Summer Time is Here

Summer Time is Here
Risk Management by Sean Storck

Summer will always have a hold on my imagination. I am closing in on 20 summers since I left childhood behind, but I still hold dear the long days of pickup baseball games, fireflies, thunderstorms and mischief. Today, June 21st, is the official start to Summer 2017 and I want to highlight two of the most significant summer rituals in the Storck Household: Baseball and Sunscreen

We love baseball. Passionately. Cracking peanuts and stepping on the shells. Singing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”. Eating hot dogs and cheering with the crowd. The 2016 baseball season brought a World Series win to the team I have loved since my childhood years spent watching Maddux, Ryno, Dawson, Dunston and Grace. The Cubs managed to lose for 108 years and they are losing again this year, but for one glorious season it all came together.

Nowadays, Susan and I head to Petco Park with four kids in tow to watch the Padres and partake in our favorite family date-night activity. We make the kids wait until at least the 6th inning before getting Mister Softee in hopes they will make it through 9. From the Padres Hall-of-Fame to the Park-in-the-Park to the replica USS Midway to the Western Metal Supply Building there is a lot to see and do. The team on the field is only so-so, but we will not be deterred from cheering on Will Myers and the rest of the gang. We love it.

Sunscreen we hate. Passionately. The slimy slathering of 6 pasty pale people with sunscreen in order to survive the UV onslaught of a day game is a real pain. Kids hate it. Parents hate it. But we hate sunburns more. For 12 years now we have been treating the sunscreen process like an assembly line. Arms then legs then shoulders/back and so on and so forth. We have the application of sunscreen down to a science.

The process of finding the right sunscreen, however, is anything but science. This brings me to sharing with you a link to the results of a Consumer Reports study on the best sunscreen brands.

There are expensive options and there are cheap options. What I am most happy about is that the brand we have found works best for us is on the list: Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50.

From our family to yours, get out there and relish the summer. We hope to see you at a game. If you forget your sunscreen, don’t worry, we have you covered.

Your Truly,

Disclosure

This material is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. There is no assurance the views or strategies discussed are suitable for all investors or will yield positive outcomes. Investing involves risks including possible loss of principal. Any company names noted herein are for educational purposes only.

All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. All economic and performance data is historical and not indicative of future results. Market indices discussed are unmanaged. Investors cannot invest in unmanaged indices. Additional risks are associated with international investing, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic instability and differences in accounting standards.

Investing in securities in emerging markets involves special risks due to specific factors such as increased volatility, currency fluctuations and differences in auditing and other financial standards. Securities in emerging markets are volatile and can decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments.

An index is a statistical measure of change in an economy or a securities market. In the case of financial markets, an index is an imaginary portfolio of securities representing a particular market or a portion of it. Each index has its own calculation methodology and is usually expressed in terms of a change from a base value. Thus, the percentage change is more important than the actual numeric value. An investment cannot be made directly into an index.

Investing in fixed income securities involves credit and interest rate risk. When interest rates rise, bond prices generally fall. Investing in commodities may involve greater volatility and is not suitable for all investors. Investing in a non-diversified fund that concentrates holdings into fewer securities or industries involves greater risk than investing in a more diversified fund. The equity securities of small companies may not be traded as often as equity securities of large companies so they may be difficult or impossible to sell. Neither diversification nor asset allocation assure a profit or protect against a loss in declining markets. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.

Financial Planning offered through Reason Financial, a state Registered Investment Advisor. Investment advice offered through Merit Financial Group, LLC an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Merit Financial Group and Reason Financial are separate entities. Tax related services offered through Reason Tax Group. Reason Tax Group is a separate legal entity and not affiliated with Merit Financial Group, LLC. Sean P. Storck CA Insurance Lic#OF25995 and Steven W. Pollock CA Insurance Lic#OE98073

Summer Time is Here