July 2020

“Summertime – Then and Now” Blog Post
Useful iPhone Tip
Article: The Shape of Economic Recovery

Recently, as I was going through some papers while organizing my office, I came across my first newsletter that I wrote in July of 2014. The overall themes were summertime and persistence. As I read through the blog, the first thing I noticed were the photos of my kids. They were so little compared to what they look like now. It was amazing how quickly they had grown! Where had the time gone? As I continued to read on, I realized that many things in my life had changed and many have stayed the same.

My kids are still busy playing sports and spending time with their friends. Back in 2014, my daughter had just joined a swim team and it was definitely one of the most influential choices she has made in her life so far. She absolutely loves swimming and couldn’t imagine not being able to swim. My son was playing baseball, basketball and tennis and now solely focuses on tennis. He trains very hard nearly every day of the week and his discipline, determination and drive are amazing. I have enjoyed watching both of them find their passion as they become teenagers and young adults.

I spoke of my love of gardening and still have my community garden plot. It’s a wonderful place, especially during these times, to be outside and to visit with my fellow gardeners (at a distance of course). I had written about my persistence in trying to grow Brussels sprouts after my first year of successfully growing them. Last year, after nearly ten years of trying to replicate my initial success, I finally threw in the towel and decided that growing them is an exercise in futility. This year has been a fantastic growing season and I have to admit that I’ve wondered a few times whether or not the Brussels sprouts would have been successful too.

I still believe that persistence pays off when pursuing your goals and things that are important to you. But I have also learned that it’s okay to let some things go, accept failure, and move on.

As a Certified Financial Planner professional, part of my job requires having clients send me documents and different types of information. Many people don’t have access to a scanner or printer at home and will take a photo of the document and

send it to me. Oftentimes, it can be difficult to read or enlarge the photo to view the information being sent.

I came across this tip for iPhone users to scan documents to save and send as a pdf file. I’ve tried it a few times and it seems to work better than taking a photo.

Here’s how to use this feature:

• Go into the Notes section of your iPhone – usually on the front page.
  
• Start a new Note and click on the camera button. On my phone it’s the middle button.
  
• Choose the option to Scan Documents.
  
• Place the document you want to scan in view and click the button. Drag the corners to adjust if needed and choose either Retake or Keep Scan.
  
• Click Save.
  
• Choose the Share box in the upper right-hand corner and send your document either by text or email.
  
• Success!

On June 8, 2020, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), which has official responsibility for determining U.S. business cycles, announced that February 2020 marked the end of an expansion that began in 2009 and the beginning of a recession.

This was no great surprise considering widespread business closures due to the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting spike in unemployment, but it was an unusually quick official announcement.

Click here to read the article, The Shape of Economic Recovery.

I hope you enjoyed the newsletter. Please email me at cindy@fairtrustfinancial.com with any questions you have regarding planning for your future.  

Thank you! Cindy Turkington, CFP®, CDFA™ 

Mailing Address:855 Village Center Drive, #360 North Oaks, MN 55127

651-484-0701

cindy@fairtrustfinancial.com 

www.fairtrustfinancial.com

Quote:

“We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.”

- Alain de Botton, writer