Back-to-the-Top
In This Issue
Client Alerts
Market Commentary
Go Van Gogh
Quick Links
Bi-Monthly Newsletter
March-April 2014
Irises by Vincent van Gogh

Melissa J. Stein
President
CFP®, CRPC®
Greetings!

Now that tax season is past, we can all relax a bit and enjoy Spring and its gifts of sunshine and early blooming flowers.  April also brings us Easter and Passover celebrations.

April is National Financial Literacy Month. Please see the Market Commentary Block for more on this topic.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow memorialized the month of April and patriot Paul Revere with the poem Paul Reveres' Ride. I will close with the first two stanzas of that poem:

Listen, my children, and you shall hear
 of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British march by land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry-arch of the North-Church-tower, as a signal-light,
One if by land, and two if by sea; and I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country-folk to be up and to arm."

So...every April remember the bravery of Paul Revere.

Sincerely, 

Melissa J. Stein
Client Alerts
Heartbleed Hit List - Have You Taken Action?

An encryption flaw called Heartbleed is being called one of the biggest security threats ever for the Internet.  It has reportedly affected many popular websites and services - ones you might use every day, such as Gmail, Google, Facebook, Pinterest, Yahoo, Netflix, YouTube and Dropbox and more.  It could have quietly exposed your sensitive account information (such as passwords and credit card numbers).

What should you do? Change your passwords. Even though some Internet companies that were vulnerable have already updated their servers with a security patch, you should take action and change your passwords. Contact a trusted IT professional for advice and more information.
 Back-to-the-Top 
Market Commentary 

 April is Financial Literacy Month


"If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher's stone." ~Benjamin Franklin  

 

Yes, April is Financial Literacy Month. This began in 2003 when the U.S. Senate designated April as Financial Literacy for Youth Month. The next year, 2004, they expanded the focus, declaring April National Financial Literacy Month for Americans of all ages. Since we are all focused on our money in some measure of attention because April is the month we pay our taxes, it is a smooth transition to think deeply about multiple facets of our personal finances.


To add a bit of humor to this month's serious financial literacy contemplations, Jason Zweig, Wall Street Journal columnist, has pointed out that April has also been named: National Kite Month, Alcohol Awareness Month, National Soft Pretzel Month, National Welding Month, Multiple Birth Awareness Month, National Pecan Month, Occupational Therapy Month, National Frog Month, Prevent Lyme Disease in Dogs Month, National Facial Protection Month, STD Awareness Month and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month. Add to those, National Garden Month, National Peanut Month, National Volunteer Month and National Poetry Month. So...it is a busy April for our awareness capacities. (1)


For an excellent web site with a multiplicity of "financial literacy" resources, including the first-rate "Tips and Advice" Menu Tab selection, click below for the Federal Trade Commission's web site:

http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2012/04/april-financial-literacy-month 

 

Citation: (1)  Jason Zweig, The Wall Street Journal: May 1, 2013.

Featured Article 
Self Portrait XV
by Vincent van Gogh
 
Go Van Gogh! 
"... I feel a power within me...a fire that I may not quench, but must keep ablaze."  Vincent van Gogh

Now that tax season is over, let's relax a bit and think about art and laughter.  How much do you remember about Vincent van Gogh?  Read on for a refresher about his life, art and also for a clever word/name game using plays on Vincent van Gogh's name.

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) is considered the greatest Dutch painter, after Rembrandt. He completed more than 2,100 works, consisting of 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 watercolors, drawings and sketches.  His post-impressionist work is notable for its beauty, emotion and color, which highly influenced 20th century art. Several of his paintings rank among the most expensive in the world: "Irises" sold for a record $53.9 million, and his "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" sold for $82.5 million. He struggled with mental illness, and remained poor and virtually unknown throughout his life. He once famously cut off his own ear during a psychotic break. While his younger brother, Theo, who worked as an art dealer, strongly supported Vincent financially and psychologically throughout his life, Vincent's own mother reportedly did not respect his work and threw away crates full of his art. Van Gogh died in France on July 29, 1890, at age 37, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. (1)

Now, for the word/name game.  It is unclear who started this game...but the clever combinations continue to grow.  Here are four samples:  What is the name of Vincent van Gogh's ball room dancing aunt?  Tang Gogh.  What is the name of his bouncy little nephew?  Poe Gogh.  What is the name of his niece who travels in an RV?  Winnie Bay Gogh.  What is the name of his cousin from Illinois? Chica Gogh. For more, click here:  Vincent van Gogh Word Play  (2)   Enjoy a few chuckles and then see if you can think of more word plays. Go Van Gogh!  

Citations 
Stein Wealth Logo
Stein Wealth Advisors, LLC
4000 Washington Rd., Ste. 101
McMurray, PA 15317
Phone:724.260.0491
Fax: 724.260.0674

*The views are those of Melissa Stein and should not be construed as investment advice. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, we make no guarantee as to its completeness or accuracy.

**Please note that neither Cetera Advisors  LLC, member FINRA/SIPC nor Stein Wealth Advisors, LLC. gives  legal  or tax advice. For complete details, please consult with your tax advisor or attorney.

***Securities and advisory services offered through Cetera Advisors LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity.