At the Firm
For Giving Tuesday on December 1, each CCMI team member selected a charity to support. You can read more about which charities were supported in our blog.
Brian finished his annual review of the firm’s policies and procedures manual. This is a multi-month process, done to make sure it reflects current practices and is updated based on any new legislation impacting us. Brian also led the team through the annual compliance meeting, where we review existing duties related to compliance, and any updates to laws that impact firm operations.
Brian was able to attend virtual webcasts to learn from entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk and professional poker player Annie Duke. The Gary V presentation was primarily focused on digital marketing, while the Annie Duke presentation was focused on behavioral decision science and decision education. Both were very interesting!
Kim took the lead on gathering tax planning information for clients who needed assistance and provided information to CPAs as part of this process. It has been less straightforward this year due to changes resulting from the CARES Act and the CCMI team is here to help with any questions. Kim, Sheila, and the rest of the team worked hard to get tax planning information out in a timely manner.
In Kim’s role as president of Women in Business in San Diego, and with the help of board members, the group has been able to pivot and continue to serve members. The year ended with a virtual succulent arrangement craft project for the holidays! With the ongoing lockdowns in place, it has been challenging, but they’ve continued to have engaging speakers and fun, mostly virtual events!
Matt Ryan and Sheila worked on a project to clean up some old accounts in our performance management software, Black Diamond. The project helps to keep our data manageable, as we have many old accounts that were no longer being used in the system.
Matt Ryan continues to create a video per month to share with the CCMI community. He enjoys filming and editing the videos to help investors make smart financial decisions.
On the Home Front
Matt Ryan and his wife, Jess, welcomed their first child, Reid Christopher Ryan, on December 5. Baby Reid was 7 pounds 4 ounces and measured in at 20 1/2 inches long. The entire family is doing well and adjusting to life with a little less sleep. The CCMI team is very excited for Matt and Jess!
The Matter family was busy preparing to celebrate the Christmas holiday. The kids all love putting out decorations and finding presents for each other. Brian and Nikki enjoy being able to spend time together as a family during the holidays, even if they won’t see quite as many family members this year.
Matt Showley and his family drove up to Mammoth Lakes for a week, where Matt spent part of the time working remotely and part of the time hiking with the rest of the family on local trails and taking day trips around the Eastern Sierras. A highlight was visiting the abandoned mining town of Bodie, CA, where they were practically the only visitors there and got to explore the ghost town in its truest sense—alone! It was a nice change of pace and scenery and they were fortunate that Mammoth was pretty empty without much snow on the ground. It felt a little bit like “normal” again.
Kim and Tyler continue to tackle home projects while they have the opportunity. As Kim’s parents usually visit during the holidays, it was different this year without them, but they made the most of it and also put some extra time and effort into decorating, which is what Kim’s mom does best!
Monica and family spent December preparing for the holidays by decorating their tree, baking cookies, and watching sappy Christmas movies. Mike and Monica enjoyed taking evening walks in their neighborhood to see Christmas lights. They continued to count their blessings as the year ends and look forward to a better 2021!
For Abby, the holidays are always a time of gathering with family and filling up on lots of good food! For Thanksgiving, she made a salted caramel pumpkin cheesecake and for Christmas she will make a white chocolate peppermint cheesecake; it’s tradition that she does this every year. She enjoys baking and cooking, and it makes her happy to see others enjoy what she creates. Normally, Abby and her family spend the holidays with a much bigger group of family and traveling, but this year they kept it small and simple. They had a great time eating, watching old movies, playing games, and just enjoying each other’s company.
Abby and her family are looking forward to 2021 and all the hope it brings! Getting past this pandemic and back to some normalcy is what she hopes for. Abby and her kids wish everyone a safe, healthy holiday season and a very Happy New Year!
During December, Sheila John and Anastasia took some day trips to check out all San Diego has to offer in the great outdoors. One weekend, they went to the Elfin Forest to explore the Escondido River, and another they went to Lake Poway to rent paddle boats, then went west to the Cardiff Seaside Market to eat some tri-tip outdoors (aka “Cardiff Crack!”). They have also been exploring beautiful Christmas lights in various neighborhoods of San Diego. They will spend Christmas at home with the same friends they joined for Thanksgiving, who are neighbors that also have a kindergartener. But there are lots of scheduled Zoom calls with friends and family to keep connected to those they can’t see in person this year!
CCMI provides personalized fee-only financial planning and investment management services to business owners, professionals, individuals and families in San Diego and throughout the country. CCMI has a team of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professionals who act as fiduciaries, which means our clients’ interests always come first.
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