IN THE KNOW
Monthly Newsletter
September 2020
At ML&R Wealth Management, we want to ensure our clients are In The Know.

In this month's newsletter we have an article that discusses portfolio performance and its relationship to an election year. We are continuing our employee spotlight and introducing you to one of our advisor associates. We are also sharing helpful COVID-19 resources from our parent company, Maxwell, Locke & Ritter, and relevant investment articles and videos from Dimensional. And finally, we want to share with you resources for Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.

We are a firm that understands that managing your assets is about more than money. It is about empowering your future. At ML&R Wealth Management, we focus on you.

As if 2020 hasn’t been crazy enough, the election that is right around the corner might as well be the icing on the cake. Every four years, we have the opportunity to express our right to vote. Like clockwork, every four years, leading up to the election, no matter the party affiliation, the media deploys fear-mongering marketing techniques that inevitably impact the perception of the American people in an attempt to persuade us in one way or another. After all, persuasion wins elections. No matter the topic at hand, it is very common for people to develop a vision in their minds of what the impact on our society and financial system will be, based on who gets elected into office. As it relates to the stock market, while we do not discount the value system of each voter, and putting the party affiliations aside, the data tells us that it really doesn’t matter who gets elected or which administration takes over. The performance shows no pattern based on who is in office. How the stock market has behaved with each new president has more to do with luck, or in a couple of cases, unlucky timing than the actual president himself.


Employee Spotlight

We are excited to spotlight Rachel Roth! Below are some fun facts to help you get to know her better!

Works with Advisor: Vanessa McElwrath

Birthday: March 9

Tell us about your family: My Partner's name is Blake, he's an engineer at Apple. We have a 14 year old daughter together, Madelyn. We have a blended family with his two older daughters, Natalie who is 22 and Loris who is 19. I'm grateful to have been a part of their lives for the past 18 years. Kipper, (also a girl, poor dad) is our Yorkie puppy.

Favorite Restaurant? Ohhh this is a hard one, it depends on the type of food. I love Valentina's for BBQ, La Traviatta for Italian, Curra's for Mexican, and my favorite splurge place is Second Bar+Kitchen.

What's your secret talent? I love to bake and decorate elaborate cakes. I’ve made hundreds of them from a replica Thomas the Train cake to a 5 tiered wedding cake. I also love plants and flowers. I can name just about every flower you see growing in central Texas.

What is your favorite way to spend the weekend? In the summer, you'll find me at the lake most weekends. Fall and Spring I like to visit local wineries and distilleries with friends.

What was your dream job as a kid? A Pop Star. My parents bought me a swing set for Christmas one year. I would go outside after dark and beg my mom to turn on the flood lights in the backyard and position it at the swing set where I would sing my little heart out pretending to be on stage in front of a huge audience. Did I mention I have zero singing ability? Our poor neighbors.

What is your favorite part of working at ML&R? My favorite part of working at ML&R is the culture. Support from the top is phenomenal. Employees are like family. Clients are seen as people, not profit.

Financial Wellness Q&A
In this section we will address common personal finance questions. Email wealth@mlrpc.com if you have a question you would like answered.

Question: What if my investment time horizon is on the shorter end because I am within 5 to 10 years from retirement or currently in retirement? Should I be more concerned about short term market volatility as a possible result of the election?

Answer: Your portfolio allocation should be reflective of your investment time horizon and overall risk tolerance. The closer you are to retirement or if you are in retirement, the less equity exposure you should have. With less equity exposure, in theory, your portfolio should suffer less of an impact due to short term market volatility. If we look at the market downturn earlier this year, from the beginning of January through the end of March (the bottom of the downturn), a portfolio with a 100% allocation to stocks suffered an unrealized loss of 30% whereas a portfolio with an allocation of 50% stocks and 50% bonds only suffered an unrealized loss of 16%. When talking about market returns, the media tends to only focus on stocks, which can cause undue panic when you are only focused on returns from that perspective rather than looking at your overall portfolio mix.
Recent Accolades

ML&R Wealth Management Partner, Stuart Vick Smith was recently named Mentor of the Year by Austin Under 40.

The Young Women's Alliance again partnered with the Young Men's Business League to host the Austin Under 40 awards. There were over 1300 nominations for the 17 categories including: Austinite Of The Year, Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Arts And Entertainment, Civic, Government And Public Affairs, Culinary Arts, Events And Hospitality, Energy, Mobility And Transportation, Financial And Insurance Services, Innovation And Startup, Journalism, Marketing And Public Relations, Legal, Medicine And Health Care, Mentor Of The Year, Non-Profit, Real Estate, Sports, Wellness And Fitness, Technology, Youth And Education. With over 200 judges weighing in they determined the winners based on their leadership achievements and community service efforts.

Vanessa McElwrath, ML&R Wealth Management Partner was named a finalist for the Financial and Insurance Services category.

Disclaimer: Third-party rankings and recognition from ratings services are no guarantee of future investment success. Working with a highly-rated adviser does not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. Ratings should not be considered an endorsement for the adviser by any client nor are they representative of any one client’s evaluation. Generally, rankings are based on information prepared and submitted by the adviser, or the amount of assets under management by the adviser. Please refer to the more thorough disclosure and additional information about the criteria used in making these rankings via the website of the publication and/or organization granting such recognition located HERE.

ML&R Wealth Management has recently been named to the 2020 Financial Times Top 300 Top Registered Investment Adviser List. The formula FT uses to compare advisers was based on six factors and considered AUM, asset growth, the company’s age, industry certifications of key employees, SEC compliance record and online accessibility.

Click here to learn more about the methodology.

Disclaimer: Third-party rankings and recognition from ratings services are no guarantee of future investment success. Working with a highly-rated adviser does not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. Ratings should not be considered an endorsement for the adviser by any client nor are they representative of any one client’s evaluation. Generally, rankings are based on information prepared and submitted by the adviser, or the amount of assets under management by the adviser. Please refer to the more thorough disclosure and additional information about the criteria used in making these rankings via the website of the publication and/or organization granting such recognition located HERE.



ML&R Wealth Management has recently been ranked #295 in FA’s 2020 Annual Registered Investment Adviser Ranking.

Methodology: To be eligible for our annual RIA rankings, firms must be registered investment advisors and provide financial planning and related services to individual clients. Firms with at least $500 million in assets under management will be included in our national ranking that will be published in the August 2020 issue of Financial Advisor magazine. Firms with less than $500 million in assets will be published in an online national ranking on FA’s Web site, www.fa-mag.com.

Disclaimer: Third-party rankings and recognition from ratings services are no guarantee of future investment success. Working with a highly-rated adviser does not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. Ratings should not be considered an endorsement for the adviser by any client nor are they representative of any one client’s evaluation. Generally, rankings are based on information prepared and submitted by the adviser, or the amount of assets under management by the adviser. Please refer to the more thorough disclosure and additional information about the criteria used in making these rankings via the website of the publication and/or organization granting such recognition located HERE.

As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread in the U.S. and across the world, our priority at Maxwell Locke & Ritter is the safety and well-being of our people, clients, families, and community. We are monitoring daily updates and recommendations from the CDC. Additionally, we are minimizing the impact that COVID-19 could have on our services and are staying abreast of all filing deadline adjustments. We understand that in this time of uncertainty you may have growing concerns for the financial health of yourselves and your businesses, employees and families. We have curated some helpful resources for you and will continue to update this page as new information and updates occur.

By Weston Wellington, Dimensional Vice President

I have been sheltering in place on a former dairy farm in rural New Hampshire—surrounded by more Scotch Highland cattle than people—and relying on my iPhone and Microsoft Surface Pro to keep in touch with the office via email and Zoom video. I haven’t sat in a restaurant in six months, so my dining out costs are close to zero while my grocery bill is sharply higher. I venture out every 10 days or so to stock up on supplies (Hannaford supermarket, Walmart, Tractor Supply, Home Depot) and order frequently online. Judging by the traffic on my dead-end dirt road, I’m not the only one whose habits have changed. It’s only a small exaggeration to say every third vehicle going up or down the hill is a FedEx or UPS truck making another delivery, most likely from Amazon.


Crisis brings out the best — and worst — in people. Some dishonest people have already turned the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to their advantage by preying on unsuspecting victims and exploiting their fears.
“History has shown that criminals take every opportunity to perpetrate a fraud on unsuspecting victims, especially when a group of people is vulnerable or in a state of need,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Chief Don Fort.
Here’s an overview of six COVID-19-related scams and practical advice on how to avoid them.

1. Fake Charities
When a catastrophe like COVID-19 strikes, philanthropists flock to donate cash and other assets to help relieve the suffering. But, before making a donation, be aware that opportunistic scammers may set up fake charities to benefit from your generosity.

Fake charities often use names that are similar to legitimate charitable organizations. So, be sure to do your homework before making a contribution. Donors aren’t the only victims to these scams — those in need also lose out.

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Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) is observed annually from September 15 to October 15. It is a month-long celebration of the history, culture, and achievements of Americans of Hispanic and Latino heritage. We invite you to celebrate with us in one of the following ways:
 
  • Watch a movie rooted in Hispanic heritage, such as Frida or Coco
  • Shop the Mexic-Arte Museum online store for gifts, books, and even masks
  • Order take-out from one of the many Austin restaurants offering Latin American cuisine
  • Donate to a local organization committed to the advancement of Hispanic-Americans, such as Avance or Latinitas
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About ML&R Wealth Management:
At ML&R Wealth Management, we take investing personally. Your ML&R Wealth Management advisor will work to develop a lasting relationship with you, keeping in touch to understand your changing goals and to provide an asset management strategy to help achieve them. Whenever you need sound financial advice, you have a direct line to a trusted advisor.

For over 20 years, we have served individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits with wealth management services, custom retirement and 401(k) plans, and portfolio management.

We believe in accountability and transparency and operate as a fee-only advisor with fees calculated solely on assets under management.
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