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F I N A N C I A L S E R V I C E S , L L C
616-514-3831
www.MattsonFinancial.com
JULY 2021
HOW GOOD IS YOUR SECOND OPINION?
Before we get into the meat of this, I have to explain a little background. After 26 years of looking, I finally found a 1966 Pontiac Lemans — the same model I drove in high school. My first Lemans was totaled out by a drunk driver. So, for all these years, I’ve been looking forward to finding the car. I found it online and wanted to buy the vehicle, but I wasn’t sure if the pictures I was seeing reflected what I was buying. So I paid the $600 fee of a certified car appraiser and reviewer in Las Vegas to review the car and give me their assessment of what I was buying.
so that when the time comes for them to stop working or retire, they know that we’re there to support them and take care of their assets. As I’m nearing the golden age of 65 and applying for Medicare, I felt it was time for me to do the same and take my own advice to get a second opinion. As I looked at the pros and cons of the financial advisors I know, I came to the conclusion that the best second opinion I can get is from my team here at Mattson Financial Services. My teammates, Gerald Green and Taylor Steward, and I have been asked to speak to other advisors at events about the processes we’ve put in place, including reviews and opportunities we have for our clients. Recently we attended such an event. Nationally, we ranked at No. 2. However, if you take us out of the equation, of the top 10 advisors out there, three of them were people we had trained. Those three plus us equals 40% of top advisors throughout the U.S. Knowing our firm and training is among the best, I directed Taylor and Gerald to take a look at everything my wife, Nancy, and I have and to give us a report like they’d give any other client, including what deficits, if any, we’re now facing. The fact is that what we don’t know, we can’t see or react upon. So, as I enter Medicare age with Nancy and we’ve done our planning, updated our trust periodically over the years, and grown substantial wealth, like many of our clients, way beyond our imagination, it’s time to sit back and allow others to see if there’s a way maybe we can do it a little bit better.
there are going to be things they see and will wonder why I made certain decisions and have ideas for how I can do things differently. And I expect a written communication, just like we give our clients, about what’s good and bad and the changes we may need to implement. We want you to know that everybody in our firm has reviews, and while numbers and returns of markets have been good lately, we can’t expect them to stay that way. We’ve already made plans for a market downturn as well as hyperinflation and double-digit tax increases. Let me be clear: I’m not saying this is going to happen. I’m saying if it does, we are prepared to take action to make sure you are in the best position possible. As we move forward in these uncertain times, and as markets adjust, taxes change, inflation grows, we’re here, ready, able, and willing to take on a new environment — whatever it shall be. Not just today, but tomorrow. And not just me, but my staff members that are ready and capable as much as I.
Sounds prudent so far, correct?
Well, maybe not! When I got the car, it didn’t match what the appraiser had reported. The car had several issues: The brakes were leaking, the back seat did not match the model year, and so on and so forth. The point is that I paid for a second opinion and what I got was nothing more than someone taking my money. So, how do you know when you’re getting a good second opinion? Many shoemakers will tell you that they do very well making shoes but their children are running around in bare feet. We call this the cobbler’s children scenario. In other words, I’ve got time to make very fashionable shoes for my clients, but I don’t have time to take care of my own world. We’ve had several advisors come to us and explain that they’re doing well managing their money, but if something happened to them, they want their family taken care of, so they gave us the opportunity to meet their spouse. In doing so, we find out how they like to invest money and what control features they want to have. We also develop an ongoing relationship with the spouse
Enjoy the holidays with your family and remember, if not today, then when?
A good report shouldn’t show a rosy picture with nothing wrong. I know in my own case,
–Gary Mattson
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GET YOUR TRAIN OF THOUGHT BACK ON TRAC
Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation, presentation, or debate, stringing together thoughts in a way you hope is coherent and insightful when — poof! — you lose your train of thought? It’s frustrating. You just want to make yourself understood, but your brain has other plans. What if there were a way to keep your train of thought on track? Well, the good news is that recovering your train of thought is easy with the following hacks in mind.
loud can help you remember where you were going. Think of it as retracing your steps: You go back to the last words you remember saying, and more often than not, you’ll find your direction again. Take a short pause. Pausing briefly is a great way to make recovering your train of thought seem natural. This hack works really well if you’re answering a question and you need time to think, and you also don’t want to be bogged down by a chorus of “ums” escaping from your mouth.
Repeat, repeat, repeat yourself. Paraphrasing your last few thoughts out
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO CRYPTOCURRENCY IN THE U.S.? And Why This Could Affect You
Even if you’re not familiar with cryptocurrency, you’ll notice one thing about its market trends — it has been trending higher and higher in the past decade. Then suddenly, in mid-April this year, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies plunged significantly in value. That’s because the U.S. government has started the conversation it’s been putting off for some time: Should cryptocurrencies be regulated and, if so, how? Here are some reasons the discussion needs to move forward. Criminal Usage of Cryptocurrencies Is cryptocurrency still popular with criminals? A blockchain data firm Chainalysis reports that illicit activity made up 0.34% of all cryptocurrency transaction volume. That’s roughly 2% lower than in 2019.
digital wallet to undergo identity checks if they make a transaction of $3,000 or more. Many believe, however, that this isn’t a long-term solution. Jesse Powell, CEO of Kraken, the world’s fourth-largest digital currency exchange, told CNBC that the U.S. is more “shortsighted” than other nations and “susceptible” to the pressures of incumbent legacy businesses, like banks, that “stand to lose from crypto becoming a big deal.” Technically, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulates most crypto, but even Hester Pierce, a commissioner of the SEC, says, “We’ve seen other countries take a more productive approach to regulating crypto. Our approach has been to say no and tell people [to] wait … we need to build a framework that is appropriate for this industry.” In some ways, crypto is profitable like the stock market is, except you can also use it to purchase goods and services. While this regulatory framework isn’t clear just yet, the longer it takes to establish, the more the American public, like you, might lose out on these multibillion-dollar markets.
While the percentage has dropped for overall activity, Kim Grauer, head of research at Chainalysis, told NBC, “Still, ransomware was by far the biggest category in terms of activity growth (311% year over year), and we’re seeing an all-time high for dark- net market activity.” Ransomware is malicious software that hackers use to infect a computer, then demand a fee to unlock it. The bounty is typically paid in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, which are difficult to trace. Regulatory Uncertainty in the U.S. Although criminal usage of cryptocurrency is rather miniscule today, how do you resolve issues with ransomware? One rule proposed by the U.S. government would require anyone holding crypto in a private
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Upcoming Events Join us at one of our financial webinars or other fun events. Visit MattsonFinancial.com/events to stay up to date! TAKE A BREAK!
CK
Recovery Hacks
Write it all down. This hack works well when you know beforehand that you’ll be speaking with someone or in front of people. Even if you never refer to your notes while speaking, simply writing down a road map for your train of thought can help you recover from a detour and speak more confidently. Remember your overall point. The easiest way to drive your train of thought into the weeds is to forget your overall point — or not to have an overriding point at all. Always have a short, overarching point you can use to recenter yourself and get back on track. With these hacks, your brain will have to work a lot harder to make you lose your train of thought! Now you’ll be more prepared to tackle any subject matter, no matter how deep or technical, that comes your way.
ABIGAIL’S
PLANT-BASED BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
Inspired by MyDarlingVegan.com
It’s blueberry season! Whip up this simple muffin recipe to celebrate in style.
Ingredients
• • • • • •
1 cup soy milk
• • • • •
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 tsp salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a muffin tin and set aside. 2. In a bowl, combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside. 3. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 4. In a third bowl, combine sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Add milk mixture and stir, then add flour mixture. Stir to combine until well- incorporated but not smooth. Fold in the blueberries. 5. Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling each well 3/4 full. Bake 20–25 minutes, cool, and enjoy!
Solution
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F I N A N C I A L S E R V I C E S , L L C
3226 28th Street SE Kentwood, MI 49512
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1 2
How Good Is Your Second Opinion?
Life Hack: How to Recover Your Train of Thought
What’s the Deal With Cryptocurrency Regulation?
3
Plant-Based Blueberry Muffins
Mark Your Calendar!
4
5 Wacky Pizza Trends From Around the World
**Reminder: If you have any changes to your financial situation, please notify us as soon as possible.
Investment advisory services are offered through Mattson Financial Services, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor in the state of Michigan. Insurance products and services are offered through Lakeview Financial Group, LLC. Mattson Financial Services, LLC and Lakeview Financial Group, LLC are affiliated companies.
They Eat What on Pizza?! 5 Wacky Pizza Trends From Around the World
Here in the U.S., pineapple is considered a wild and controversial pizza topping. Even celebrities take a stand. Justin Bieber is pro-pineapple, but Jimmy Kimmel is against it. According to a 2019 YouGov Omnibus study, only anchovies and eggplant are more hated. But in other parts of the world, the tangy yellow fruit is far from the strangest topping you’ll see! Here are five wacky pizza trends from around the globe that will either make you hungry or inspire you to sprint the other way. You may want to order a comforting cheese pie from your favorite local pizzeria before reading this, just in case. 1. Banana-Curry Pizza (Sweden) — The Swedes first accessed bananas in 1944, and since then, they’ve put them on everything , including pizza that they top with tomato sauce, smoked cheese, banana slices, and curry powder. 2. Ketchup and Corn Pizza (Brazil) — According to several sources, Brazilians swap pizza sauce for ketchup or tomato slices and top their pies with strange combinations of local ingredients like corn, beets, hearts of palm, and potato sticks.
3. Haggis Pizza (Scotland) — Pizza may be the only semi-enjoyable way to eat haggis: a mix of sheep or calf offal, oatmeal, suet, and seasonings that are boiled in an animal’s stomach. Last year, Papa John’s got in on the action when it released a limited-edition haggis pizza in honor of a Scottish poet, Robert Burns. 4. Mockba Pizza (Russia) — This local pie comes topped with four kinds of fish (sardines, tuna, mackerel, and salmon), onions, herbs, and occasionally fish eggs. Most troubling of all, it’s served cold! 5. Chickpea Pancake Pizza (Argentina) — In Buenos Aires, locals top their super-cheesy pizza slices with fainá — chickpea pancakes cooked separately from the pies and balanced on top of each slice. Keep these pizzas in mind when planning your next international vacation! They might be tastier than they sound, and if not, they’ll still make great Instagram fodder. As actor Cole Sprouse once tweeted, “You’re losing followers because you’re not relatable enough. Try mentioning that you eat pizza. If that doesn’t work, play the ukulele.”
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