At the Firm

The CCMI team was busy in early April rebalancing client portfolios and preparing quarterly reports.  The rebalancing process generally involves all four advisors over a two day time period.  Preparing quarterly reports involves our entire team as we write the commentary, generate invoices, review the reports and prepare them to be mailed or electronically delivered.

Matt, Brian, Kim, Tina and Alana attended a luncheon in April featuring a keynote presentation by 1997 Nobel Prize winner in Economics, Prof. Robert Merton of MIT. Matt was fortunate to get a quick photo with the speaker before the event, where the team learned about all the sources of alpha (excess return) that can theoretically exist in the market.

Kim was featured in an article in April’s National Association of Personal Financial Planners (NAPFA) magazine that shares her path to becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional and working at CCMI.

Kim attended the Financial Transitionist midyear conference and 2024 Shift conference, which were held together. Being a Certified Financial Transitionist® herself, she is well-connected within the community and enjoys collaborating with her peers and learning more about how to best help clients who are going through a major life event.

Kim has been attending Rotary and getting to know more Rotarians outside of their regular meetings. It has been a great experience so far and she looks forward to more participation and giving back in the year ahead.

The first quarter is a busy time of year at the firm from tax preparation season to setting goals for the upcoming year. Tina helped rebalance client portfolios following the end of the first quarter.   

On the Home Front

Brian, his wife Nikki, daughter Emma (16), sons Kai (14) and Koa (11) enjoyed a spring break trip to Japan.  The family started in Tokyo, traveled to Hakone for views of Mt. Fuji, and finished their trip in Kyoto. The family enjoyed the food (some delicious, some interesting), the beautiful cherry blossoms and temples, the efficient train system, the onsen baths, learning about samurai while learning how to use a samurai sword, and learning about Japanese culture.  The kids said it was the best family trip ever!

Matt and his family attended a lovely wedding in Santa Barbara, where the ring bearer in Matt and Alex’s 2006 wedding was now getting married herself. Alex was the wedding officiant and Lizzie (12) and Jacob (10) continued the tradition and were the bride’s ring bearers. Matt enjoyed having no responsibilities at all!

Kim decided she likes variety in her workouts and is trying out Class Pass. Within a two-week span, she tried everything from various yoga classes, Pilates class on a reformer machine for the first time, and cycle classes to a trampoline bouncing class. In addition, she and Tyler have been socializing with friends more frequently and look forward to more gatherings ahead!

The highlight this month for Tina was a visit from her mom and brothers from Ohio.

Monica, Mike, and Alex celebrated Easter with church and brunch with family. Monica did an outdoor egg hunt for the “kids” (all in their 20s) between raindrops. She also started playing pickleball on a regular basis with a group of friends, and has enjoyed learning the game and participating in friendly competition.

Abby had an enjoyable and busy month, which included her yearly Las Vegas trip with her girlfriends. Though the weather wasn’t really warm, they did manage to spend a day at the pool. They had a nice dinner one evening, got some shopping in, walked around town, and went to venues with bands to listen to live music. Abby also had an enjoyable Easter spending the day with her kids; they decided to go out to dinner, which was a nice change to the traditional home-cooked meal. Abby looks forward to (fingers crossed) warmer weather as we get closer to summer.

Mike and Jessica embraced the cooler spring weather with home projects, including planting the vegetable garden with the girls. They’ve also repainted their home’s interior and tiled the kitchen floor. Olivia and Gigi enjoyed lots of swimming, surfing, ninja camp, and visits to the zoo and Safari Park during spring break. Jessica worked with Gigi to upcycle an old hat for her Spring Hat Parade and with Olivia on an Earth Day-themed mixed media piece for her school’s Art Night.

This month was a bit crazy for the Willifords. Katie’s maternity leave ended, which was a bittersweet adjustment. She is happy to be back at work, but it is hard leaving your little one at home! They also celebrated Ben’s birthday, spent time with Katie’s brother who was in town for a family event, and of course throughout the month battled through some nasty colds. The Willifords are looking forward to a healthy May!

This month has been notably peaceful for Alana. She dedicated herself to her studies and appreciated the extended daylight hours. Alana and her dog Chico have been making the most of the warmer weather by taking leisurely walks in the neighborhood and along the beach.

 

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