Thanksgiving has always been a special time for me. It is the the season when life slows down and I get to enjoy my family and friends. It is when I reflect on the year, acknowledging the passage of time. It's when I embrace the ever-changing future. I have been in the financial services industry for 42 years. Our firm has become one of the larger LPL Financial offices in the nation. The financial services industry is maturing and refining. Change and transition are constant and uncontrollable. In these times when everything seems to be out of our control, we at LFA continue to work diligently to refine what we can control; our service and accountability. That is our mission.

2022 has been a particularly challenging year. Inflation is back and the Federal Reserve is responding aggressively raising interest rates. The negative returns for both markets was the third consecutive quarterly decline for stocks and bonds. Of the 187 quarters since 1976, there has never been a three consecutive quarter loss for both stock and bond returns. Expressed in another way, this is the longest period since 1976 that bonds have not played the traditional role in portfolios of offsetting losses in the stock market. While there may be continued volatility in the near-term, staying focused on your long term financial goals is more important then ever.

Earlier this year I turned 65 and I still look at my Medicare card in disbelief! Surely they have me confused with some other older guy! It is said that the two most important birthdays in life are 21 and 65. At 65, I continue to be blessed with good health and lots of energy to continue doing what I love. Having meaningful and trusting relationships with our clients and helping them navigate the path to their financial goals is very fulfilling. So too is leading our talented Lifetime Financial Advisors team. I can honestly say this is the finest group of professionals I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I am so proud of how much trust and respect we have for each other. I often get compliments from our investment partners and our home office about how professional and pleasant everyone is to work with. I continue to look to the future and am preparing our firm to be internally strong and outwardly focused to serve our clients for many years to come.  

In keeping with our 27 year tradition, I am pleased to present our Thanksgiving update highlighting our team of caring people who come to work every day to serve you. I am privileged to lead such a committed and talented team and love every day doing it.

On a personal note, Lou Oberman, my business partner of 18 years passed away in March. Lou lived 91 years and packed so much life into every one of them. He founded our company in 1980. We met in 1987 and formed Lifetime Financial Advisors in 1993. Lou and I built our business one client at a time, slowly and deliberately. We practiced holistic financial planning, assisting our clients in making sound decisions to meet their financial goals. Lou was kind and caring and always had a cheerful and positive attitude. He was a devoted Rotarian and a proud American Marine veteran. Lou was so happy that the firm was advising the grandchildren of the families he originally began serving over 40 years ago. I am grateful for the deep friendship we formed over all these years. He will be missed.

We wish you and your family good health and continued prosperity in the coming year. Thank you for your trust and partnership with us over these many years. For that I am truly grateful. 



Warmest regards,

Steve Van Houten, CFP®

President & CEO, Lifetime Financial Advisors, Inc. 

Transition was the theme of 2022 for Steve and Michele as they experienced empty nest 2.0. With Luke purchasing his own home in February and Avery moving into a home in Del Mar with friends, the Van Houten household is experiencing a new normal. It is all as it should be. As they make plans for their wide open future, Steve and Michele are excited for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and look forward to making 2023 travel plans.

Steve continued his workouts with his trainer Cle that have kept him fit for all his travels visiting clients and attending conferences. Networking and meeting new people is a passion that will keep Steve young at heart hopefully for many years to come. Steve's father Van turned 92 in June and we celebrated his very vibrant and active life with a party at our home. It is wonderful having him in San Diego. Hosting family and friends to celebrate all kinds of events and nothing at all is something the Van Houtens enjoy and look forward to more of in 2023. Michele returned to her beloved Ohio in October enveloped in the gorgeous fall colors and surrounded by her siblings Stephanie, Jay and Jennifer, their families and lots of other family and friends. It was so wonderful to be back together!

2022 has been an excellent year for Avery as she has spent her days making lasting memories with dear friends and family. A notable highlight this year was traveling to Portugal and enjoying Pasteis de Nata and wines from the Douro Valley with her best friend Taylor. Avery aligned to the Wealth and Asset Management Practice this year as a Senior Consultant at EY. She has been enjoying her "bi-coastal" career working remotely from her Del Mar rental and traveling back to Manhattan for client meetings. As she continues to excel in her career, she still very much enjoys escaping into nature at the end of her east coast workday. Avery looks forward to more adventures in the new year.

In August the Van Houtens combined a destination wedding trip of a close family friend with a vacation to Maui and Oahu. It was a time of building memories and spending precious time together with Luke's girlfriend Mariah and Avery's boyfriend Matt. We experienced exciting adventures hiking, snorkeling, swimming, zip lining, eating and laughing. The trip was such a blessing it was hard to return home. This Thanksgiving we thank our God for our family, our friends, our LFA team and for all of you reading this letter.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Field family! I am pleased to report all is well with the Field’s. We have had a few updates and moving parts during 2022, but all of them are in the positive category.

Owen is now 15 and a Sophomore at La Jolla Country Day. He successfully navigated this year’s football season with only “minor” injuries playing center on offense and defensive line/linebacker on defense. Owen takes his studies seriously as well enrolling in several AP classes for the first time and is a member of “Model UN” for Country Day. Always a hard worker, Owen enjoys pushing himself both athletically and academically. He will be getting his driver’s license in May. Wish mom and dad luck!

James turned 13 back in April and is now in eighth grade. He is doing well with his academics and is starting to gain a better appreciation of what is takes to succeed in the classroom. He made a move from soccer to football this fall, playing with the Carlsbad Pop-Warner club where he handles the kicking duties as well as playing fullback and linebacker. James also plays flag football and lacrosse for Country Day. Always on the move and never much downtime is James in a nutshell.

Daniella is now in her 22^nd year at La Jolla Country Day. She is enjoying the change from lead fourth grade teacher to an assistant in first grade. Pouring herself into her passion for teaching, Daniella loves being part of the classroom setting. It also gives her the opportunity to see Owen and James on campus daily. Keeping track of these teenage boys is a full time job in and of itself!

As for me, I am now 16 years into my tenure with LFA.  We have an wonderful work environment with amazing clients. When I’m not engaging in work activities, I do try to occasionally brush up on my golf game. That said, more often than not I find myself on the sideline of a sporting event, watching my boys compete. I feel fortunate and blessed to have a career I love and a tight-knit family life. Here’s to a bright and prosperous future as we get ready to welcome in 2023.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Mathias family! Claudia and I welcomed our son Benjamin Mathias into the world on February 5^th of this year. Benny is 9-months old already and is a happy, healthy boy.

This holiday season we will be baby-on-board road warriors! We are switching holiday destinations from last year, having Thanksgiving in Southern California with Claudia’s family and Christmas in Northern California with mine. We’ve been learning that babies require lots of baby gear when traveling. As such, we made an investment in a rooftop carrier for the Subaru that should pay dividends for years to come!

This year I am most thankful for my wife and son. Claudia is an amazing mother and Benny makes us both so happy and proud. I am constantly reminded of how truly incredible moms are. We owe so much to them.

I would be remiss without sharing how thankful I am for our wonderful clients at LFA. I am honored to work with you, and for the conversations we share together throughout the year.

The best is yet to come!

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am wanting to pause time to reflect and be grateful for all that’s happened in 2022. Ferris Bueller had it right when he said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”. 2022 so far has been action-packed, full of memories, personal growth and laying a foundation for the future. This has been the year of the weddings! My girlfriend Mariah and I have traveled near and far from San Diego to Arizona, Boston and New Jersey to celebrate our good friends’ special days. We’ve even had the honor of standing as a groomsman and bridesmaid on several occasions, which makes for such special memories. In August, we took our first family vacation since 2019, traveling to Hawaii to experience a solid dose of ‘island time’. My mom found an incredible Airbnb on the west side of Oahu, where we spent our time snorkeling with turtles, enjoying family time, eating delicious homemade meals, and taking day trips to hike and even zipline through the North Shore! I even got to spend my birthday in Hawaii making for a memorable start to 29. In other personal news, on Memorial Day, I became a homeowner and moved into a home in Oceanside with two roommates. It’s exciting to put down permanent roots right here in San Diego close to family and friends! I’ve already experienced the joys of homeownership firsthand. Safe to say, I’ll never take functioning appliances and a weed-free yard for granted again.

Mariah and I have grown in our relationship over the past year, progressing through different seasons of life and making many memories along the way. We make for a great team and complement each other well. I thank God for putting her in my life and am excited to watch our future unfold! After calling Boston home for almost nine years, it’s special to be at home in San Diego close to my parents and Avery. I’m thankful for the close bond we share and look forward to quality time together this holiday season. Professionally, our team has made further strides despite the challenges in the market this year. We are fortunate to have deep, long-standing client relationships. It’s been rewarding to get to know you on a deeper level as we build and grow. We will continue to weather the storm together! Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the deep playoff run of our beloved San Diego Padres. I hope we can build upon the season and make it even further next year. Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy holidays from the Ean family in North Texas! This year has been filled with blessings and we are truly grateful for all that 2022 has brought. We were able to travel a bit more this year. In February, we went on our big annual family ski trip to Breckenridge, CO where our boys, Parker and Liam skied with us. It was great to see my sister, cousins, and nephew to celebrate our 10-year run and counting. Over the summer, we took a road trip to Orlando to spend time with Sophon’s sisters, brother and their families. We now can officially say we have driven across the country! 

We have a teenager in the house as Parker is now 13! We are in disbelief, but also in awe as he is turning into one amazing individual. He is tackling his honors classes head on and maintaining his straight A’s. He wrapped up his first year of Texas Football and we are truly proud of his accomplishments and overcoming challenges.

Liam will turn 10 over the Thanksgiving holiday. He is in his first year of Select soccer and he has improved tremendously from last year. Not only has he scored multiples goals, but his defensive has been lights out. He continues to be a curious kid asking about random facts that keep us on our toes.

Last but not least, Abigail (Abby) is 4 going on 21. She is our ‘boss baby’ and princess. She enjoys being outdoors, playing with her dolls and toys, but she is also fearless and rough houses with her brothers. More importantly, we no longer have to travel with a diaper bag as she’s officially potty trained!

This is my 20^th year in this industry and going into my 4^th year at LFA. It has been an incredible journey. It is an honor and privilege to work with amazing clients and be a part of your family. I wish you a festive and memorable Holiday Season!  

Happy Thanksgiving! 2022 was a year of "firsts" for the Beltran twins, Adrian and Lauren. They are now in fourth grade and will be 10 years old in January.

Their first trip to Hawaii was this summer. Rafael and I were married in Maui in 2008 and we haven't been back to Hawaii since then. So we were excited to take them to the Big Island of Hawaii. We visited Akaka Falls, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, swam with the turtles, and did a lot of snorkeling and swimming. The sunsets were amazing and the kids are already asking to go back.

They also visited Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon West for the first time. The scenery was breathtaking. A highlight for them was when they were each in a different state while standing a few feet apart. They stood in the middle of the bridge over the Colorado River where one side is Nevada and the other is Arizona.

Lauren played soccer for the first time this fall. Previously, she participated in gymnastics for fun, so this was her first team sport. She loved the experience of being part of a great team of girls, and the excitement after a well-played game. She said she found her sport!

Adrian is still playing his two favorite sports, baseball and soccer. He loves pitching and is our "southpaw", following in the footsteps of his grandpa and great-grandpa. Although soccer is quickly becoming his favorite and could possibly overtake baseball next year!

I start my 15th year at LFA in January and am excited for what's in store for 2023. It's been a joy watching your families grow and change these past 15 years, too. Enjoy the holidays and the remainder of 2022!

2022 has been a marked improvement over the last few years. It has been wonderful to be able to spend time in person with family and friends. We have enjoyed seeing clients in the office once more too; you make our days so much more complete and happier!

The big news this year is that Michelle graduated from California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo and has since then entered the workforce at Cisco. She is happy with her company, her team, and her role there and comments regularly on how well Cisco treats its employees. She is blessed!

Anabelle is in her second year at Cal Poly and is excelling. She is studying business and loves living off campus with friends.

As for me, I continue to hit the tennis courts whenever I can and enjoy the new national sensation of pickleball as time permits. The love of my friends and family makes my cup runneth over!

I hope you too are finding fun and fulfilling ways to spend your time. From Casa Barnett, we wish you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

2022 was a great year filled with unique experiences. New and innovative restaurants began to open locally, and I was drawn to try their food. The local highlights included the incredible curry at KIIN Thai in the Skydeck, and as always anything from the Yellow Deli. I am very passionate about cooking and trying new food combinations. This came in handy when we had LFA's first annual guacamole contest for Cinco de Mayo. Even though I came in second place, it was a culinary challenge to be innovative with traditional guacamole recipes.

While visiting my siblings in Colorado this year, I found out my sister and brother-in-law are expecting! This is incredibly exciting as I will be an uncle for the first time. I have already started looking into "how to be the coolest uncle", but am confident I have a comfortable lead. My little brother is going into his second year at Colorado State University, and I was able to experience Parents Week again with him. The entire experience was fun, and a lot of his college friends were eager to provide a welcoming environment.

To provide an update from last year’s newsletter, I was successful in reaching new fitness goals and have spent time consolidating those gains so I can keep challenging myself. It is my hope to participate in upcoming events such as the Spartan races, which challenges your strength and endurance levels extensively. If I accomplish this goal in 2023, I will definitely provide a picture of the event in next years newsletter. 

Happy Thanksgiving to our LFA community!

I’m excited for this to be my inaugural entry in the newsletter! Many things have changed in my life this year, both personally and professionally. I’ve had the pleasure of joining the LFA family back in March and have been able to work with amazing people that are so talented and loving. I’ve learned so much in my role here and am excited to keep working with our wonderful clients.

Family is very important for me. I make sure to spend time with my family every week. I have a little sister who turned eleven this year and it has been a happy journey watching her grow up. Seeing her finish elementary school and start middle school has been one of the highlights of my year. I still remember the day I took her to kindergarten. Now she is a beautiful girl who is as tall as I am and growing into a strong, smart young lady. I’m glad that she’s eager to learn and found an interest in playing basketball. There’s finally something to pull her off of the phone and out into some fresh air.

Out of the many changes this year, the most exciting one is that I got engaged! Brian and I have been dating for almost two years now and he is one of the most kind, loving people that I know. I am very excited to see where life is taking us and can’t wait to spend more time with him. Another exciting change (it came this close to being the most exciting one) was that Brian and I adopted a kitty! His name is Anju and he’s a seven month old ball of pure energy. If anyone has any tips on how to stop a kitty from having the most energy at exactly 5am every morning it’d be greatly appreciated.

Happy Thanksgiving!

As we wrap 2022, it’s a great time to reflect and appreciate the great year we have had. Learning to raise children as they become adults has been an amazing experience. My husband and I are so grateful for every minute we get with our children and now cherish the special friendship we have been able to establish with them. From small trips to dinners out or just sitting around the kitchen counter chatting about all their new life experiences, we are thankful for it all.

Grant is working on his second year of college and is working part time. Lexie is closing her high school chapter while planning her next four years in college. Spencer and I have enjoyed a great year working on our home, traveling and spending time with family and friends. We are all looking forward to a great 2023!

Season’s Greetings! I hope that everyone has had a wonderful year thus far and that this Thanksgiving is full of happiness for you and your loved ones.

Time has flown by at an electric pace since moving to San Diego and there has been so much to be thankful for this year. There have been so many fond memories made with family and friends but chief amongst them has been my engagement to my beautiful fiancé, Katie, who has continued to shine in her Ph.D. program and inspire me with her tireless passion. Furthermore, I am truly blessed to have completed my MBA in Finance from Pepperdine and to continue my professional career with the outstanding and inspiring members of the team at LFA.

I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season! 

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results. All indices are unmanaged and may not be invested into directly. The economic forecasts set forth in this material may not develop as predicted and there can be no guarantee that strategies promoted will be successful.



The financial advisors at Lifetime Financial Advisors are registered representatives with, and securities are offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Financial Planning offered through Lifetime Financial Advisors, Inc., a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial. 11/22 #388258