A Fourth Round of Applause for the Firm that helps me help you! |
We're delighted to report that Commonwealth Financial Network®, the broker/dealer we partner with to help manage your financial life, was ranked "Highest in Independent Advisor Satisfaction Among Financial Investment Firms" in the J.D. Power 2014 Financial Advisor Satisfaction StudySM.*
This is the fourth straight time they have been recognized, and we're honored to be associated with a firm that continues to receive such well-deserved acclaim.
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8...
Average attention span (in seconds) in 2012. (AP)
9...
Average attention span (in seconds) of a goldfish. (AP)
*Journal of Financial Planning, December 2013 |
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Community
Corner
By Bron Lindgren
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I am Bron Lindgren, and I have lived and worked in Olympia since 1975. I came here from the suburbs of Chicago and I am still captivated by the natural beauty of Olympia and the surrounding area.
My wife, Tuula, and I have four children; one Boy and three Girls who are all grown and out on their own. After going to school at South Puget Sound Community College for Automotive Mechanics in 1980-82, I spent roughly 10 years working in dealerships, and another 10 as the Lead Automotive Mechanic at Intercity Transit before working for a couple of Independent Automotive Repair shops, and then finally starting my own business, Bron's Automotive, in 2002.
Bron's Automotive is a full service shop performing maintenance and repair on all makes and models. We pride ourselves on quality of workmanship and a great warranty. Something that makes us unique is that we keep track of what maintenance has been performed on your vehicle so that we can make more appropriate recommendations for what your vehicle might need in the future to keep it running well for a long time. We're AAA approved as well, and offer a Courtesy Shuttle to work or home to help our customers.
A couple of years after starting the business, it became important to me to get more involved in the community. I am happy to say that this was due to the example my parents set throughout their lives, and also helped by Tuula's like mindedness and agreement. It started with making donations (besides our church donations) to local organizations that we thought were doing important work in the community, such as SafePlace, United Way, and Thurston County Food Bank. In 2006, I joined the West Olympia Rotary Club, a local service organization that did good things locally as well as internationally. (Rotary International has led the fight against Polio and is very close to eradicating it from the world.) As the business grew, I was able to continue with these activities and donations and also add other organizations to the donation list that we thought were doing good work, such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club, Morningside, Family Support Center, Community Youth Services, and GRUB.
A few years ago I was invited to join the Advisory Board for the Automotive Program at South Puget Sound Community College and it has been great to help the College program that sent me on my way to success. This, of course, added South Puget Sound Community College Foundation to the donation list. This foundation helps with scholarships for deserving students.
Probably the most important organization I have become involved with in recent years is the Behavioral Health Resources Foundation. I joined the Foundation board three years ago and cannot say enough about this organization. Behavioral Health Resources is the largest provider of Mental Health services in Thurston County and nearly the largest provider of chemical dependency counseling. They have also recently added Primary Medical Care to their campus on Martin Way to better serve their clients. Behavioral Health Resources' work is critical to a healthy community and the work they perform touches us all. They are the largely unsung heroes of this community, working together quietly with many of the organizations that I have already mentioned, to help individuals, families, and children in need. I urge everyone to support and donate to this organization.
For information on how to connect with any of these great organizations, write me or call: Bron's Automotive, 1025 Black Lake Blvd SW #2B, Olympia, WA 98502. 943-5993.
I have been told that Buddhists believe that wealth is created by maintaining a generous spirit and giving away money. Although the jury is still out on that notion for me, I can certainly tell you that getting involved and giving either time or money to your community will make you feel rich, and feeling rich is better than being rich.
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Greetings, and welcome to our Fall newsletter. This has been an amazing year here at Navigate Financial. We have been at our location and partnered with our broker dealer, Commonwealth Financial Network®, for over a year. The change has been good to us. We are still learning and adjusting our processes and systems, and will always continue to do so. We have reached a point of building upon our strengths, and are beyond the construction process. Kristen has been a great addition to the team, and has stabilized our client outreach and communication process. Tammy has been such a trooper with the transition. She continues to help our clients gain access to Investor 360, and to utilize the procedures and processes of Commonwealth to address their service needs.
Change is the one constant in life; year after year that is proven to me. Planning helps us consider the possibilities, the effect, and the consequences. A financial plan is not a script, as in a play designed and written by a playwright. A financial/business plan is a guide to help us make intentional decisions, with an understanding of the impact of our actions and decisions. When we determined to make a change in how this team works with our clients, our sources of services, products and tools, we studied and researched our current (past) state, our options and our intentions before acting. We called upon experts, and knowledgeable people as we developed our goals and values, then determined with much consideration the structure we wanted to work within.
Is Navigate Financial, 100% as we envisioned it 14-18 months ago? No. It is a work in progress; constantly growing and evolving. That is life. Plans are not executed perfectly, but a plan executed closer to your vision and your intentions is taking into consideration all of the possibilities, effects and consequences. Change happens; strive to embrace it and influence it in a manner that supports your intentions, while remaining fluid and flexible. Have a plan A, B and C, and the infrastructure designed to allow you to embrace opportunities and to recover from setbacks. Life is good, but seldom goes exactly as planned. Here at Navigate Financial, the technical side of the transition took longer than anticipated. We still have much to learn and clients' needs and expectations always keep us on our toes. Act on what you can, and avoid reactions when you can. Bottom line; have a plan. |
Reduce/Control Fixed Costs |
Fixed costs are consistent expenses such as rent, mortgage, auto loans, personal loans, cable bills, wine club and gym memberships. On one hand they are known, easily budgeted and tracked. However, they can also easily get out of hand and reduce ones flexibility and discretionary spending allowance. Relatively small amounts can really compound quickly and in a sneaky fashion. You sign up for a gym membership at $20/month, a wine club at $45, movie rentals for $10/month, then a book club, yoga classes, add another channel to cable (after all, it is only $15) and next thing you know these bits and pieces are equal to a car payment. You already have an actual car payment and student loans and you need to pay off the heat pump in the next 6 months... Where is the money coming from?
I suggest you get out your bills and review them with a critical eye. Are you enjoying the results of spending this hard earned cash? Are you actually going to the gym? When was the last time you watched Showtime or went to a yoga class? Heavy fixed costs can make one feel trapped, without spontaneity and ability to enjoy their day to day life. When you minimize your fixed costs you have a better chance of living within or below your means. You have flexiblity to handle life's curve balls as well as unexpected opportunities to play with family and friends, without placing yourself in finanacial hardship.
Consider embracing the mindset of the millionaire next door and live within your means. Set up your budget to spend less then what you earn. Too many people today place themselves, not by intention but by living reactively, in financial tight spots. One or two reduced or missed paychecks and their lives come tumbling down. I'm not advocating you become a tightwad or live without play and only for tomorrow. I am, however, encouraging you to minimize your fixed costs so that you do not financially commit yourself to the point where you have no "play" money.
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Retirement: Is it a journey or a destination? |
During our working years, it is the destination we dream of; the carrot that keeps us working hard in our jobs or careers. Retirement is the magical time. It is the time when we can do what we want, when we want, and sleep in as long as we want. Retirement is seen as a well-earned reward for all the days we had to awaken before the rooster, for those missed sports events of our children, for the nights we ate cold meals well after dinner was served to the rest of the family, etc. A retirement of good health, time to play, and funds to cover our needs and wants is the desired destination of most Americans at any age.
We all hope and wish that retirement will come sooner than later, yet we also somehow seem to avoid or deny the actual act of planning for retirement. For to be retired, in the majority of cases, we also have to be older. With aging comes health issues, the loss of family and friends, mobility, and then our own passing. If we live to age 65, we can no longer deny that we are mortal; we will eventually die. In our twenties, forties, even fifties, that reality was something that could happen to others, but not us. Now we have to own it, and retirement is the step just before death. Planning for that retirement destination is planning for or acknowledging our end. No wonder many of us cannot get excited about retirement, who wants to die? Not I! I want to play and have all the time to enjoy life as I desire to, without being concerned with other's schedules or my work load. In my mind, when I retire I've also started the downhill clock ticking. That is something I want to avoid and I know I'm not alone. The conflicting desire to deny the end of life and to protect our dreams of freedom affects one's thoughts and actions around planning for retirement. It affects me, so I'm confident it affects others. I suggest we do not dwell on retirement as a destination.
Retirement is not a destination in the true sense of the word. It is not the end of the journey. It is a new and different phase of your life. Strive to stop thinking of it as a destination or the end period of your life, but as a new adventure in the span of your lifetime. Life has always been an adventure composed of time spans such as childhood, early adulthood, parenthood, etc. Seek to see retirement as a new span you have not experienced yet. In the previous spans, you primarily learned as you went. Now you've gained experience and skills and those things can assist you in designing the next phase. Your decisions, earnings, investments, the tangible and intangible programs and tools you have or can now put in place will directly influence your quality of life in retirement. Dream large and strive to have the resources to have the life of leisure you desire. Planning is key, and the denial of your role in determining your retirement will not enhance the journey.
Take an inventory of your present resources, from earnings on investments, pension opportunities, social security, to the structure of your debt and your home layout. Actively pursue the development of skills and relationships that will benefit the life you want in retirement. Start thinking of retirement not as driven by age or a set date, but as a time when you have the financial freedom to no longer have to work to earn the income needed to sustain your desired lifestyle. Acknowledge inflation, rate and sequence of returns on investments, health changes, along with essential needs, discretionary or flexible expense, and taxes. It is a journey into a new phase of life. Like any journey, do not go into it unprepared.
Just as we start dreaming of retirement right after college, we can start preparing for that journey early or just before embarking. The sooner we start preparing the more likely we are to be well prepared and to have considered all possibilities. Retirement cornerstone may be financial freedom, but as we know, finances are not all there is to life. Relationships with friends and family, involvement in activities from golf, gardening, nonprofit volunteering, exercise, to writing your memoirs are all tied in to having the retirement of your dreams. The work on those aspects of your life can start prior to actual "retirement".
Life is a journey not a destination and retirement is no different, it just part of our life. It is a part that we can perhaps influence more effectively in late 50's and 60's as we have the life experiences to assist us that we did not have as kids or young adults. Rejoice and prepare for the journey and remember; it's not over as long as we are in motion. Live young for a long time and keep playing and adventuring. |
 Travel Adventures |
I had an unanticipated and wonderful opportunity this summer. My Mother's youngest sister, my Aunt Judy, came to visit her nieces and nephews here in Olympia. She is not a traveler, unlike her big sister (my Mom) she prefers to stay home in NW Georgia. So it was with great joy and surprise when she contacted me in late June asking to come out to Washington. She had never spent any time west of the Mississippi, so this was all new territory to her. Like most of us descendants from my Grandmother, she also has a fear of heights, other than that she was open to almost all adventures. And did we ever take her on adventures! Thanks to her timing and my client's cooperation, I was able to arrange to take her out three weekends in a row.
The first weekend we had already scheduled a camping trip with friends from Thursday to Monday, so she tagged along as we made our way to Florence, OR. We took the long way, via Rt 14 and the Columbia River Gorge. We made her a little nervous at various viewpoints such as the Cape Horn Viewpoint and the panoramic view from Crown Vista. We camped Thursday at Eagle Creek on the Oregon side after taking a quick trip in the dusk to view the waterfalls along the Old Columbia Highway.
Friday morning found us in Hood River enjoying the windsurfers and kite surfers. Then we worked our way to Government Camp, and the Timberline Lodge on the side of Mt Hood. Coming up the mountain, Judy was leaning in to the center of the van and most the time had her eyes closed. Judy had never been up that high and still on the ground. It was fun to see her push herself out of her comfort zone. At the lodge we started a quest to have an adult beverage at every park/mountain lodge we went to, and we did. From Mt Hood, we made our way to the quaint town of Mt Angels, then on to Willamette Valley Winery outside of Salem to pick up our last companion for the trip; Rory, a (shih tzu dog) who needed care while our friend, her owner, was out of town. Judy and Rory became fast friends; Judy spoiled the dog with treats and attention. Our last stop was in Eugene, where we stayed with a friend's mother.
Saturday we enjoyed one of my top five Farmers Markets; The Saturday Market in Eugene. If you have not partaken of this hippy throw back market of the 60's, take a road trip and check it out. It is amazing for the crafts, the food carts, the fresh veggies, and for people watching. About 2:30, we met up with my brothers, Dwayne and Craig, at the Dunes in Florence. Craig had brought down his two ATVs; we had all completed the Oregon ATV course online and were ready to play in the sand. Judy's first view of the Pacific was as she crested over a dune, and saw the expansive ocean in front of her. This was an awesome experience for her. We met up with our friends Margaret and Glen, along with others, and camped in the Florence area till Monday. Then we worked our way up the coast, stopping to see whales from Cape Perpetua , Yachats Lighthouse, and Depoe Bay. Tuesday found us at the Astoria Column and freaking Judy out as we went over the long and expansive Astoria Bridge back into Washington.
The following Thursday afternoon we went to Mt Rainier, and Judy really got an idea of how tall the mountains are here in the West. At Paradise Inn we enjoyed an adult beverage while watching others climb and romp. We wandered all over the mountain, including over the Chinook Pass to camp along the American River. Friday we went up to Sunrise and took the long way home via Rt 12 going through Packwood and Randle. Saturday, Dwayne and Craig took her to the big city, Seattle, and gave her a grand tour that included a trip to Blake Island for the salmon bake, the Space Needle (no, she did not go up it), Pikes Place Market, and the Fremont District.
Her third and last fantastic weekend, we adventured into the Olympics via a ferry from Seattle. I had business in Seattle and was able to arrange my appointments so we could take the Bremerton Ferry to the Kitsap Peninsula. It is a pleasant way to leave the congestion behind, and the views are lovely. This was also a first for Judy to be transported on a ferry of that size across sea water. We camped at Heart of the Hills, and drove up to Hurricane Ridge about 10 PM to participate in star gazing, but the clouds put a damper on that activity. The next morning, we made our way back up the steep and winding road. I kept reminding Judy she had been up this road before, but of course in the dark she did not really realize how high she was in altitude. She was struck speechless by the beauty of the ridge and mountain range. We continued to drive around the peninsula past Lake Crescent, stopping at the lodge, of course, in Forks. We stopped atLa Push and Rialtobeaches, and ended up that evening at a DNR campground outside of the Hoh Rain Forest. Saturday morning we successfully met one of our objectives; Judy got to see an Elk as we hiked near the visitors center at the Hoh. It was an outstanding specimen; broad with a huge array of antlers. We have been striving to site elk since our first road trip. On her last road trip and on the last day this goal was met, along with seeing the rain forest. Our road trip adventure ended with a drink enjoyed on the lawn outside the Roosevelt Lodge beside Lake Quinault.
Judy is a hoot and a fun companion to travel with. We were so blessed to have her come and stay for a while. Showing her our region and the amazing wonders we enjoy here gave me a new appreciation of our location. I know it changed Judy; she came her thinking her home was on a mountain (it's 600 feet high), but now she knows better. I was under the impression I was still scared of heights, now I know better. Judy demonstrated quite well what a true fear of heights looks like, and by the end of the trip she actually faced her fear and was looking out the window, while leaning into the middle of the van.
Nancy J. LaPointe
MBA, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CASL®
Financial Planner, Wealth Manager,
Investment Adviser Representative
NAVIGATE FINANCIAL
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Mid-West Mom's Helpful Hints |
My Mid-West Mom's Helpful Hints:
WD-40 is Amazing!
Winterproof boots and shoes:
Waterproof your winter boots and shoes by giving them a coat of WD-40. It'll act as a barrier so water can't penetrate the material. Also use WD-40 to revove ugly salt stains from boots and shoes during the winter months. Just spray WD-40 onto the stains and wipe with a clean rag. Your boots and shoes will look almost as good as new.
Condition leather furniture:
Keep your favorite leather recliner and other leather furniture in tip-top shape by softening and preserving it with WD-40. Just spray it on and buff with a soft cloth. The combination of ingredients in WD-40 will clean, penetrate, lubricate, and protect the leather.
Clean oil spots from driveway:
Did a leaky oil pan leave a big ugly spot in the middle of your concrete driveway? To get rid of an unsightly oil spot just spray it with a generous amount of WD-40 and then hose it down with water.
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In each issue of my quarterly newsletters, I will be featuring a "Where in Washington?" photo. The first three clients to call me with the correct location that the photo was taken will be treated to drinks and appetizers at a local restaurant.
If you can guess "Where in Washington" this photo was taken, give us a call at 360-628-8175...hurry!
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Financial Tips for Every month |
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Presented by: Nancy J. LaPointe, CFP, CLU,ChFC
For many people, checking off items on a long list of to-do's brings a great sense of satisfaction. To help you keep moving toward your goals, we've created a month-by-month checklist of some key financial tasks to consider throughout the year and will post them quarterly in the newsletter. You can find the complete 2014 list on our website,
October
- Contact your CPA for year-end tax planning. Before tax season hits, it's a good idea to speak with a certified accountant about changes in your personal circumstances, expiring tax breaks, and so on.
- Consider charitable giving. Donating to charity at year-end is a popular way to do good while reaping potential tax deductions. Charitable giving may be another item you wish to discuss with your CPA.
November
- Review the balance in your flexible spending account (FSA). FSAs require special attention so that you don't lose unused funds at year-end. Under a new law, employers may allow employeesto roll over $500 in FSA funds to the next year. Be sure to check the rules of your FSA plan and review your available balance.
December
- Consider refinancing high-interest debt. Consolidating your mortgage, credit card, or car loan payments can make your financial life more efficient (and possibly lower your overall interest rate).
- Pay off credit card balances every month. For the New Year, make a resolution to pay off your credit card balances every month, if you're not doing so already.
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Referrals are always appreciated! |
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If there is someone in your circle whose name you'd consider sharing, please know that:
- We would contact them only with your permission and in whatever way you would feel most comfortable
- Your financial situation is held in the strictest privacy in my office, and we would provide the same level of confidentiality to anyone you refer here
- Anyone you refer to us will receive the same level of service and customized attention to their specific financial goals that you enjoy
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Navigate Financial's Night at the Tacoma Rainiers Game! |
Many of you came out to cheer on the Tacoma Rainiers with the Navigate Financial team on July 23rd and August 20th!
We all enjoyed watching the talented team while experiencing the newly remodeled stadium.
Thanks for
joining us!
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Nancy J. LaPointe and Navigate Financial Have Gone Social! |
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We invite you to join our community and connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn:
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Come celebrate Guy Fawkes Day and Nancy's Birthday
with Navigate Financial on November 5th! |
Join us at Swing Wine Bar for a merry evening celebrating women and encouraging friendship and networking.
Tuesday,
September 23
5:30 - 8:00 pm
Swing Wine Bar, downtown Olympia
RSVP Today
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