Financial Architects Inc. - May 2022

Financial Architects Inc. - May 2022

MAY 2022

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MEET OUR INSURANCE COORDINATOR, CHRISTINE!

She’s a Valuable Asset at FAI

Hi, newsletter friends! I’m Christine Wright, the Insurance Coordinator here at Financial Architects. I’m the primary source for our clients and advisors when they have any insurance questions. My main role is to provide them with the information they need within the realm of insurance. I’ve been here for five months now, and I love every minute of it! Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be in an industry where I would be working with numbers and problem-solving. When I was 7 years old, I set up an office in my parents’ basement where I would act like I was working in an office and helping people. I even went to a garage sale where I bought an adding machine. So, I knew from a young age this was what I wanted to do. I began working in the financial industry when I was 15. There was a co-op program through my high school where I was able to work for Comerica bank. I worked there until I graduated, and my manager was so impressed with me and my work ethic that he referred me to another position. I soon began working at the Comerica Operation Center in Michigan soon after high school. I’ve been working in the financial industry ever since.

player and a part of the Financial

Architects family. To show my gratitude to my Financial Architects family, I want to be a valuable and helpful asset to my employers, coworkers, and clients. Therefore, I do my best to help out whenever I can and answer any questions that come my way.

The most rewarding part of my role is helping clients when they are in stressful situations. I can ease their stress and anxiety by telling them I have their best interest at heart. I view our clients as if they are my family. I behave as if they were one of my family members coming to me and how I would react and help them. It’s the same. When I’m not working, I love to swim. I’ve been an active swimmer since I was little. My siblings and I would also play in the ocean and pool when we were younger. I also love hockey; it’s my favorite sport to watch at home and at the rinks. I would like to thank my family and friends for accompanying me on this journey. I also want to thank everyone at Financial Architects for making me feel welcome and giving me a place where I feel like I belong. I’ve been working in this industry for 35 years, and I believe this is the best place to work. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else — this is my home.

While at a Financial Firm in Troy, I was working with an advisor who conducted

“I’ve been working in this industry for 35 years, and I believe this is the best place to work. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else — this is my home.”

business with Financial Architects in 2017. I didn’t begin working here until November 2021; a friend told me Financial Architects had an opening. As I went through the application process, I felt as though I was already a part of the Financial Architects family — I felt this from my very first interview through Zoom. They gave me a warm welcome even before I started working here.

– Christine Wright

What motivates me at my job is being helpful not only to clients but also to my colleagues and team. They inspire me to become a team

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Paddle YourWay to Better Health

INSIDE FINANCIAL ARCHITECTS

The weather is getting warmer, which means you can do more activities in the water. Canoeing or kayaking is an excellent way to get outdoors and be active. Besides looking at the beautiful scenery around you, taking to the water confers several physical and mental health benefits. BIG BENEFITS OF CANOEING AND KAYAKING Paddling can help improve your upper-body strength and muscle tone — because you’re using your arms to guide yourself through the water with the paddle. Paddling helps strengthen your arms, shoulders, chest, and back. • You use your legs to balance, maneuver, and change directions in the vessel. In turn, this movement helps strengthen your lower-body muscles. • While trying to stay centered and balanced on the water, you will develop more core strength. Paddling helps work your lower back, abs, and oblique muscles. • It’s a form of cardiac exercise that will help your heart circulate more blood throughout your body. It will also improve your endurance, enabling you to go longer distances faster. PHYSICAL BENEFITS • MENTAL BENEFITS • While canoeing or kayaking, your body releases serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins from neurotransmitters. This will help boost your mood and self-confidence and improve your focus. • These activities can enhance your memory and learning ability. This is because it exercises your hippocampus, one of the largest portions of your brain that is responsible for verbal memory and learning. • If you have trouble sleeping, this activity can improve your sleep. Exercising during the day can make you naturally tired, which helps you fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. • Since you’ll be in the sun, your body can produce more vitamin D. This vitamin is essential for strong bones and an effective immune system.

Back in March, FAI held its annual meeting in Novi with its advisors and support team to gather as a group to review 2021 and look ahead to 2022. But the leadership team decided to go in a different direction. Why not make it more interactive? Why not involve the entire group and have their voices heard, too? That is exactly what we did. The “Annual Meeting” became the “Annual Workshop,” and the day was filled with discussion, planning, and learning. In addition, three awards were handed out.

Longtime advisor Mike Kucera took home the 2021 FAI Advisor of the Year honors. Mike took the opportunity to thank his team of Chris Ball and Carson Mamo. Fellow Financial Architect Chavez Vincent was the Pyramid of Progress award winner. Chavez made sure to give accolades to all of the members of our Support Team who helped him along the way this past year. And we had a surprise award handed out. CAO Kristi Laporte recognized each member of the support staff and matched one of the company’s fundamental behaviors to that person. Then she handed out a special Above and Beyond Award to Sherry Hanford, who really has played a vital role behind the scenes in the firm for many years. Sherry was stunned with excitement as she accepted the honor from Kristi and Patrick Marody. Throughout the day, the FAI team worked on both issues, processing with Vistage Chapter Chair Danny Hyman and fundamental behaviors with Al Curnow from CultureWise. It was a great opportunity for the team to openly discuss issues that occur in the office and ways to properly solve them. The team split up into groups and shared their ideas on what to work on. Danny provided some clarifying questions for all of the groups to ask and stressed the importance of setting due dates to get the issues processed. Furthermore, the refresher of the company’s fundamental behaviors with Al got the group to participate and align with the core focus of the organization. For example, one of the behaviors, Honor Commitments, was discussed as important even if a task cannot be completed. If a commitment cannot be fulfilled, which happens, notifying others early and agreeing to a new deliverable that can be honored would be the way to go. It was a great discussion that brought the team even closer together.

Canoeing and kayaking are great outdoor activities to help you get your daily dose of physical activity and a mental health boost. So, enjoy the warm weather and be one with nature — this may be your new favorite summer hobby this year!

The information contained in this newsletter is derived from sources believed to be accurate. You should discuss any legal, tax, or financial matters with the appropriate professional. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. Registered Representatives offer Securities through The O.N. Equity Sales Company, Member FINRA/SIPC (www.FINRA.org/ and www.SIPC.org). Investment Advisory Services offered through O.N. Investment Management Company and FAI Advisors, Inc., Financial Architects, Inc., FAI Advisors, Inc. is not a subsidiary or affiliate of The O.N. Equity Sales Company or O.N. Investment Management Company. We have representatives currently registered in the following states: AL, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NH, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TX, VA, WA, and WI.

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Chat With a Client Jackie Calixte

Take a Break

Solution on Page 4

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH US HERE AT FINANCIAL ARCHITECTS? I met Chavez Vincent in a local Farmington networking group back in 2019. He would always talk about his dad, a blue-collar worker, who never knew the importance of financial planning and its effect on his father’s retirement and the impact it took on the family. It was a story I was too familiar with in my own family. My dad, an immigrant, only knew about working day to day and was completely unprepared for retirement. The lack of preparing for retirement terrified me due to my lack of financial literacy. Chavez always noted that it’s never too late to start. He was the first person I reached out to for advice when the pandemic hit. He is really dedicated to educating people on the best way to prepare for the future in simple terms.

It’s asparagus season! Celebrate with this easy one-pan salmon dish for two. One-Pan Baked Salmon and Veggies Inspired by BBCGoodFood.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb spring potatoes, halved • 2 tbsp olive oil (divided) • 8 asparagus spears, trimmed and halved

• 2 handfuls cherry tomatoes • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar • 2 5-oz salmon fillets • 1 handful fresh basil

TELL US ABOUT CTA DIGITAL MARKETING AND WHAT YOU DO FOR YOUR CLIENTS. I am the marketing director at CTA. We specialize in artificial intelligence websites, business apps, SEO, and social media.

DIRECTIONS

We help business owners better utilize their time by creating beautiful and functional digital platforms that promote their business online.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. 2. In an oven-proof dish, combine the potatoes and 1 tbsp olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes. 3. Remove the dish from the oven and add the asparagus. Toss, and bake for 15 more minutes. 4. Remove the dish from the oven and add the cherry tomatoes. Toss. Drizzle with balsamic, then nestle the salmon fillets into the vegetables. Drizzle with the remaining oil, and bake for 10–15 minutes. 5. Remove the dish from the oven, garnish with basil leaves, and serve!

Our goal is promoting small businesses online 24/7!

WHAT EXCITES YOU MOST ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS HEADING INTO THE SUMMER HERE IN 2022? I am excited to finally network in person this summer! No more virtual coffees, I can meet my clients in person at that neighborhood coffee shop. There’s nothing compared to having a real in-person connection with someone. I enjoy my clients and really missed them!

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Inside This Issue 1 | Christine Felt a Sense of Community From the Beginning

2 | Strengthen Your Entire Body!

2 | Inside Financial Architects

3 | Chat With a Client

3 | One-Pan Baked Salmon and Veggies

4 | Hate Souvenir Shopping? Let’s Make It Easy

Picking the Perfect Souvenir A way to preserve or share a piece of your trip is to bring home a souvenir, but choosing a souvenir isn’t always a stress-free experience. How do you pick the perfect souvenir and not just the first thing you see in a tourist shop? Here are some tips for picking a truly meaningful gift for yourself or your loved ones. Kinder eggs — a specific kind that are illegal in the U.S. due to the potentially hazardous small toys inside. PURCHASE A HANDICRAFT. Handicrafts — items created by local artisans — are awesome souvenirs! But make sure you buy

where artisans actually sell their own goods, such as an open-air market. Unfortunately, while some popular tourist shops may sell “locally made goods,” many souvenirs intended for tourists are actually made by cheap manufacturers in other countries.

WHO ARE YOU BUYING FOR? What are your recipient’s interests, or what do they spend the most time doing? If you’re buying for yourself and enjoy coffee, you might buy a local coffee blend to enjoy from home. However, if your recipient doesn’t enjoy coffee or rarely drinks it, that type of gift might not mean much to them.

KEEP SOMETHING FROM THE ADVENTURE.

Bringing a glass bottle to take home some sand is a popular way of creating your own souvenir from a beach vacation. But you can do this with almost any item! Whether it’s stones, ticket stubs from favorite shows and activities, or a handmade item from a class, make sure to look out for souvenirs that’ll remind you of great memories and experiences.

IS IT LEGAL TO BRING HOME? Whether you’re traveling domestically or

internationally, there are many regulations that affect which souvenirs you can bring home. Even if you find the item in a tourist shop, that doesn’t mean it’ll be allowed into the country or even onto the

plane. And the TSA does take this seriously. In 2012, two tourists were detained at the U.S. border for trying to bring home chocolate

We hope these tips will help you make the best choice. Bon voyage!

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