Another year in the books! While our world hasn’t returned to the pre-pandemic normal that many of us long for, we’re all adjusting to the “new normal” as best we can. Thankfully, our Alterra team has been able to get some of our favorite moments back, including in-person meetings and the privilege of hosting many of you in our office for the first time in more than a year!
Alterra back in person!
Though we maintained a balance of office and remote work, Mondays became our in-person team coordination day. Starting this summer, we also managed a few fun team events.
We enjoyed an afternoon at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery.
We battled it out at Dave & Buster’s.
Held a fierce miniature golf competition at Flatstick Pub.
Capped the year with a holiday party filled with good food and wine…and more than a few games!
We’re grateful for technology that allows us to stay connected with you and each other but we quickly realized that nothing can replace being together in one location.
Giving back
For the past few years, we’ve supported local charities, including Olive Crest, Not Abandoned, and Hopelink. This year, however, we were so glad to volunteer at a few in-person events, such as a foster family picnic and gift-wrapping contest.
Welcoming Craig!
We continued growing this year as we welcomed Craig Hamilton to the Alterra family. Craig is a strategic advisor to the Alterra team, bringing more than 30 years of experience as an investor, advisor, counselor, coach, and advocate! We’re exceedingly grateful for him and his desire to serve the team and our clients!
Wins and milestones in the lives of the Alterra team
In addition to growth as a firm, each of us has celebrated personal and professional growth individually. Here are a few highlights from each of us on the team.
- Amber – Learned new routines to help my growing family, stayed dedicated to my Peloton rides and yoga breaks, to keep physically and mentally healthy, led our “Random Acts of Kindness” effort to bring an extra bit of cheer this year, and got better at asking for help when things get extra busy…not always easy!
- Craig – Helped several friends discover the work we’re doing at Alterra, wrote 5 articles for the Alterra Insights blog, including lessons I’ve learned from investing for 50 years, and recovered from a hip replacement surgery. Feeling young again!
- Grant – Celebrated my 40th birthday with a trip to Charleston, SC, made Forbes’ list of top 250 financial professionals, and (thanks to my wife) got to try off-road rally racing, a lifelong bucket list item!
- Joseph – Completed the entire 6-course CFP curriculum and will take the final exam in March 2022, improved my creative financial planning skills particularly for complex estate tax reduction strategies, traveled to Bandon Dunes, Columbus, and Palm Springs, and moved into a new home!
- Josh – Enjoyed a trip to beautiful Banff, Canada this winter with the Whelan fam, helped our team write 40 original articles this year, applied new strategies to help our highest income clients reduce income taxes and reach their goals faster, and refined my “workout alone in my garage without going crazy” routine…and enjoyed it!
- Laura – Celebrated 2 years at Alterra, led big improvements in our new account set up process to streamline results for our clients, and visited Disneyland – and the new Star Wars ride – twice, my new personal record!
- Mallory – Took our first family vacation to the Oregon coast, deepened my knowledge in strategies to protect our clients from risk, and supported our “Random Acts of Kindness” efforts alongside Amber and Nikki!
- Nikki – Completed my very first Ragnar Relay, a 200 mile, 24 hour, 12 person relay race, started a new fitness chapter at Grey Coast CrossFit, completed some major home improvements, and overcame the pandemic-related travel challenges and finally got back to Hawaii!
- Ryan – Survived my first pandemic-with-a-toddler year, spent more time hiking and trail running, my go-to activities to recharge, attended professional development conferences to add to Alterra’s stable of advanced planning strategies and spent lots of time reading for personal growth.
- Zach – Helped clients give more to causes they care about, including the single biggest gift we’ve ever been part of, collaborated with another advisory firm to share our unique knowledge, and took my first ever full week vacation without checking email…not once!
Our favorite books
As part of our holiday festivities, each of us received a Kindle and a few book recommendations straight from each Alterra team member. We enjoyed hearing why these books made each person’s list and thought we’d share them with you!
- Amber – French Children Don’t Throw Food by Pamela Druckerman, The Absorbent Mind by Marie Montessori, Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottlieb
- Craig – The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews, The Mister Rogers Effect by Anita Knight Kuhnley, Mercy by David Balducci
- Grant – Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- Nikki – Mindset by Carol Dweck, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, Untamed by Glennon Doyle
- Joseph – Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins, 10% Happier by Dan Harris, CFP Study Curriculum from The American College
- Josh – The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt, The Reason for God by Timothy Keller, The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
- Mallory – The Boys In the Boat by Daniel James Brown, Rising Strong by Brené Brown, The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist
- Ryan – How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber, The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck, The Four Agreements by Don McGill Ruiz
- Zach – Fortitude by Dan Crenshaw, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer, The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt
With 2021 drawing to a close, we turn our attention to 2022 and how we can continue to learn, grow, and serve you even better! We wish you all the best and a Happy New Year!
The “Alterra” name was coined by joining the Latin roots “alter”, the origin of the word “altruism” with “terra” meaning earth or land. This name reflects the company philosophy of “clients before profits” and providing firmly grounded advice.