At the Firm

We held our annual business planning meeting on January 8. The meeting was adjusted this year to accommodate the pandemic. The team enjoyed gathering to plan out the year and look for ways to continue to improve on our high service levels. It was a productive day where we set company goals for 2021 and beyond. Everyone on the team brought some wonderful ideas that will be incorporated into our processes going forward.

Brian attended a presentation from Dennis Jaffe, Ph.D. to understand what he has learned from studying 100-year family enterprises. It was fascinating to hear what makes family businesses stand the test of time. Brian has also attended multiple market outlook webcasts for a preview of analyst expectations for this year.

Brian has been studying for the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) examination since last year and took the required coursework in January. Official test results are released in February so Brian will have to wait a few more days!

Matt Showley began another year as a mentor for students at Torrey Pines High School through his role as a board member for Junior Achievement. This year, he will connect with the class remotely via Zoom for the Company Program, where students create a business from product concept to launch over the course of the semester. Matt will also be teaching a different group of students about investment principals as the kids prepare to compete in Junior Achievement’s Stock Market Challenge in March.

As president of Women in Business, Kim kicked off the year with a president’s message that highlighted all the wonderful activities that have taken place over the past year despite the pandemic and inability to meet in person. The group has more fun events planned, including speaker Maria Stipp, the CEO of Stone Brewing, who will share her story and lessons learned along the way.

Matt Ryan has continued making educational videos to help clients make smart financial decisions. His latest video on budgeting for the New Year should be released by CCMI in the coming weeks.

On the Home Front

January was a quiet month for the Showleys. Each weekend, the family heads from their temporary home in Carlsbad to San Diego to visit their actual home that is under construction and water the plants in their garden to keep them alive amid all the dust and debris. The project is scheduled to be completed in late April. 

Most nights are now spent with a milk bottle in hand for Matt Ryan, as he and his wife are caring for their newborn. Matt is enjoying being a first-time father and said it was a steep learning curve, but he seems to be getting the hang of it. He was also able to get out on his road bike a few times in January. 

The Larsons celebrated the New Year with close friends. January was a good football month; the Alabama Crimson Tide won the college championship and the Green Bay Packers made it to the NFL playoffs! Football has been a good distraction for the family with both Alex and Cole having fantasy football teams. Monica looks forward to being outside on the weekends, pruning and planting to prepare her yard for spring.

Abby and her kids brought in the New Year in simple fashion, staying home and watching all the celebrations on TV.  The holiday season has been good to them; they stayed healthy and have been fortunate to spend more quality time together. 

Abby’s son moved into a new place; he decided to get an apartment on the third floor of a building with no elevator. They climbed three sets of stairs several times, getting unwanted exercise in for the day! This month, they will be heading to their annual weekend getaway at a friend’s cabin in Wrightwood—a tradition every year to relax and celebrate her son’s birthday. Also, Abby has a pretty big family and in January, seven of her immediate family members have a birthday, so it’s a good thing card sending is something she enjoys!     

Kim continues to enjoy biking and has found a way to incorporate her husband Tyler (who prefers running) into her bike rides. They picked up breakfast together and enjoyed it outside in Encinitas, then Kim rode her bike back home to Clairemont from there. Kim also has incorporated other things into biking, such as asking friends to join so they can safely socialize, and she sometimes uses the time to catch up on her book club’s audiobook.  

Brian’s family loved the sunshine in early January. To start the New Year, they rode bikes from Liberty Station to San Diego’s port near the Maritime Museum, spent time at the beach, and explored the tide pools in Point Loma. In addition to the outdoor time, they have been working on projects around the house like replacing plants and updating some old fixtures.

In January, Sheila, John, and Anastasia celebrated New Year’s Day at home with some home-cooked meals and a few Zoom sessions with their families. They also started a tradition of weekend s’mores over a propane outdoor fire pit in the backyard as a way to “toast” the new year. On Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, they made their biggest trip in months to Palm Desert to have a socially distanced visit outside with John’s parents. They picked lemons, grapefruit, tangelos, and navel oranges from the trees in their backyard, and Sheila brought in some fruit to share with her coworkers in the office. The whole family is looking forward to the day when they can see each other again safely indoors, and Anastasia can go to school in person!

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