We hope you are looking forward to a happy and prosperous year ahead! As we turn the calendar forward, we thought we’d share some of the highlight moments and achievements that made 2023 a special year, as well as feature some helpful and relevant resources developed this year. Thank you all for being part of our amazing community.

At Arnerich Massena, we are real people who care about doing what’s best for our clients. This year, we’re proud to showcase some remarkable accomplishments:

Our Staff Accomplishments

• Reegan Rae, CPWA® was awarded the Portland Metro Chamber’s Sandra K. McDonough Place With No Ceiling Leadership Award.
  
• Matt Sampson, CFP®, CEPA®, earned his Certified Exit Planning Advisor credential — or CEPA® — from the Exit Planning Institute.
• Research Analyst Nick Buckley, CFA, earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Managing Principal and investment Advisor Ryland Moore was invited to join a panel at the Washington RIA Summit. He also moderated a panel for the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network.

And some great staff news!

The Arnerich Massena family expanded by two this year:

• Hazel Sampson was born to Senior Investment Advisor Matt Sampson, CFP®, CEPA® on November 6, 2023.
• Emma Victoria McDonald was born to Director of Operations Danielle McDonald on December 24, 2023.

Arnerich Massena in the community

We are committed to walking the walk when it comes to being involved with and supporting our community. Here are a few of the ways we served in 2023:

• Arnerich Massena Giving Guide: We published our sixth annual Holiday Giving Guide to honor the spirit of giving and celebrate our non-profit community partners. Chico State was selected as the winner of our drawing, winning a $1,000 donation for #GivingTuesday.
• Rock the Street, Wall Street: This year, Arnerich Massena partnered for a second year with non-profit Rock the Street, Wall Street to provide financial and investment literacy and professional mentorship to high school girls at Grant High School. Volunteers from the firm worked directly with the students to deliver the curriculum on-site at Grant High.

• We Believe in Portland: Arnerich Massena volunteered with the first annual AdoptOneBlock We Believe in Portland downtown clean-up event.
• Arnerich Massena was proud to sponsor the 19^th annual Maurice Lucas Foundation Celebrity Golf Invitational, raising funds to help provide programming and transformational opportunities for Portland youth.
• Arnerich Massena was a proud gold sponsor of OMSI’s 2023 gala, Kaleidoscope, a black-tie event to support engaging science, technology, art, and math experiences for youth.
• Arnerich Massena continued with a multi-year pledge of support to Good Samaritan Hospital Foundations.
• Arnerich Massena supported regional higher education through:
  • Sponsoring the Columbia Gorge Community College Foundation Founder’s Cup Golf Tournament to raise money for student scholarships. The foundation has awarded $185,000 in scholarships for the 2023-24 school year.
  • Sponsoring the University of Oregon Portland Internship Experience for the second year in a row! The program helps undergraduate students gain meaningful career experience at Portland small businesses and nonprofits.
  • Sponsoring Caps Off! a community appreciation event hosted by College Possible Oregon to celebrate 10 years of serving students in Oregon.
  • Funding an endowment at California State University Chico
  • Providing support for Clackamas Community College Foundation
  • Providing support for Clark College Foundation

Awards and recognition

While winning awards is not our raison d’être, we are always honored by the industry recognition we receive. Here are some of the accolades from this year:

• Arnerich Massena was recognized in 2023 by Real Leaders as a top global impact company.
• The firm was named a finalist in the ThinkAdvisor Luminaries Class of 2023 in the category of Thought Leadership & Education.

• The 2023 InvestmentNews Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Awards named Co-CEO Reegan Rae, CPWA®, a See It, Be It Role Model award winner. Arnerich Massena was also named as a Diversity Champion finalist.
• The WealthBriefing 2023 Wealth for Good Awards recognized Arnerich Massena in the category of Best CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) – Americas.
• Arnerich Massena was named a Top Corporate Philanthropist by the Portland Business Journal for the tenth year in a row.
• Oregon Business Magazine named Arnerich Massena among Oregon’s 100 Best Green Workplaces in 2023, and The Portland Business Journal named the firm among Oregon’s Top Ten Healthiest Employers.
• Arnerich Massena earned its Certified B Corporation® recertification following a thorough assessment by third party B Lab™: the firm’s B Impact Assessment score increased from 94.1 to 115.1!

Arnerich Massena in the news

Arnerich Massena professionals were featured in the national and regional news media for their thought leadership and expertise. Here are a few highlights:

• Co-CEO and Chief Investment Officer Bryan Shipley, CFA, CAIA, appeared on the Money Life with Chuck Jaffe podcast to discuss behavioral economics.

• The Portland Business Journal Money Guide featured an article from Co-CEO and Chief Investment Officer Bryan Shipley, CFA, CAIA: Bonds are Back: Investing in a High Interest Rate Environment.
• Senior Wealth Strategist Glen Goland, JD, CFP®, discussed generational wealth in GoBankingRates here, touched on retirement mistakes to avoid in Yahoo Finance here, and weighed in on capital gains taxes in Consumer Affairs here. He also offered insight on how to manage losses in a 401(k) in USA Today here.
• Senior Investment Advisor Matt Sampson, CFP®, CEPA®, discussed how financial advisors help small businesses at Comparison Adviser here, and talked about the difference between an advisor and planner in USA Today here. His article, “Managing Retirement Assets for Charitable Legacy & Tax Efficiency,” was featured in the Portland Business Journal Estate & Charitable Planning Guide 2023.
• Senior Research Analyst Arthur Coyne, CFA, discussed inflation in GoBankingRates here.
• Chief Technology Officer David Vaughan was interviewed by Logit.io in their series speaking to technical leaders from around the world, here.

Top 5 blog posts

Here are the top five posts viewed over 2023:

• Nothing is Impossible: An interview with Rani Borkar: In honor of Women’s History Month, we interviewed Arnerich Massena client Rani Borkar, Corporate Vice President, Azure Hardware Systems & Infrastructure at Microsoft. The theme this year was about women’s stories, and hers is remarkable! In the interview, we discuss her extraordinary perspective on leadership, technology, and meeting the challenges of the future.

• Private Equity 101: Understanding the fundamentals of PE investing white paper: This white paper helps investors gain familiarity with how private equity investing works, the stages and types of private equity investments, and the unique risks and benefits of investing in private markets.
• Intentional Investing: A Category Apart white paper: Our research is leading us to look at things from a new and slightly different perspective, and we think our approach can create an even greater alignment between an investor’s goals and values and their investment strategy and portfolio. We believe this intentional approach will also better capture the opportunities posed by innovation and entrepreneurship in sustainable solutions.
• Behavioral Economics: Understanding Your Unconscious to Become a Better Investor white paper: This white paper examines the findings of behavioral economists, looking at the mental shortcuts and emotional influences behind some of our most inexplicable decision-making, and discussing strategies for improving decision-making logic and processes.
• Arnerich Massena 2022 Holiday Giving Guide: Our 2022 holiday giving guide was the #5 post of the year; you can also visit our 2023 Holiday Giving Guide here. We are honored to be part of an amazing community, and proud to celebrate that work in our Giving Guides.

Top Resources

We are invested in empowering you. No matter where you are on the spectrum of knowledge, experience, and sophistication, our goal is to offer support and education that will engage you in learning more and becoming a better investor. Here are some of the most important and relevant resources from 2023:

INVESTMENT FOCUS

• MarketCasts: Arnerich Massena and advisors provide quarterly market commentary and analysis. Click below to view each quarter’s presentation:
  • MarketCast Q3
  • MarketCast Q2
  • MarketCast Q1
• Investment Trends to Watch for in 2024: Choose Your Own Reality: Each year, our research team puts their collective heads together to envision what the future might hold, and which trends are likely to take shape. This year, we forecast eight trends to keep an eye on. While not investment recommendations, they are a fun look into the future at the cultural landscape that could affect the investment environment for everyone. Watch the videocast version here.

• Ask the Expert podcast: Automated Trading Strategies with Sherwood Yuen: We reached out to Sherwood Yuen of Vanguard to talk about automated trading strategies — also called direct indexing. As the direct indexing landscape expands and the technology improves, these types of strategies are showing numerous potential benefits. Read an article about direct indexing from Senior Wealth Strategist Glen Goland, JD, CFP® here.

• Research Focus podcast: The U.S. Budget Deficit, Interest Rates, and the Future: In this Research Focus podcast, Co-CEO and CIO Bryan Shipley, CFA, CAIA, and Senior Research Analyst Arthur Coyne, CFA, take a deeper dive, exploring the issues around growing deficits, rising interest rates, and inflation, and discussing the potential remedies and their impact on the investment environment.
• Bonds are Back: Investing in a Higher Interest Rate Environment: “The Federal Reserve began a series of interest rate hikes in early 2022 to combat the rising tide of inflation…Not since the early 80s have we seen such a rapid rise in rates.” How can investors adjust to this shifting landscape? Arnerich Massena Co-CEO and Chief Investment Officer Bryan Shipley, CFA, CAIA, offers some ideas in “Bonds are Back: Investing in a Higher Interest Rate Environment,” featured in the Portland Business Journal Money Guide this July.

• Is the Dollar’s Reserve Status Slipping? A Research Focus Podcast: Is our U.S. currency in danger of losing its status as the dominant global currency, and what does that mean for investors? In this Research Focus Videocast, Co-CEO and Chief Investment Officer Bryan Shipley discusses the dollar as reserve currency, what scenarios might play out as countries around the world shift to alternative currencies, and how investors can prepare for the future.

• Behavioral Economics: Understanding your unconscious to become a better investor: This white paper examines the findings of behavioral economists, looking at the mental shortcuts and emotional influences behind some of our most inexplicable decision-making, and discussing strategies for improving decision-making logic and processes.
• Private Equity 101: Understanding the Fundamentals of PE Investing: This white paper helps investors gain familiarity with how private equity investing works, the stages and types of private equity investments, and the unique risks and benefits of investing in private markets.

PLANNING FOCUS

• FYI newsletters: Read the Inside News from Arnerich Massena’s Wealth Management Team. Click below to read each quarter’s issue.
  • FYI Q4
  • FYI Q3
  • FYI Q2
  • FYI Q1
• Preparing for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Sunset
• Time to Review Your Financial Plan: Here’s what to think about
• End-of-Life Planning: A document synopsis
• Ask the Expert Podcast: Insurance Review: In this Ask the Expert podcast, Adam Clough, CFP®, CLU, TEP, Director of Insurance at Bridge Life LLC, joins Senior Wealth Strategist Glen Goland, JD, CFP® to talk about reviewing your insurance policies – what you should look for and what options you might consider.
• How to Protect Your Bank Deposits

• Managing Retirement Assets for Charitable Legacy & Tax Efficiency
• Secure Act 2.0: Key Provisions

The most important thing we did over 2023 was to focus on preserving and growing our clients’ wealth by making the most of our collective expertise and experience to craft long-term wealth planning and investment strategies, select excellent investment managers, manage risk, identify opportunities, and maximize tax efficiency. We are honored by our clients’ trust in us as stewards of their wealth, and privileged to serve as a trusted partner.

Happy New Year to all!