By Linda Wisch-Davidsohn
Now that Mother’s Day has officially passed, it makes me wonder why every day isn’t Mother’s Day?
It’s not just the cards, flowers and commercialism of the holiday — but my thought is that those of us who are mothers have earned our “stripes and stretch marks” and it would be nice to be recognized daily, monthly, quarterly or at any time for surviving the boot camp of colic, diaper changes, high fevers, teenage angst, etc.
The job of being a “mom” is never over, and the older one’s children get, the harder the questions become, and we turn to listening instead of answering.
I try very hard to practice “restraint of pen and tongue,” but it is not always easy.
Now I find myself in a “middle-aged” boot camp with a new group of questions from the youngest generation in my family, and the answers come more cautiously and tempered to simply satisfy the curiosity of each of the nine grandchildren.
I may have broken a sweat a couple of times, but I haven’t had any complaints from their parents yet.
Irv Munn recognized as Five Star Wealth Manager
Good wishes to Irving Munn, a Certified Financial Planner™, who has been named as a recipient of the 2014 Five Star Wealth Manager award.
Five Star Professional partnered with Texas Monthly Magazine to find wealth managers who satisfy 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria that are associated with wealth managers who provide quality services to their clients. Fewer than 4 percent of the wealth managers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area were selected. Award winners will appear in the August issue of Texas Monthly Magazine.
Award selection for nominated wealth managers are based on satisfying the following criteria: credentialed as an investment advisory representative, a FINRA-registered representative, a CPA or a licensed attorney, actively employed as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of five years, favorable regulatory and complaint history review, fulfilled their firm review based on internal firm standards, and accepting new clients.
Other criteria considered are one and five-year client retention rate, non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered, number of client households served, and education and professional designations.
This award is bestowed by an independent third party organization not affiliated with Raymond James.
Irv is the president of Munn & Morris Financial Advisors. The firm is comprised of a team of private wealth managers that help high net worth individuals manage and coordinate their financial affairs.
Irv said, “The key to long-term growth is to avoid large losses. Our proprietary investment process incorporates an exit strategy to make the portfolio conservative when there is a strong indication of a significant market downturn. We also deploy tactical modifications designed to improve performance by over-weighting asset classes that are currently outperforming.”
Irv received his undergraduate degree from UCLA and his master’s degree from the University of Texas. He is also a CPA, but recently sold his accounting firm to devote more time to financial planning. He has been a registered representative with Raymond James Financial Services for 16 years.
Munn & Morris Financial Advisors is independent of Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Securities are offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.
Munn & Morris Financial Advisors is located at 14180 Dallas Parkway, Suite 530, Dallas. For further information, contact Irv Munn at 972-692-0909 or imunn@munnmorris.com.
Legacy Preston Hollow cited by national magazine
Kudos to The Legacy Preston Hollow, recently named one of the best nursing homes in the country for 2014, by U.S. News & World Report.
The list is based on a review of community scores determined by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. The three main categories considered are health inspections, nurse staffing and quality measures. Nearly 16,000 nursing homes across the United States were evaluated and only 3,800 made the cut.
JWVA to host annual membership brunch June 1
The ladies of the Jewish War Veterans Auxiliary will host their annual membership drive brunch at the beautiful Belmont Village Senior Living Sunday, June 1, 2014.
The event includes a champagne brunch sponsored by Belmont, entertainment and a door prize. The brunch is by invitation only.
For additional information about the organization or questions regarding membership, please contact Lynn Teitelbaum at 972- 233-8937 for an invitation. The ladies are looking forward to seeing a lot of new faces and expanding their membership.
DJCF annual scholarship reception will be held May 20
The Dallas Jewish Community Foundation 2014-2015-scholarship reception will be at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 20 at Temple Shalom, 6930 Alpha Road in Dallas.
Scholarships, ranging from $500 to $10,000, will be awarded based on financial need, academic merit, involvement in extracurricular activities and community service. Some scholarships are university specific, but most allow study at the college or university of the recipient’s choice.
More than $132,000 in scholarships funds will be awarded and the community is invited to attend.
Please RSVP by May 16 to Natasha Shovar at nshovar@djcf.org or 214-615-9351.
Save the date
*Matthew Kalman, foreign correspondent from Jerusalem, will speak on “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions: Combating the War Against Israel’s Right to Exist,” at the annual meeting of AJC, American Jewish Committee, at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 29. The event will be held at Temple Emanu-El, 8500 Hillcrest Avenue, Dallas.
*On June 1, the Texas Friends of Rabin Medical Center will be hosting its third annual tribute evening at the Winspear Opera House, honoring Ron Haddock, executive chairman of AEI Services, LLC.
Upstander Speaker Series starts tonight, May 15
Award-winning author and journalist Philip Gourevitch is the inaugural speaker at the three-part Upstander Speaker Series presented by The Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance.
The program is part of the organization’s continuing commitment to inspire people to think about the consequences of their choices by remembering and teaching the Holocaust and other genocides.
Gourevitch will speak on Rwandan Genocide, from 6:30- 8 p.m., tonight, May 15 at SMU’s Hughes-Trigg Student Center, 31140 Dyer Street, Dallas. Admission is $10 and free for DHM/CET members and SMU students.
The Upstander Speaker Series, held throughout the year, will feature outstanding speakers who will offer remarkable stories of courage, reconciliation and the power of simple human dignity. While the speakers’ backgrounds, experiences and stories are unique, they all share the message of hope.
Gourevitch is a nationally known journalist and author whose award-winning book, “We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families,” is considered one of the best accounts of the Rwandan genocide and its consequences. In his lecture, Gourevitch will examine how 20 years later, many survivors and perpetrators of the genocide are living peacefully side by side.
The fall lecture will take place in September and feature speaker Dorothy (Dori) Budd, local author of “Tested: How Twelve Wrongly Imprisoned Men Held onto Hope.” Budd is a former child sex crimes prosecutor for the Dallas County District Attorney’s office.
The winter lecture will be in December and feature Harry Wu, director of the Laogai Research Foundation and the author several books including “Bitter Winds,” a memoir of his years of imprisonment in the Chinese labor camps.
More information on the Upstander Speaker Series and details about the individual lectures can be found at www.dallasholocaustmuseum.org.