On the Lighter Side
Enjoy some fun content about lifestyle and CAS happenings.
A Tour of Italy!
Kim, Ray, Susie and Jan Kantor recently returned from their tour of Italy. They traversed several areas throughout “The Boot”, including Sperlonga, Pompeii, Rome and several destinations in Tuscany (see the map below).
Check out the following slideshows for some incredible photos showcasing Italian art, architecture and the Ciccarelli family!
Black – Sperlonga; Purple – Pompeii; Blue – Rome; Maroon – Terrasole Winery;
Orange – Assisi & Solomeo
Photos from Sperlonga
The ancestral homeland of the Ciccarelli family.
Photos from Sperlonga #2 – Wedding
Congratulations to newlyweds Rachel and Cory!
(Rachel is the niece of Kim, Ray, Paul and Jill; she is Gaynell’s daughter.)
Photos from Pompeii & Rome
Two ancient Italian cities, rich with history and stunning architecture.
Photos from Terrasole Winery & Brunello Cucinelli Factory
Fine wine and fashion…the pinnacle of Italian culture!
Our Driverless Future
By now, you’re probably familiar with the concept of driverless cars – a new technology where computers will replace humans behind the wheel. Although the development of these autonomous vehicles will be gradually at first, the driverless car may become viable about ten or more years down the road.
A driverless world will undoubtedly bring about some exciting social changes – and the transition towards this technology could have implications for investors. A 2016 article from the CFA Institute provides us with a hypothetical preview of this not-so-distant world.
As the demand for driverless cars increases, cities and communities will be able to reuse or develop areas that are currently devoted to parking. A self-driving car will deliver you to your destination and then park itself in a compact high-rise parking facility, where the car will recharge itself (since it will also be electric). When you are ready to leave, you will be able to summon your car to pick you up at the door and take you home.
People living in urban areas might not need to own a vehicle; instead, you could subscribe to a car service that will drive you anywhere. In a city environment, this simple change would lead to a huge reduction in traffic, since many of the cars currently on the road are hunting for a rare parking space. Traffic flows will be faster and less congested, making city life more pleasant; and cities would be more spread out, since fewer people would dread the commute on uncrowded highways.
Additionally, you would no longer be stuck behind the wheel during your commute; instead, you could use that time for productivity or relaxation. Your car could become a mobile office that drives itself around town while you answer emails or make a conference call. If you take a road trip, you would be free to catch up on your TV shows, read or take in the scenery.
In the future, the driverless car would become the chauffeur to school or to kids’ activities while parents have more time to live their own lives. Older people would no longer have to give up the keys to the car when they reach a certain age; instead, they could travel where they pleased without endangering others.
Of course, a driverless society would also eliminate serious road hazards – drunk driving, people texting behind the wheel, people falling asleep – preventing about 30,000 highway deaths every year. Since driverless cars are more precise, a 4-lane highway could be transformed into a 5- or 6-lane road by making the lanes narrower and using the curb space. Driverless cars might move more quickly, with the potential to safely travel at speeds of up to 100 mph. These shifts would nearly eliminate traffic jams, making transportation quicker and more convenient.
Of course, the advent of the driverless car is not entirely rosy from an economic standpoint. Millions of driving jobs would be eliminated. Car insurance companies would suffer, since there would be little need for coverage in a world of nearly zero accidents. Car manufacturers would have to shift their value proposition from a thrilling drive to more robust in-car entertainment systems.
Are you ready for that world?
Source: http://www.cfapubs.org/doi/pdf/10.2469/cfm.v27.n2.23
Special thanks to Bob Veres for his commentary
Longer Lives: At Home and Abroad
For years, life expectancy in the U.S. has been among the longest in the world – a natural byproduct of the fact that the U.S. is wealthier than most other nations. Indeed, a recent report from the medical journal The Lancet projects that by 2030, women in the U.S. will live an average of 83.3 years (up from 81.2 today), and men will live an average of 79.5 years (up from 76.5 today).
The report analyzed data on mortality and longevity patterns from 35 industrialized nations (both high-income and emerging nations). The projected increases in American longevity are definitely encouraging; however, perhaps the most interesting aspect of this study is seeing how the rest of the world is catching and even surpassing American seniors in terms of life expectancy.
South Korean women are projected to live to an average age of 90 years in 2030, and women in Spain, Portugal, Slovenia and Switzerland will see average lifespans above 87. South Korea, the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark and Switzerland will all see their male citizens survive for more than 80 years on average. In Mexico and the Czech Republic, the lifespans of both men and women will be at levels comparable to the U.S. by 2030.
Why is the U.S. not progressing as fast as other countries? The researchers who generated this report have pointed to the high obesity rates in the U.S. The average American consumes a diet that is less healthy than people from the countries that top the list of global life expectancy.
The U.S. healthcare system also plays a role in longevity outcomes. Although the U.S. spends more of its total GDP on healthcare than any other nation, the quality of care received tends to be top-heavy – meaning that richer Americans can afford much better care than their less-wealthy counterparts.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/02/21/us-life-expectancy-will-soon-be-on-par-with-mexicos-and-croatias/?tid=sm_tw&utm_term=.cb737a6fb684
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/21/health/life-expectancy-increase-globally-by-2030/index.html
The Good and Bad of Millennial Financial Habits
Millennial Americans – people born between 1982 and 1999 – now represent a larger portion of the U.S. population than Baby Boomers (those born from 1946 to 1964). New research from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies demonstrates that Millennials are saving their money at a higher rate than their Baby Boomer counterparts.
Nearly 75% of Millennials are saving for retirement at an earlier age than any previous generation. Half of their generation is putting away 6% of their income or more – a statistic that makes Millennials the best cohort of savers since the Great Depression – despite carrying unprecedented levels of student loan debt. Those who participate in their workplace retirement plans are saving even more (7% per year on average).
That being said, Millennials are not doing an equally good job of investing. The research suggests that many younger Americans are skeptical of or confused by the topic of investing, and tend to keep their savings in cash. That is problematic, since low interest rates essentially drop their return on investment to 0 percent.
In the Transamerica survey, 25% of Millennial respondents said they weren’t sure how their retirement savings were invested. When they were prompted to check, they were more likely to report higher allocations to bonds, money market funds and other low-return investments than their Baby Boomer or Generation X counterparts.
There are a variety of prescriptions for the problem of being under-invested, which is much more easily corrected than bad savings habits. Millennials need to be educated about investing – a subject that is rarely taught in high school or college. The key to guiding Millennials towards financial independence is helping them to become more comfortable with risk.
While everyone knows that the markets will go down from time to time, young people will be more likely to invest if they understand that the markets have always recovered and beaten their previous highs.
Sources:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/arielleoshea/2017/02/21/5-essential-investing-moves-for-millennials/?ss=personalfinance#743c36582ab5
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Saving-Money/2017/0221/Why-Millennials-are-better-with-their-money-than-their-parents
CAS Profiles – Logan Curti (Florida)
Logan joined our CAS family in March 2016 as our New Business Development Coordinator at the Naples office.
Logan facilitates all of our CAS marketing communications, including the website, blog, weekly email blasts and social media pages. He is also in charge of coordinating client events, writing press releases and articles on various financial topics, and generating public relations and community outreach opportunities for our firm.
“CAS is truly a fantastic place to work – a friendly, hardworking culture filled with incredible people,” he said. “I find it very gratifying to know that my contributions play a key role in fulfilling our firm’s greater mission: guiding every client family towards the realization of their vision for the future.”
Logan was born and raised in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and Advertising from North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. After graduation, he briefly worked in Fargo as a promotional products sales consultant; then, in February 2016, he decided to ditch the tundra and move to the tropics!
In addition to writing and marketing, Logan is passionate about politics and news, and enjoys all forms of comedy. During his free time, Logan enjoys golfing, going for walks, playing tennis, spending time with family, and soaking up that Florida sun!
Logan, sister Alicia, parents Paul & Nancy
Logan Curti is not registered with FSC Securities Corporation or Ciccarelli Advisory Services, Inc.
Holiday Cheer to End the Year!
Wishing you and your family
a wonderful holiday season
and a prosperous new year!
CAS Profiles – Carrie Reeves-Hillyard (New York)
Carrie joined our CAS family in November 2006 as the Records Manager at our Rochester office.
She maintains our client records, preparing files for upcoming appointments and inputting trades; assists Geral, our COO, as needed; and processes supply orders.
“I’m very proud to tell people that I work for CAS,” Carrie said. “I enjoy being part of an organization that puts so much emphasis on the importance of family and planning for generations to come.”
Carrie was born and raised in the Rochester area, where she currently lives with her husband Audie and her step-son Jesse.
Outside of the office, Carrie enjoys cooking, watching movies, listening to music, and taking road trips with her family. She always looks forward to her family’s annual fishing trip in Canada.
“The cabin is in a remote location without access to electronics,” said Carrie. “We love to fish, read, play cards, and take in the beautiful scenery!”
2016 Run for the Way 5K
From left to right: Jessica Barton, Jan Brown, Logan Curti, Danielle Lynch and Kay Anderson
Five members of our CAS family participated in the third annual Run for the Way 5K on Saturday morning at North Collier Regional Park in Naples.
At 7:30 a.m., our group of walkers lined up for the 5K. Each of the participants – Jessica Barton, Jan Brown, Logan Curti, Danielle Lynch and Kay Anderson – completed the course in about 56 minutes.
Jessica, who has run several 5K races this year, organized our team and sparked our interest in the Run for the Way.
“It was by far the most fun race of the year…I’m so glad some of my CAS family joined in,” said Jessica. “They say running is not a team sport because you are only in competition with yourself. But we made it a team sport.”
The Run for the Way was Logan’s first 5K.
“We didn’t break any world records for speed, but it was fun to get some exercise and spend an enjoyable morning with the team,” said Logan. “Plus we were supporting a great cause!”
The 5K run and walk benefitted United Way of Collier County, which encompasses more than 30 local community agencies and hundreds of human services programs. These organizations serve more than 100,000 people in Collier County.
After the race, our CAS team went to Sun N Fun Lagoon to cool off and enjoy the rest of the morning under the Florida sun.
CAS Profiles – Neri Ciccarelli (Florida)
Neri joined the CAS team in September 1996 as a Client Services Associate for Paul Ciccarelli. In addition to providing top-notch service to Paul’s clients, she is in charge of representative licensing.
She also makes certain that our staff is well-nourished. Neri can often be found ordering lunch for the members of our CAS family.
“Our staff members are like part of our family and teach us all new lessons every day,” Neri said.
Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Neri grew up in New York City and currently lives in Naples. Prior to joining CAS, she worked as a paralegal and continues to have a passion for law.
Neri has been married to Paul Ciccarelli for 16 years. She has two stepsons: Noah, who is a sous chef at Sea Salt Restaurant; and Jonah, who is an assistant client representative at Cloud9 Float and Spa.
Neri is involved in our Naples community, serving as secretary of the Greater Naples YMCA Endowment Board. She enjoys spending time with her friends, family and in-laws; experimenting with new ideas in the kitchen; experiencing the wide variety of restaurants in our Naples area; and listening to jazz.
Neri added that she “loves to live life simple and making everyone feel good.”
Neri Ciccarelli is not registered with FSC Securities Corporation or Ciccarelli Advisory Services, Inc.
A Journey of 9 Million Steps
Our journey of 4,000 miles began with a single step.
At the beginning of April, 15 members of our CAS family made a ten-week commitment to enhance their personal wellness. In the spirit of the Blue Zones Project’s concept of moai walking groups, our Naples office formed two teams – “FUNDamentals” and “Let’s Get Fiscal”. Each team walked together once per week for 20-30 minutes.
During the ten-week period, our walking groups took more than nine million steps, which is approximately 4,000 miles. To put our strides into context, the distance we covered is the equivalent of walking from Naples to Denver – and then walking back.
Danielle Lynch, the captain of team FUNDamentals, led the way with almost one million steps. In addition to increasing her own level of physical activity, she continuously challenged her team to get more steps – through motivational emails, verbal encouragement and competitions on the FitBit app.
“This ten-week challenge was very inspiring to me, to get moving on losing some weight,” Danielle said. “Walking weekly really helped me get back on track for exercising.”
Jessica Barton, the captain of Let’s Get Fiscal, focused on “motivating our team by example” – which was exemplified through her participation in several 5k races. She also utilized the FitBit app to offer positive encouragement and motivation for her teammates.
“Over the 10 weeks, the general morale of the office was very high,” Jessica said. “The healthy competition contributed to a more positive workplace.”
Danielle said she experienced noticeable benefits to her physical health, but added that her favorite aspect of the walking group was developing personal relationships with her teammates.
“It was great getting to have some quality time with a few people in the office to chit-chat about their lives, getting to really know someone outside of work,” Danielle said. “And we enjoyed a few laughs along the way!”
“I always learned something new about several of my co-workers on each of our walks,” Jessica added.
Logan Curti, a member of team FUNDamentals, joined the CAS family shortly before we started the walking groups. He said the experience played an important role in helping him adjust to his new job.
“Having the opportunity to connect with my new co-workers on a personal level – and establish those connections right away – was invaluable to me,” Logan said.
Although our walking groups have already logged nine million steps, our collective journey towards lifelong wellness is just beginning.
Team FUNDamentals – Danielle, Logan, Kim, Jill, Theresa, Jasen, Josh
Team Let’s Get Fiscal – Susan H, Denise, Susan B, Rosey, Jessica, Kay
Not pictured: Jason, Kathy