Greetings!

Cassaday Commentary:

Virginia Economic Forecast 2013-2014 

We encourage you to read the 2013 - 2014 Virginia Economic Forecast, a report produced by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy.  Cassaday & Company is a proud sponsor of this report.  It is a review and assessment of economic trends affecting the Commonwealth and the region. 

Retirement Symposium Recap 

At Cassaday & Company we are committed to keeping our clients informed of the latest news and trends regarding investments, financial planning and retirement planning.  One of the ways that we do this is by hosting complimentary educational events. 

 

On June 15th, we hosted our inaugural Retirement Symposium at the McLean Hilton in Tysons Corner, Virginia.  Over 250 clients spent the day with us exploring many topics associated with successful retirement planning.   The event included 17 speakers, 12 breakout sessions and a keynote address.  Presentation topics included: Social Security, Estate Planning & Corporate Trustees, Tax and Roth IRA Conversions, Long Term Care, Simplification & Consolidation Strategies, Chronic Care Advocacy, Investment Management, Life Coach Services, Geriatric Care Management, Downsizing and Continuing Care Communities, and Concierge Medicine & Proactive Age Management. 

 

These events are not only valuable and informative for you but they provide an excellent opportunity to introduce your family, friends and colleagues to Cassaday & Company.   Based on the post-event survey responses, everyone enjoyed the symposium.  We look forward to hosting you at a future event. 

 

 

Retirement Symposium attendees enjoyed breakfast and opening remarks from Steve Cassaday

 

 

Cassaday & Company's Mike Carey presented an update on taxes and Roth IRA conversions.

 

 

 

Cassaday & Company team members (l-r) Kristina Saunders, Anna Shkrabaliuk and Alina Lee assisted guests at the registration table.

 

Thank you for making our first Retirement Symposium a success!  

Hot Topic: Continuing Care Retirement Communities

Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) are age-restricted properties that are contractually obligated to provide access to a continuum of care, including independent living, assisted living, and/or skilled nursing care typically for a period of time greater than one-year, although most communities promise care for the life of the resident.  This care can be provided all on one campus or through a contract with facilities in the adjacent area.  For example, a CCRC may offer independent living and assisted living on their main campus, but the continuing care contract guarantees the resident access to a neighboring nursing facility. 

Choosing a CCRC is a big investment and a unique decision. Making an informed decision could secure your future regardless of unforeseen health situations. If you plan properly, it should be the last residency decision you ever have to make.

Here are a few important points to understand: 

• All CCRCs are not created equal. There are five main types of contracts-and multiple variations of each-offered by CCRCs across the country. You should have an understanding of each type and which is most suitable for your unique situation, and which is most compatible with long-term care insurance you may own. 
• Many, but not all, CCRCs require an entrance fee. Under a standard contract your entrance fee could be lost if you decide to leave the community-or in the event of death.  However, some CCRCs offer refund options in which you or your heirs would receive some or all of your entrance fee back. It is important to understand each CCRC's specific refund stipulations.  It is also important to work with a financial professional who can help you analyze whether or not a refund option is in your best interest.
• Financial stability is important to ensure that the community will be able to provide quality care and services in the future. Take time to understand how the CCRC's finances compare to other communities.

Cassaday & Company works with LifeSite Logics to provide you with information about CCRCs.  LifeSite Logics is an independent, unbiased resource for providing comprehensive information about CCRCs.  This information can help you make informed decisions when considering if a CCRC is right for you.  If you are interested in learning more about CCRCs, please contact your advisor.   

Prepared by LifeSite Logics, LLC. Copyright 2012-2013.  See disclaimer at the end of this newsletter.

Meet the Advanced Strategies Department 

At Cassaday and Company, we are dedicated to providing you with the highest level of expertise to assist you with all of your financial planning needs.  We have found that many of our clients hold insurance and annuity products in their portfolios, but often are unsure of the fine print associated with these products.  The Advanced Strategies Department closely monitors the ever changing insurance and annuity landscape and provides regular reviews of your policies.  The department is led by Carmen Bississo [Bee See So], Director of Advanced Strategies (employee spotlight), and she is always available to answer any questions about insurance or annuities that you may have.

 
The Cassaday & Company Insurance Audit

 
Clients tell us that their insurance, life, disability, long term care as well as annuities, are among the most confusing things that they have to deal with.  Insurance is something that is easy to forget about, until it is needed.  Our Insurance Audit is a free service that is part of our comprehensive approach to financial planning and is designed to provide the following benefits:

1. Memorialize Policy Details - Create a written record of all of your insurance, companies, policy numbers, contact information, beneficiaries, term expirations and coverage amounts.
2. Clarity on your Insurance Coverage - Life, disability and long term care policies are complicated and can have many moving parts.  Cassaday & Company can help you understand your policies so they can be properly managed. 
3. Properly Structured Insurance Polices - Carmen and her team will review your coverage to make sure you are adequately insured for an unexpected life event.  We will also verify the titling, beneficiary and other important information on your policies. 
4. Greater Understanding of how to Maximize Your Benefits - It is important that you understand what triggers a claim and how you can best utilize your insurance coverage. 
5. Assistance with Processing Insurance Claims - When tragedy strikes, whether in the form of death or disability, deciphering your insurance coverage and how to file a claim will only add to your stress.  If Cassaday & Company has performed an insurance audit of your policies, we will have all of the necessary information to take care of this for you. 

Please contact your advisor or Carmen Bississo to schedule your complimentary insurance audit.  Carmen's email is Carmen@cassaday.com. 

What's New @ Cassaday

Cassaday & Company on TV 

Steve Cassaday was interviewed alongside Jean Chatzky for AARP's "Inside E Street" series.  The show "Make Your Money Last" aired locally on PBS (MPTV channel 22) and can also be viewed online. 

Steve Cassaday, Lark McCarthy and Jean Chatzky

Certifications

Nick Harris recently attained both the Accredited Estate Planner� (AEP�) and Charted Advisor in Philanthropy� (CAP�) designations.

The AEP� designation is a graduate level specialization in estate planning.  These marks are awarded by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) to recognize estate planning professionals who meet stringent requirements of experience, knowledge, education, professional reputation, and character.  An AEP� designation holder must embrace the team concept of estate planning and adhere to the NAEPC Code of Ethics. 

In an effort to help his clients and donors more fully integrate gift planning into their overall financial plans, Nick obtained The Charted Advisor in Philanthropy� (CAP�) designation through The American College. The CAP� program consists of three self-study graduate-level courses: 1) Planning for Impact in the Context of Family Wealth, 2) Charitable Strategies, and 3) Gift Planning in a Nonprofit Context.

Nick plans to incorporate charitable giving with estate planning and investment management objectives in order to assist his clients in achieving their goals for self, family, and community. 

New Hires

The Investment Management and Research department has two new Investment Management Associates. 

Kyle Cassaday graduated from Elon University in May with a BS in Business Management. Kyle lives in Great Falls, VA with his parents and younger brother. He enjoys playing tennis, golfing, and exercising.

Jess Wisiackas graduated from Vanderbilt University this past spring with a BS in English and minors in both Corporate Strategy and Leadership & Organization.  Jess is originally from Clifton, VA and has recently moved back to the area. He enjoys playing lacrosse, fishing, and boating in his spare time.

Kyle and Jess work closely with Kristina Saunders, Director of Research and Investment Management and other members of our team to conduct research for the firm's Investment Policy Committee.

Cassaday in the Community

Sean Gallahan continues to donate his time as a Wish-Granting volunteer with the Make A Wish Foundation� Mid-Atlantic chapter.  Make A Wish Mid-Atlantic grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.  The Foundation serves children who reside in Delaware, DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia.  Sean is excited that his first "Wish Child" will have her wish granted this summer when she visits Paris with her family for her 17th birthday.  For more information on this organization, please visit www.midatlantic.wish.org. 

Chris Miller participated in the MS Ride for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in June in support of a close friend who has the disease.  His team had 29 riders and raised over $40K for the MS Society.  Last year, over 100,000 people participated in similar events across the country and raised over $85 million to help find a cure for this debilitating disease. To learn more about the National MS Society visit: www.nationalmssociety.org. 
 

Chris Miller and his MS Ride Team

In May, Christopher Young and Cassaday & Company was a proud sponsor of The Brian Orakpo Leukemia Golf Classic.  Since 2006, The Leukemia Golf Classic has raised over $1 million for the National Capital Area Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  To learn more about this organization please visit: www.lls.org. 

(l-r) Alex Karkeek, Steve Cassaday, Chris Young and Adam Huke

Linda Stewart is fully recovered from last year's Achilles tendon surgery and is back running.  In February, she completed Disney's Pretty Princess Half Marathon in Florida.  Linda also ran a personal best 10-mile time in the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run in DC. 

Cinderella, Linda and Prince Charming

Nuptials

Mike Carey's daughter, Colleen, married Tony Serra on Saturday, March 16, 2013 at the Church of the Resurrection in Burtonsville, MD. The reception was held at the Camden Club at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles.  Colleen and Tony reside locally in Olney, MD with their 2 � year old son named Camden. (Naturally!)

Proud Father Mike Carey and his daughter Colleen

Babies Galore!

In May, we welcomed four additions to the Cassaday family! 
Allison (Huke) Felix and her husband, Jason, welcomed Asher Ethan Felix on May 15th. 

Asher Ethan Felix

 

Nick Harris and his wife, Anna, welcomed triplets, two boys and a girl, Tompson Alexander, Hayes Prescott and Clare Chapman on May 28th!   Mom and babies are all doing well. 

(l-r) Clare, Hayes and Tompson Harris

 

The Cassaday & Company team is quite pleased with its growing pool of future interns! 

 

 

Summer Time is FUN Time for our Clients!

Cassaday & Company client, Rich, is pictured below after a day of fishing in Alaska.  He is the one in the middle with the "not-so-big" fish.  We are hope that his friends shared their catch with him. 

 

Rich and his fish (middle)

 

 

Please keep your pictures, postcards and emails coming. With your permission, they may be featured in a future newsletter.  You can send your pictures via email to newsletter@cassaday.com. 

 

Our Latest Awards...

Cassaday & Company continues to be recognized for its excellence in the workplace.  

Cassaday & Company, Inc. received the Helios Apollo Award which honors Washington-area businesses for their best practices in employee development, engagement and community service initiatives.  The firm was also a finalist for this award in 2012.
 

  

The firm was also named one of the "Best Places to Work" by the Washington Business Journal.  This is the 5th year we have won this award!  

View all of Cassaday & Company's recent awards.    

Helpful Hints

At Cassaday & Company, we utilize many consolidation and simplification strategies to help our clients prepare for retirement and the unexpected.  We created a document entitled "What My Family Should Know" that, after months of fine tuning, compiles all of the questions that your family would need answers to if you were disabled or deceased.   

Once completed by you, this document will be the single source for all of your important information.  We have heard from so many of our clients and their children about how helpful this document was when they lost their loved one and were looking for important documents, passwords, account numbers and safe deposit keys.

A blank copy of this document is located in your Tamarac Portal.  Once you fill out the document it can be uploaded back into the portal for safe keeping.  We can't stress to you how important this document is for alleviating some of the stress and anxiety that comes with the loss of a loved one. 

To access the Tamarac portal click on the "Account Access" tab in the upper right hand corner of our website, www.cassaday.com. 

If you have not yet registered for access to the Tamarac portal, or if you need assistance with navigation, please contact Chad Cassaday at  703-506-8200 or at chad@cassaday.com.  

Great Question from a Client

Dear Steve,

Our email was recently hacked!  We didn't even know until we received a call from Linda!  What should we do now and how can we avoid this happening again?

Thanks,
Barbara

Dear Barbara,

If you think your email has been hacked, here is what you should do:

1. Call Us Immediately.  We will deactivate access to your online account until you provide us with a new email address or you are able to reclaim your compromised one.
2. Regain Control of your Email Account. If you are unable to access your account, click on the "forgot password" link.  If that doesn't work, ask your email provider to help you regain control of your email account.
3. Reset Your Password. Your new password should be 8-12 characters long and a mix of alpha and numeric characters.  Avoid using weak passwords such as your name, your pet's name or your birth date.  If you use the same password for different sites or have other weak passwords, reset those immediately.
4. Check Your Password Resets. Change your answers to the security questions and add a recovery email address.  Delete any information that you don't recognize as a hacker may have intentionally "updated" answers to your security questions.

Even if you haven't been hacked, you should take some time to change your passwords and update your password reset information. 

Do not hesitate to call us if you need additional assistance. 

--Steve

Thank you,

Stephan Quinn Cassaday, CFP�, CFS

8180 Greensboro Drive, Suite 1180

McLean, VA 22102

703-506-8200 or 800 672 2102 

www.cassaday.com

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Employee Spotlight

Carmen Bississo

CIMA�, CFA, CAS 

Director of Advanced Strategies

 * Carmen joined Cassaday & Company in 2008.

 * She is responsible for helping clients understand their annuity and insurance products.