advisers, or as industry professionals in a role that supports financial advisers. Judges will consider management, team development, achievement and a minimum 15-year commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion. InvestmentNews received about 130 nominations for the Diversity & Inclusions awards and selected 1 individual for the Lifetime Achievement award. The ranking may not be representative of any one client's experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating nor is Raymond James affiliated with InvestmentNews.
