End of Year Reflection – Be Authentic by David Greene

As a firm, we always try to pause as the year comes to a close to reflect on the past 12 months and consider what the next year may have in store for us.  2023 often seemed consumed with headlines about AI (artificial intelligence), deep fakes, and ChatGPT.  Now, almost as a counterbalance, my thoughts lead me to the concept of “authenticity”.  It seems that I am not the only one thinking of this – did you know that Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2023 was, in fact, “authentic”?!?

Exploring what it means to be authentic fits quite well with this time of year when many of us focus on the very REAL triumphs and challenges that we faced in 2023.  It’s highly likely that our success in those ventures relied on the genuine authenticity of everyone involved to get to the root of the problem and find a long-term solution.  In a world of ten-word tweets and five second sound bites, we often miss the genuine parts of a story or the very real consequences of an event.  More and more, we seem to depend on computers and computer-generated content to do our thinking for us.  Yet, I maintain hope and confidence that REAL people will maintain their AUTHENTIC dreams and see those dreams to fruition.

We see this authenticity of living REAL lives on a daily basis through the lives of our clients.  Adult children generously supporting one aging parent serving as caregiver to another parent struggling with a life altering condition like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.  Professionals inspired to reinvent themselves with a second or third career focused on various non-profits with the mission of helping those in need. Young adults leveraging their parents’ investment in their education to lead fulfilling lives with inspiring careers.  Artists and musicians in our client family who show incredible creativity and talent through music, painting, etc.  Families suffering through the loss of a cherished grandparent while honoring their legacy through hard work and sacrifice.

At CJM, we also strive to model such authenticity in our support of and interaction with our clients. It can be as simple as sympathy card written by a real person with genuine emotion. Even the act of actively listening to a client without interruption to truly understand their current situation.  Our team strives to consistently and genuinely help our clients with REAL solutions and an authentic interest in their lives and their futures.

So, as we all hopefully find time to celebrate the holidays with friends and family, let us commit to each other to maintain our authenticity as human beings.  To have empathy and grace.  To challenge each other while maintaining mutual respect.  To harness passion, innovation, and inspiration.  Look out 2024…it is about to get REAL!!!

Day of Service 

This fall CJMers volunteered at the Audrey Moore Rec Center in Annandale. We were graced with beautiful weather to do some pruning, weeding, and planting of colorful bushes. We all really enjoyed the positive feedback from the local residents and spending time together out in the community.

GMU Externship Day at CJM

Brian Jones hosted a group of students from George Mason University’s Financial Planning & Wealth Management department. Brian has served on their Advisory Board since its inception and works with the financial planning community to promote the degree program, recruit, and outreach to the student body, as well as accreditation.  As part of the Financial

Planning & Wealth Management Externship Experience, the students got to spend time at CJM and learn more about the inner workings of a wealth management firm.

PINK DAYS!

This year CJM had several Pink Days in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. CJM has 4 breast cancer survivors, several of whom also fundraise to support the cause and bring awareness and outreach to their communities. We are stronger together!

2020 has thrown us a curve ball like we have never seen before.  Thankfully, at CJM, we were able to adjust and accommodate to be able to provide a safe work environment for our employees and a seamless, continued level of excellence in the service of our clients. We focused on teamwork, synergy and communication in order to transcend what was going on in the world. We appreciate the flexibility of our client family as we faced the new normal of the “Zoom” meeting and the challenges of working remotely.

Usually at this time of year, we send this letter as an annual recap of the CJM events, volunteering efforts, fun times in the office, and personal photos (everyone’s favorite). There have been many sacrifices this year, including the personal time spent together, so we were left with very few pictures to share of the team. Rather than sacrifice all of the pictures, we simply included personal photos of our team and families.

Although our plans for client and volunteer events had to be postponed, we were still able to donate to several organizations that focused on caring for those most affected by the pandemic.

• Feeding America
• Salvation Army
• American Red Cross
• Lamb Center
• NVFS
• Justice for Vets

We cherish the memories made with our work family and the extensive quality time with our home families too!

2018 was another successful year of giving back to our community.  We again collaborated with Northern Virginia Family Services (NVFS), participating in two out-of-office community service days and holding an in-office holiday toy drive.

Despite the record rain and a postponement from the spring, our patience was rewarded with a sunny fall day to hold a field day for three to five year olds at NVFS’s Head Start center in Arlington.

Later in the fall, we sorted shelves, cleaned food delivery trucks, repackaged rice and even donated a chest freezer to NVFS’s SERVE campus in Manassas.

 

In December, we held an in-office toy drive to support NVFS’s holiday toy drive and collected two car loads worth of toys.  NVFS was working to provide gifts to over 2,000 children in the Northern Virginia area in 2018.

 

In addition, we continued to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and made monetary donations to Ducks Unlimited, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, American Brain Tumor Association, the CFP Board’s diversity initiative, The Foundation for Financial Planning, and Upcycle among other charitable organizations.

CJM partnered with Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) for our semi-annual Day of Service, this time at their SERVE campus in Manassas, VA.  The SERVE campus houses a variety of programs that help our neighbors receive the immediate assistance they need, such as food and shelter, and develop the potential for future success, including rapid re-housing, health access, and services for children.  CJM focused our efforts on their 8,000-square-foot Hunger Resource Center (HRC) that serves more than 600 families per month, and nearly 9,000 unique individuals per year, with food and essentials. The HRC also houses NVFS’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) outreach and nutritional education programs to ensure families are educated on and able to afford healthy food.

Our efforts ensured the HRC’s freezers were in top shape by cleaning out, organizing and restocking the shelves.  We assembled shelving units for dry goods, stocked and organized shelves in the aisles, and helped the shelter divide their bulk donations into family-sized portions. We were so moved by the amazing things NVFS and SERVE are doing that we also donated 21 turkeys (372lbs worth) for the Thanksgiving holiday. Thank you to NVFS for the opportunity to help make a difference!

Earlier this month, we returned to the local Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) Head Start preschool in Arlington, VA for the second year in a row to volunteer for our Day of Service.  NVFS ensures everyone, at every life stage, maximizes their potential and fully contributes to a thriving community. They provide the essential building blocks for social, emotional and physical well-being, serving as leaders and innovators for the Northern Virginia community.  Head Start promotes school readiness in low-income children ages 3 to 5, who may otherwise find themselves behind their peers in kindergarten. The program enhances the social and cognitive development of children through educational, health, nutritional, social and other services.

At NVFS, about 65% of their clients live below the poverty line.  That means a family of four lives on less than $25,000 per year in the Arlington area.  Our time is spent interacting with the children to reinforce the messages they are being taught in the classroom such as safety, consideration for others, and that people truly care about them.  Hopefully, our donations of time and school supplies will reinforce this message long after we left.

Our day was filled with smiles, laughter, and squeals of joy as we tried to corral about 200 children between the ages of three to five for a little over two hours.   The sunny day was perfect for the various events on the school playground:  bubbles galore, coloring zone, bead necklace craft stations and an obstacle course.  Needless to say, the kids had a ball…even the big kids who work at CJM!