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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 2020
ECONOMIC RECOVERY IS ON THE WAY
T here’s an old fable about a donkey that fell into a well. All the townspeople got together to figure out how to save the donkey. But try as they may, they couldn’t figure out a solution. So, the townspeople decided to do the best thing they could think of: Put the donkey out of its misery. The townspeople began dumping soil down the well to bury the creature. As they started tossing soil down the well, it landed on the donkey, which simply brayed and shook off the dirt. With every new shovel full of soil, it did the same thing. This went on for some time until finally the donkey stepped out of the well and was rescued. The reason I bring this up is that lately, many investments have seemingly fallen into that proverbial well. But as some people stand there and let the soil encompass them, we’re taking an active approach. We’re looking at where the market is and making decisions whether to buy, hold, or sell. We’ve put some great tools in place to protect your assets, including WealthGuard, which can help protect against certain losses and warn of potential losses. But sometimes we look past WealthGuard, especially when the market is full of buying opportunities, as it was in the recent downturn. We noticed several buying opportunities in real estate and precious metals. These are two markets that often recover quickly after a downturn. We’re not going to stand there and let the soil bury us alive. Sometimes we also build portfolios outside of a normal market position. For the most part, we use exchange-traded funds (ETFs), but we’ve veered away from these due to other market opportunities. For instance, our investing team recently created a contrarian fund. This is made up of stock that lost a major portion of its value. We invest with the anticipation that these companies are going to turn around in a short period of time. Now, we’re not saying you should get into a contrarian fund. If a contrarian fund is right for you and your portfolio stance, then it might make sense — and if we feel it is right for you, we will reach out to you to have that discussion. By the time you read this, the second market reaction to the COVID-19 crisis will have already likely started. This reaction is in response to updated second-quarter numbers, which give us a better picture of economic losses and unemployment. We anticipate that this second
downturn will be short-lived, and we’ll quickly be on our way to normalization.
Let’s be factual here: You can’t shut down an entire economy for 90 days and put people out of work without some financial ramifications. We’re really going to start seeing those ramifications this summer. But, again, it won’t be long until we’re in the recovery period. As President Trump said, the economy will recover, and we’ll be back to being a major economic force in the near future. Now, I know there are people who can’t stand President Trump. Then there are those who think he’s the best president we’ve had in the last 25 years. I’ll let you decide this for yourself. However, I’m going to agree with my wife, Nancy, and state that I didn’t vote for President Trump because I liked him. I voted for him so we would have someone in the White House who understands the economy and business economics and looks out for the American worker. I’m not taking a political stance. I’m looking at the numbers and what is taking place. We were in the middle of a historically great economy. Then, the virus derailed that economy. As we recover, the demand for a return to that great economy is in full swing. People are excited to get back to work. Like the donkey at the bottom of the well, when you’re covered in all that negativity, simply shake it off and pack it under your feet. Know that your accounts are going to go up as the economy recovers. With that said, I hope you join me in raising the flag this Fourth of July as we enjoy family, fireworks, and a financial future that is nothing but positive!
–Gary Mattson
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4 RULES FOR GUILT-FREE PHOTO DOWNSIZING
Feel Bad About Throwing Away Photos?
If you’ve reached a point in your life where you’ve started to downsize, then you’ve likely grappled with the difficult task of getting rid of photos. After decades of life, how are you supposed to choose which memories are important enough to keep and which aren’t? These four rules can help make this daunting task easier.
friend from college was? Keep those photos. Pictures of people whose names you can’t remember or blurry photos you can’t make out can all go.
Rule No. 3: EditWell
If you have a lot of photos from a specific event or part of your life, think about how long each “chapter” of your life story would be. How much time would you spend writing about your cousin’s wedding or high school prom? If a certain event didn’t have that much meaning in your life, why dedicate pages and pages of a photo album to it?
Rule No. 1: Cut Scenic Views
You don’t need dozens of photos of that campsite you went to on vacation one summer. If a location was really meaningful, like the beach at your honeymoon, then keep a few, but pictures of the places you’ve been to are far less special than pictures of the people you love.
Rule No. 4: Throw Photos Away
If a photo isn’t important enough to put in an album or frame on the wall, then it doesn’t need to stick around. Don’t put them in a box you’ll have to sort through later. Let the rejects go.
Rule No. 2: Tell a Story
When you look at a photo, does it make you want to tell a story about the people or places in the image? Could you share plenty of stories about riding around in Dad’s old truck or about how funny your best
After all that hard work, treat yourself to a photo album shopping spree so you can start organizing the meaningful photos you have left.
BE YOUR BEST SELF WITH THE HELP OF OTHERS
How to Implement a Virtual Wellness Challenge
A lot of people struggle to keep up with a regular wellness routine because they lack accountability to hold them to it. Whether it’s exercise, meditation, or healthy eating, if you go through the process alone, it’s that much harder to will yourself to see it through. But at a time when isolation is still one of the best ways to stay healthy, how can you involve others in your wellness plan? The answer is simple: Create a virtual wellness challenge! Understand the Process A wellness challenge cultivates healthy competition among participants that keeps them motivated to stick with their wellness regimens. Challenges can be fully customized depending on the goals and abilities of those participating, and when the challenge is carried out virtually, participants have more freedom and flexibility in their routines without missing out on any of the social interaction that makes it fun. Get Started Every challenge should have a quantifiable goal depending on the theme. Challenges like working out for 30 minutes a day, getting seven hours of sleep at night, eating 1 cup of leafy greens with every meal, or meditating for 15 minutes every day are all great examples. Whatever it is, the target should be clear and reasonable in order to encourage maximum participation and low burnout.
Stay Accountable Treat the challenge like you would a weekly book club. Set a time every week to meet via a video call to share wins and setbacks, discuss necessary changes to the challenge, plan for the next week’s challenge, and offer encouragement. If you really want to up the inspiration, determine a prize to be awarded to the person who actively participates the most. Just be sure you have a tangible way to record and share those results, like video evidence of the activity. A wellness challenge shared among friends and family is a great way to work on your physical or mental well-being and stay connected with loved ones when you aren’t able to visit them in person. That kind of consistent personal connection can be wellness in and of itself.
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Mattson Financial Upcoming Events Announcement To stay in touch with our upcoming events, follow our Facebook page and YouTube Channel and visit mattsonfinancial.com/events. Take a Break!
SPICY SALMON CUCUMBER BITES Mary’s
Inspired by NomNomPaleo.com
There’s nothing quite like a refreshing treat on a warm summer’s day. Mix up this cool appetizer for your new favorite snack.
Ingredients
• • • •
1 tbsp chopped chives Salt and pepper, to taste
• • • • •
1/4 cup paleo mayonnaise 1/4 tsp smoked paprika 1/4 tsp Tabasco, or to taste 1/2 lb salmon, cooked 1 tbsp minced shallots
1 English cucumber, peeled 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered for garnish
Directions
1. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, paprika, and Tabasco. 2. Flake the salmon into large bite-size pieces. 3. Add the salmon, shallots, chives, salt, and pepper to the Tabasco mixture and combine. 4. Cut the cucumber into 3/4-inch slices. 5. Using a melon-baller, scoop out the center of each cucumber slice but leave the bottom fully intact so the filling doesn’t fall through. 6. Divide the salmon mixture and put dollops into each cucumber slice. 7. Garnish with cherry tomato.
Solution
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
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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
We’re Climbing Out of the Well
4 Steps to Finally Sort Through Old Photos
Stay Accountable With a Virtual Wellness Challenge
3
Spicy Salmon Cucumber Bites
Mark Your Calendar!
4
3 Travel Destinations Where Photos Are a No-Go
**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.
3 TRAVEL HOT SPOTSWHERE
No Photos Allowed
PHOTOGRAPHY IS FORBIDDEN
W hat is traveling without taking photos? With the excellent cameras on our smartphones and endless platforms to share our snapshots on, we’re taking more pictures than ever. But did you know there are certain destinations where visitors are not allowed to take photos? Here are three places where you must put the camera away. The Eiffel Tower Right now, you’re probably thinking about all the pictures of the Eiffel Tower you’ve seen or even taken yourself. After all, the Eiffel Tower is one of the most popular tourist spots in the world, but under French law, taking a photo of the Eiffel Tower at night — and then distributing that photo — is illegal. That includes posting the picture to social media. French officials can send you a cease-and-desist order if they find your night photo because the tower’s nighttime light display is copyrighted. It was installed by French artist Pierre Bideau who owns the rights to the display.
The Sistine Chapel While the Sistine Chapel may be home to incredible works of art originally painted by Michelangelo, it is also a place of worship, and the Vatican considers it disrespectful to photograph such a holy place. However, there’s more to the story. In 1980, Japan’s Nippon Television Network Corporation bought exclusive rights to all photos and videos of the interior of the chapel because they funded the renovation of the chapel. While the Japanese corporation no longer holds these rights, the Vatican maintains the “no photos” rule. Uluru Also known as Ayers Rock, Uluru is one of the largest sandstone rock formations in the world. Located in the middle of Australia, Uluru is highly regarded by the A ṉ angu Aboriginal people who call the region home. Photography around parts of the rock is forbidden out of respect for the A ṉ angu people’s beliefs, specifically Tjukurpa , or the time when the world was created. Certain areas around Uluru are used for gender-specific rituals, and as a result, members of the opposite sex must never see these locales, including in photos. The A ṉ angu say the restriction of photography ensures they adhere to their beliefs and never lay eyes on these sacred spots, even accidentally through a photograph.
Do French officials search the web for your vacation photos? No, but they can take action if it’s brought to their attention.
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