See You In September!
We’re kicking off summer with a rare alignment of the planets this week that’ll be worth viewing if you get up early. Five planets—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn—have lined up for the first time since 2004. If you get up before dawn, you’ll be able to see them in the morning sky through the end of June.
I’m not going to blame the planets, but something is in the air. It’s no doubt going to be an interesting summer, with world events heating up, inflation sky-high, cryptocurrency markets going crazy, airports cancelling flights, and plenty of other reasons to take a vacation from the headlines.
Instead of overdosing on cable news, get out this summer and enjoy yourself! Head to the beach and soak up the sun. Go for a hike, if that’s your thing, or visit someplace new (without undue time in an airport, hopefully). If you’re in New York City, take in a Broadway show, go to a great restaurant (there are hundreds to choose from!), take a walk in Central Park, or catch a summer movie. Even when life is unpredictable, it’s always possible to seize the moment. There’s no time like the present.
Americans are notorious for not taking their vacation time, but I hope that everyone on our team at Marcum will make the most of their available PTO in the weeks to come. It’s easy to underestimate the stress of the past couple of years, but it’s very real, and the only antidote is to find ways to recharge—on a regular basis.
July 4 is just around the corner. It’s not just the perfect time to break out the barbecue but, much more importantly, a reminder of the freedoms we are lucky to enjoy as Americans in a world where it is estimated that less than 20% of the world’s population now lives in a free country.
We have a lot of work to do. The growing focus on diversity, equity and inclusion by the business community is a step in the right direction.
Diversity, equity and inclusion are not just buzzwords at Marcum. We believe that achieving representation of diverse talents at all levels of our Firm is essential to our success and the right thing to do.
June has been a big month for our DEI associate resource groups. Our PRIDE ARG has been especially busy, with a full calendar of activities for PRIDE Month—including a new installment in our Courageous Conversations series, featuring a panel of Marcum associates who shared their personal perspectives on inclusive hiring and retention best practices for the LGBTQ+ community. Not to mention a literal rainbow of Pride merchandise in the Marcum store. Next week, our Pride ARG and Black ARG are co-presenting a virtual music and dance party and trivia contest to celebrate both PRIDE Month and Juneteenth. Sounds like a fun way to wrap up before summer vacation season commences.
As is our custom, this column will be on hiatus for July and August. One of the upsides of WFH is that it will allow me to spend as much time as possible with Tracy and our kids on Long Island, in between traveling among our ever-expanding list of offices. I hope you all have a great summer! We’ll be back in September.
