Money Conscious

In Money Conscious Episode 11: The Story of Thornburg Investment Management’s Extraordinary LEED Gold Certified Headquarters, my guest is Sergio Silva, Facility Manager at Thornburg Investment Management’s 100,000 square foot certified LEED gold headquarters in Santa Fe. Sergio joined the company in 2015 and currently oversees all aspects of building and grounds maintenance, including physical infrastructure, security, testing and inspections, environment, and health and safety requirements.

Recently at a conference hosted by Thornburg, Sergio gave me a tour of the headquarters. I was absolutely fascinated as he described the foresight and comprehensive planning that went into the design, construction, and ongoing maintenance of this green building, and how the development of new technologies means that over time the energy efficiency is increased, and the environmental impact of the building grows lighter.    

I asked Sergio to share with my listeners what makes this building such an excellent example of the extraordinary efficiency that can be achieved when businesses choose to make their buildings green. 

In today’s episode, Sergio and I share the highlights from my tour, including how:

Show Notes:

In Money Conscious Episode 10: A Raymond James Expert Shares Why You Don’t Need to Fear Bear Markets, my guest is Mike Gibbs, Director of Equity Strategy and Director of Portfolio & Technical Strategy for Raymond James. I’ve known Mike for many years and there’s no one better to share fact-based analyses of the markets – including where we are and where we’re likely going. He’s a natural storyteller, so he explains it all in a personal and relatable way that will help calm your fears if you are concerned about the bear market and the volatility we’re experiencing. 

We explore in detail many key areas such as:

Guest: 

This episode’s guest is J. Michael (“Mike”) Gibbs. Mike joined Raymond James in 2012 through the acquisition of Morgan Keegan & Co. He currently serves as the Director of Portfolio & Technical Strategy for the firm. He joined Morgan Keegan in 1986 as a financial advisor and became Senior Investment Strategist for the firm in 2003. In 2009, he assumed the role of Director of Equity Strategy. As Investment Strategist, his role is to guide financial advisors on market strategy and stock selection through the use of fundamental and technical analysis. Read his full bio.

Show Notes:

I am excited to share my new Money Conscious podcast with you! I want you to hear more about the new software tools we’re using at The Millstone Evans Group that help us personalize investment selections and financial planning for our clients more than ever before. 

In Episode 9: How New, Powerful and Personalized Investing Tools Will Make a Positive Impact on Your Portfolio, I delve into this topic with Brad Michalchuk, who joined the Millstone Evans Group in early 2022 as the team’s Director of Financial Planning and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Research.

We discuss a planning case in which Brad uses our education software, College Aid Pro, to help one family – parents and high school-aged kids working together – personalize the search process and find the right colleges for each student at the right price. 

You’ll also hear about YourStake, an extremely powerful new software that incorporates over 100 metrics around key areas of concern such as health, environment, human rights, and many more. YourStake enables us to match a client’s values with a set of investment options, and then to incorporate investment performance as we create the personalized portfolio. I am thrilled – and want clients to be thrilled – by the fact that we can provide specific, transparent answers in many areas that I know you care about. 

Guest: 

This episode’s guest is Brad Michalchuk, who joined the Millstone Evans Group in early 2022 as the team’s Director of Financial Planning and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Research. Read our latest Millstone Evans Group blog post to learn more about Brad, including the turning point that made him choose to refocus his career, why he's so enthusiastic about financial planning and how he leverages his decade plus years of experience working as an earth scientist in doing ESG research.

Show Notes:

Hi all,

If you or someone close to you has ever had to research Medicare healthcare coverage, you may be familiar with how overwhelming it can be. Huge numbers of letters, fliers, emails, and more suddenly arrive at your doorstep. How does one even start to sort through all the possibilities?

The truth is, the more people understand about Medicare before turning 65, the better their ability to make excellent personal decisions with minimal stress.

That’s why I’m excited to share with you my latest Money Conscious podcast - How We Help Clients Navigate Their Medicare Coverage. In this episode, we demystify one of the largest insurance programs in America. 

My guests are Giordano Rapati, Licensed Medicare Advisor with ClearMatch Medicare, and Toni Noto, our team’s Lifecycle Planning Specialist. Giordano and Toni offer a personal concierge service that The Millstone Evans Group provides to our clients, helping to make the Medicare process less daunting and more understandable, pre-age 65 and after.

Some common questions and issues our personal concierge service addresses include:

Happy listening!

Sacha

Show Notes:

In Part 2:  How Sustainable Investing Leader Katharine Collins Finds Opportunity in Times of Change, the latest episode of the new Millstone Evans Group podcast Money Conscious hosted by President Sacha Millstone, Sacha and guest Katharine Collins share their views on how to manage the volatile markets. The stress during times of market volatility is real. At the same time, it is important to remember that crisis = opportunity. Today’s low prices are an opportunity for tomorrow’s investment returns.

In this engaging and personal episode, the women focus on how to stay patient and even-keeled and why those attributes are so helpful in making sound, long-term decisions. Amplifying a sense of fear and scarcity almost always leads to poor decisions. They also share healthy habits to adopt when you’re feeling stressed about the markets, such as embracing outdoor walks, avoiding what they call “doom scrolling,” and increasing communication with your financial advisor if you have any questions or concerns about the market or your investments. 

Show Notes:

In Part 1: Investing to Thrive: Why We’re Embracing the Circular Economy Now, the latest episode of the new Millstone Evans Group podcast Money Conscious hosted by President Sacha Millstone, Sacha and guest Katharine Collins explore Katharine’s sustainable investing philosophy and focus on the circular economy. In a circular economy, products are designed with goals of efficient resource use, and improved ability to reuse, repair, resell, and recycle materials. Circular economy design principles and business structures offer immense opportunities for the creation of new processes and practices with meaningful benefits. New and better data collection is leading to evolving production models.  

In the midst of today’s volatility, things are changing. There is a real chance for advancement in many industries. 

Show Notes:

In Knowledge is Comfort: Why We Love Dividend-Paying Stocks, the latest episode of the new Millstone Evans Group podcast Money Conscious hosted by President Sacha Millstone, Sacha and Ben explore how the 2008 financial crisis was very different than what we are facing today.

You’ll hear why the consumer is in a much better position now, including why the broad-based level of inflation that we're experiencing now is also quite different than what we had in 2008. You’ll get a brief and engaging glimpse into how a research expert analyzes and evaluates companies to find opportunities during down times and make investments for multi-year horizons. 

You’ll also find out why savvy investors should understand the importance of dividend-paying stocks, which are the best performing asset class this year. As Ben notes in the podcast, “Dividends are also called equity income and equity income has the really important feature of being able to grow over time. So as opposed to being fixed, dividends go up over time as the economy grows, as inflation happens. Good companies are able to share their profits with investors. And as those profits grow, they share more of those profits with investors.”

Knowledge is power. Knowledge is comfort, too. We hope this episode brings you both.

Show Notes:

Parents and grandparents alike often worry about how their families will be able to handle the high cost of higher education. One of the questions I hear a lot is: with tuition so high these days, how will we pay for our children’s college education? 

You may be surprised to learn how dramatically the choosing and funding landscape has changed! We are excited to share options and answers in How to Conquer the Complicated College-Funding Process, the latest episode of the new Millstone Evans Group podcast Money Conscious, hosted by President Sacha Millstone. 

In this episode, Sacha and her guest, Peg Keough, Director of Education at College Aid Pro, reveal how a powerful tool plus expert advice can help families plan for higher education and then start down the daunting road of applications. Listen and learn how to get the young people you love into a college that is a great choice for them, while creating a college-funding strategy that works.

Key takeaways include how to be:

It’s cliched but true: knowledge is power. Not only that, but knowledge is also a stress reducer. Most people drift through the complicated college-funding process stressed out, immersed in applications, and unaware of options. That’s a costly and largely avoidable mistake. 

This episode is a primer not only for parents considering tuition costs, but also for grandparents who want to help financially support a grandchild’s education and/or share options with their family.

Show Notes:

• Podcast guest and financial planner/wealth manager Peg Keough became an expert in college funding when her twins hit high school and the thought of paying well into five figures each for college was daunting, to say the least. She jumped in headfirst and created her company Way to the Quad to build understanding of how the college system works. Her mission is to help families find the best financial fit college for their kids and maximize discounts available on the overall cost of college. More about Peg: https://waytothequad.com/about-peg

• More about Way to the Quad, the organization Peg founded to help educate parents about the college-funding process. https://waytothequad.com

• In every episode of Money Conscious, host Sacha Millstone talks with exciting, knowledgeable guests about what it means to invest our money consciously. The title Money Conscious reflects two priorities we’re passionate about at The Millstone Evans Group: putting your values where your money is, and raising consciousness about money matters in an easy, personal and relatable way. 

• After you’ve listened to the podcast, share your feedback about the podcast and future topic suggestions with us. Please also share the podcast link with your family, friends and colleagues. And if you like the show, please leave a 5-star review so others can find it, too. Thank you!

A little concerned about the current volatile stock market? Wondering what it could mean for your portfolio and what you can do about it? You are not alone. 

Welcome to the third episode of the new Millstone Evans Group podcast Money Conscious, hosted by President Sacha Millstone. 

In episode three, Sacha and her partner Greg Evans answer many of the burning questions you may have right now. With their stock market expertise, they provide an antidote to pointless doom scrolling through unsettling financial news. Instead, they focus on:



“We enjoyed making this podcast for listeners – think of us talking over coffee and sharing insights, with a few laughs along the way, too,” says Sacha. “Hear about my recent trips to D.C. and New York, Greg’s take on what he calls ‘permabears,’ and why the enormous box office success of the film Top Gun: Maverick may signal more than just a Tom Cruise comeback.”

Show Notes:

• In every episode of Money Conscious, host Sacha Millstone talks with exciting, knowledgeable guests about what it means to invest our money consciously. The title Money Conscious reflects two priorities we’re passionate about at The Millstone Evans Group: putting your values where your money is, and raising consciousness about money matters in an easy, personal and relatable way. 

• After you’ve listened to the podcast, share your feedback about the podcast and future topic suggestions with us. Please also share the podcast link with your family, friends and colleagues. And if you like the show, please leave a 5-star review so others can find it, too. Thank you!

Welcome to the second episode of the new Millstone Evans Group podcast Money Conscious, hosted by President Sacha Millstone. In episode two, Sacha and her guest, bond market expert James Camp, explore in depth:

Guest: James Camp, managing director of Eagle Asset Management’s Fixed Income and Strategic Income strategies. Before joining Eagle in 1997, James was a vice president in the Fixed Income Research and Mortgage Specialist groups at Raymond James & Associates following three years at ING Investment Management. He has appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg TV and FOX Business News and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Reuters, the Economist, Financial Times and other financial news publications. 

Show Notes:

• In every episode of Money Conscious, host Sacha Millstone talks with exciting, knowledgeable guests about what it means to invest our money consciously. The title Money Conscious reflects two priorities we’re passionate about at The Millstone Evans Group: putting your values where your money is, and raising consciousness about money matters in an easy, personal and relatable way. 

• After you’ve listened to the podcast, share your feedback about the podcast and future topic suggestions with us. Please also share the podcast link with your family, friends and colleagues. And if you like the show, please leave a 5-star review so others can find it, too. Thank you!