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Alba Huerta

july + august 2022 Send comments, thoughts or ideas to intownmagazine@gmail.com

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14

ON THE COVER Alba Huerta, owner of Julep bar

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24

8 12 14-16

18-21

24-25

PUBLISHER’S LETTER ARTS & EVENTS HOUSTON BAR WINS JAMES BEARD AWARD

DESIGNING DURING THE PANDEMIC

26-27

THE BUZZ

28-29

FINANCIAL FOCUS

COSMIC SEX & UFOS

PRODUCTION

CONTRIBUTORS

PUBLISHER

M. A. Haines EDITOR

Lisa June

bestofheights.com

Lindsay Mowad William Hanover Marene Gustin Evans Attwell Philip Berquist Minnie Payne Virginia Billeaud Anderson

Web Design CSS Art & Design Layout & Graphic Design CSS Art & Design

For advertising rates and information: 713.525.8607 intownmagazine@gmail.com Space reservation deadline is 15 days prior to publication.

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Intown Magazine is published bi-monthly by SNS Media. Articles are welcome and will be given careful consideration for possible publication. Intown magazine does not assume any responsibility for unsolicited materials. Materials submitted will be returned if accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Box 980757 Houston, TX 77098. You can also e-mail intownmagazine@ gmail.com or call 713.525.8607. Copyright 2022 by Intown magazine. All rights reserved. Content may not be reprinted or reproduced without permission from Intown Magazine.

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Publisher’s Letter

Interdependency

I

n an average election year, just over half of eligible voters go to the polls, and primary races draw far fewer voters. In 2016 many chose not to vote due to the choice of candidates or other reasons. In one fell swoop, there went Roe v. Wade.

In 2020 after many were feeling the effects of Covid and a mounting divisive atmosphere along with three new Supreme Court judges, people went to the polls in record numbers (66% of eligible voters), the highest since 1908. That still leaves out a large swath of voters who sit on the sidelines and don’t exercise the freedom of having their voices heard. Voting is freedom and the ability to shape your society.

Why are people so passionate or don’t care at all? A Pew research paper showed that almost 20% of voters were not interested in the outcome. Of the young people in America that are 18-29, less than half vote. The centrist or “non-partisan” Brookings Institute paper suggests we, like many other countries, including Australia, should make voting compulsory.

I’m sure the sideliners aren’t too happy about gas prices, and many young potential homeowners wonder why interest rates suddenly are making housing less affordable. We must participate in how and who makes decisions affecting our lives. Votes have consequences, as evidenced by the election and appointments of three conservative judges that long-held Roe v. Wade to be unconstitutional when most Americans consider it settled law. Elections had consequences, and this is overflowing evidence.

Far too many people, particularly young Americans, are not participating in elections.

At the state and local levels in Texas, the elections of state legislatures have redrawn redistricting maps, which will affect the outcome of elections for many years to come. Cities and state leaders are now left to sort out these many new laws. Voting has far-reaching results.

8 | HEIGHTS | July + August 2022

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ARTS +

EVENTS

Artupdate houston published every two weeks by houstonintown. Go to website and sign up for newsletter to receive free update.

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FOOD &

HOSPITALITY

Julep Bar Wins Houston’s First Ever National James Beard Award

I

n June, Alba Huerta’s Julep bar in the Heights became the first ever Texas establishment to win a national James Beard Foundation Award when it won the Outstanding Bar Program category. The James Beard Foundation was started in 1986 to honor the memory of James Beard, a prolific food writer and cookbook author in America.

Known as the Oscars of the food world, the annual awards are given in 23 categories, both national and regional. Julep’s award this year was the first national honor for a Texas institution but was followed that same night by Edgar Rico of Austin’s Nixta Taqueria for Emerging Chef.

Quite a feat, but not the only accolade Julep has won, not even for this summer.

14 | HEIGHTS | July + August 2022

By Marene Gustin “Just days before the Beard awards,” says Huerta, “we were named to the 50 Best Bars in North America list. We are the only Texas bar on the list and it’s an international list of bars and restaurants.

It’s really bringing some international travelers here.”

Both Julep and Huerta have won multiple awards, from being named one of the top five bars in the United States

by Bon Appétit in 2015 and one of the twenty-four best bars in America by Esquire in 2017, to Huerta’s selection by Food & Wine as one of ten rising-star female mixologists. And Thrillist named her one of the Best Bartenders in America. And the list goes on.

Huerta came from Mexico with her

family at the age of five and started working in bars before she could legally drink.

“That’s Texas for you,” she says, “You can serve alcohol at 18 but you can’t drink it.”

Huerta, who is a font of bar history in America — she can trace the history of cocktails from the 1800s through Prohibition and then the resurgence of creative craft drinks in the early 2000s.

But she recalls that the bar business was very different when she first started.

“Bartending wasn’t really a career,” she says. “Most people did it to work their way through college, but I loved it and never wanted to leave. It was about the people, about the public space.

“It wasn’t called mixology then it

was just pouring drinks. We didn’t even use real juice in cocktails. It wasn’t until about 2010 that we started making real cocktails. It wasn’t cool back then it wasn’t considered a culinary art.”

In 2011 she joined the then revolutionary bar Anvil Bar and Refuge as general manager and just three short years later she opened her own bar, Julep.

The bar is light and airy, with flowers on the tables and a touch of lace. It has a distinctively Southern feel, much like the seasonal cocktail menu Huerta curates, which includes, of course, a list of the bar’s namesake juleps. If you’re looking for a touch of Southern charm in a comfy atmosphere, this is the place to kick back with a stiff drink and some cold oysters. Since opening in 2014 it’s become a neighborhood icon and a must-visit spot for out of towners.

Besides running a bar —and accepting awards — Huerta is passionate about teaching and spreading her love of mixology. She recently lectured at the Aspen Food & Wine Festival and wrote her first cocktail book, Julep: Southern Cocktails Refashioned, which was also an award winner bringing home an International Association of Culinary Professionals award in the Wine, Beer, and Spirits Category.

But it isn’t just about the awards. In her acceptance speech in Chicago in June for the Beard awards, she expressed her love of her city, saying “thank you to my city of Houston, Texas for loving immigrants. For loving immigrants like me, like my family, welcoming us — and giving us

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the path to opening our own businesses.” Huerta is known for her passion and love of quality wine, spirits and cocktails and bringing her Southern hospitality to both her bar and her profession.

“If we get an accolade,” she says, “that’s beautiful. But we don’t do it for awards, it’s about the creative mindset. The future is making sure the creative spirit is there.

This is a product of love.”

And it’s clear Huerta loves cocktails, and the people who drink them.

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James Beard Foundation History For over 30 years, the James Beard Foundation has served as a steward of great influence within the culinary industry.

While he was alive, James Beard always welcomed students, authors, chefs, and other food and beverage professionals into his home. After his death in 1985, a group of Beard’s friends and colleagues led by cooking school founder Peter Kump heeded a call from Julia Child to do something with Beard’s house. Kump organized a fundraising campaign to purchase the Greenwich Village townhouse from Reed College, Beard’s alma mater which held his estate.

On November 5, 1986, the James Beard Foundation officially opened the James Beard House “to provide a center for the culinary arts and to continue to foster the interest James Beard inspired in all aspects of food, its preparation presentation, and of

course, enjoyment,” according to Calvin Trillin who presided over an opening ceremony that welcomed Jacques Pépin, Judith Jones, Larry Forgione, and other culinary world luminaries who had been touched and inspired by Beard.

Kump, who had founded a theater troupe in a previous career, initially envisioned the Beard House as a performance space for chefs. On February 1, 1987, Kump wrote a thank you note to an influential young chef working in California who was generous enough to cook a dinner at the Beard House to help the new organization raise some money. “Dear Wolf,” Kump wrote to Wolfgang Puck, “When you initially suggested coming out and cooking dinner here it gave us the idea for starting this as a monthly event.

For decades the James Beard House hosted over 200 events annually and in 1990 established the James Beard

Foundation Awards for excellence in the food and beverage and related industries. The first awards were given in 1991. By shining a spotlight on the people behind the food we were learning to appreciate and enjoy, the James Beard Awards preempted the era of the celebrity chef we now take for granted.

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Cosmic Sex

Rice University’s Archives of the Impossible

and UFOs:

By Virginia Billeaud Anderson

O

n December 26, 1985, weird creatures carried Whitley Strieber naked and paralyzed from his upstate New York cabin. He perceived flying above trees, then didn’t know where he was. They “manhandled” him, shoved an object up his butt. It felt like a rape. “What can we do to help you stop screaming?” one entity asked. The following day his “abduction” faded from memory, yet rectal soreness and vivid impressions of a needle being jammed into his head persisted.

Strieber was so freaked-out he nearly jumped from his Manhattan window, but fortunately found abduction researcher Budd Hopkins who assured him others shared his experience. Hopkins encouraged Strieber to explore suppressed memories. With hypnosis, he recalled a lifetime of traumatic events.

What really happened? Research indicated the phenomenon was vastly more complex than abduction by space-traveling aliens.

It manifests in many ways, including fairies and ancient gods.

It’s existed throughout human history, and appears differently to different cultures. Whatever its ultimate reality, science hasn’t yet discovered it.

Strieber published his book “Communion” in 1987. Rice University’s Professor of Philosophy and Religious Thought, Dr. Jeffrey Kripal, called Communion the “finest and most widely read autobiographical abduction account of the twentieth century.”

Letters arrived, over 10,000 a month, from around the world.

Strieber stopped counting at 200,000, but believes by the late90s he’d received nearly 500,000. The phenomenon’s scope was immense. Others had similar encounters. One woman wrote her two year old son recognized the creature on Communion’s cover.

It swiped his toys. Some levitated in the presence of the phenomenon. Strieber did that. Strieber’s wife Anne analyzed many of the letters, no easy task. She observed that encounters often accompany perceptions of dead people. Strieber donated the Communion Letters to Rice University’s Archives of the Impossible.

From 1972 to 1995 the U.S. government ran a secret ESP spying program. Project Stargate’s military and civilian psychics performed psychic espionage or “remote viewing” to detect enemy weapon systems. Nuclear physicist Dr. Edwin C. May joined Stargate in 1976, then served as its director from 1985 to 1995. After 18 | HEIGHTS | July + August 2022

Image on cover of Communion.

Copyright Ted Jacobs 1987

Whitley Strieber donated the Communion Letters to Rice

Stargate was declassified in 1989, May published books and articles about the program’s telepathic spying missions, and his own parapsychological research. Psychic spying uncovered a Russian radar defense system, an Iranian airbase, and a Chinese nuclear airdrop test. Soon, May was downing vodka with former KGB dudes and Russian psychics who told tales of the KGB basing Yeltsin’s travel plans on psychic information. Like Strieber, May deposited his research into Rice’s Archives of the Impossible.

Dr. Jacques Vallée helped Strieber direct his search beyond propulsion and lights in the sky. “Wasteful” speculation. Vallée opened Strieber’s mind to parallel realities. For Vallée, the UFO phenomenon is a hidden part of the natural world. He meticulously traced its many guises back to antiquity and noted affinities with the world’s mythologies and religions. He envisions a form of non-human consciousness beyond time and space that projects symbols. Vallée called the phenomenon “a window toward undiscovered dimensions of our own environment.” Framed against multidimensional reality, the UFO, or apparition of the virgin for that matter, approximates a portal. You probably recall Vallée consulted on Spielberg’s 1977 film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Spielberg based the French scientist who greeted the extraterrestrials on Vallée. Vallée disliked the plot. The meet and greet between humans and ETs he “argued” was a dumbed-down handling of the phenomenon. Spielberg pandered to Hollywood’s expectations regardless.

Vallée kick-started Rice’s Archives of the Impossible. He needed a venue for his valuable collection of research, manuscripts, photos, videos and recordings. It should be available to all who understand the historical, cultural, religious, and scientific implications of the on-going UFO mystery. Jeff Kripal finagled the collection entering Rice’s Woodson Research Center and Department of Religion, then lassoed Strieber’s Communion Letters and May’s Stargate documents. “The intellectual gravity of Vallée, Strieber, and May’s gifts created a kind of black hole effect,” Kripal said.

July + August 2022

| HEIGHTS | 19

Jacques Vallée holding archive material

More donors got sucked in. Rice now hosts an enormous document collection related to the study of paranormal experiences, which includes thousands of firsthand abduction accounts.

Dr. Diana Pasulka is sneaky. She’ll use phrases like “post three-dimension-

al.” Initially you assume intellectual blabber, then realize it’s a killer word for the paradigmatic shift away from a materialist worldview. Scientists are combining empirical investigations with esoteric practices. Pasulka wrote about some. Like the renowned Stanford ge-

neticist and UFO experiencer who analyzes alleged UFO debris, and found isotope ratios unknown in nature. And the space shuttle engineer with biomedical patents who “downloads” technical messages from entities, and studies spirit and consciousness as new frontiers in space travel. I’m reminded here of Dr. John Mack advising MIT physicists who search for intelligent life to underpin their radio wave detection with states of consciousness. “Consciousness may not be limited by the constraints of space/ time that plague the search for extraterrestrial intelligence,” Mack wrote.

As a professor of religious studies, Pasulka explores how human perceptions of supernatural events morph into religions. She traipses over UFO debris sites and translates Vatican accounts of levitating mystics. Others in her field chase luminous orbs. Some grapple with string theory. Pasulka donated to the archive. And lectured at Rice’s Conference of the Impossible, a 4-day scholarly shindig held in March.

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Alien drawing in Archives of the Impossible

Vallée was high priest of the conference. He slammed the government for renaming UFOs UAPs, and scornfully reminded he possesses “material fragments recovered from crash sites.” The phenomenon leaves physical traces. Its objective truth though surely rests in multidimensionality and extended consciousness. Vallée applauded Kripal and Rice’s Humanities department for its visionary grasp of “what the continuing UFO mystery means to our models of reality.”

Nobody flinched when Strieber told the audience Anne communicated less than two hours after she died (2015).

Existence after death is a consistent theme. I re-read four of his books, it’s stupid to fear death. Then Strieber dissected a Communion Letter. An entire family witnessed preposterous things.

All blatantly symbolic. The weirdo that bounced gravity-free across their yard symbolized our cosmic nature. Once we ditch fear. If manifestations are absurd, it’s to annihilate comfy notions about mind, how the universe operates, and our place in the cosmos.

On absurdity, the enigma’s heavy sexual component is totally absurd. Philosophers use the words ontological shock for something so bat-shit crazy it shatters one’s worldview.

In May, a Congressional hearing was held on UFOs. Defense Department bigwigs admitted they were clueless about objects with no discernible means of propulsion maneuvering in ways that defy the laws of physics spooking Navy pilots in protected airspace. Leslie Kean helped instigate the Congressional inquiry. In 2017 she coauthored a game changing “New York Times” series that disclosed the government secretly studied UFOs, videos included. It blew the lid off. A rush of experiencers spoke up.

Congress funded a UFO detection agency. Kean’s conference lecture however wasn’t on UFOs. She lectured instead on life after death. Kean’s considerable investigative skills uncovered physical evidence of post-death survival. She’s not blowing smoke, real proof. https://impossiblearchives.rice.edu/ July + August 2022

| HEIGHTS | 21

How Are Texas Officials Responding

By Michelle Pitcher, Texas Observer This article was originally published by the Texas Observer, a nonprofit investigative news outlet. Sign up for their weekly newsletter, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

A

fter the United States Supreme Court gutted protections for abortion access by reversing Roe v. Wade, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made the state’s position clear: Residents must quash any hope of legal abortion in the state.

“I look forward to defending the prolife laws of Texas and the lives of all unborn children moving forward,” Paxton said in a statement. In celebration of the court decision, Paxton gave all employees in the Office of the Attorney General a half-day off of work, according to an internal email.

“Attorney General Paxton and the entire Executive Leadership Team wish you and your families a safe and enjoy-

able ‘Sanctity of Life’ holiday,” reads the email, signed by First Assistant Attorney General of Texas Brent Webster.

But in the state’s capital, city leaders are already working to decriminalize abortion locally. Immediately after the decision, two Austin City Council members—Jose “Chito” Vela and Vanessa Fuentes—called for a special meeting to push forward a resolution that would recommend city funds not be used to “surveil, catalog, report, or investigate abortion” and would direct the police to make abortion investigations “their lowest priority.” The resolution, known as the Guarding the Right to Abortion Care for Everyone (GRACE) Act, was authored by Council member Chito Vela.

“We want to do everything we can to protect abortion rights,” Vela told the Observer. “I think that the GRACE

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package is designed to use our discretion in a way that hopefully will not come into direct conflict with the state. We’re just doing the best we can given the difficult circumstances.”

The measure has been in the works since the draft opinion of the court’s decision was leaked in May, Vela said. The date of the special meeting has not yet been set, but Vela said city leaders hope to have it within the next 30 days, before the trigger laws take effect. Vela said Austin leaders have been in talks with other cities that may want to pass similar measures, including Denton.

Austin’s measure is co-sponsored by several council members, as well as Mayor Steve Adler.

“It is tragic that women have lost the human right to make their own healthcare choices, including as to abortion,” Adler wrote in a statement. “With this

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to the End of ‘Roe’? opinion, the Supreme Court puts women and so many others at risk and in danger. Austin will, to the best of its ability, do all we can to protect our values and our people.”

Austin’s mayor isn’t the only major city leader entering the fray. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner declared today “a sad day across America,” urging liberal residents to “show up at the ballot box.” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg tweeted that the ruling was “an attack on the health and independence of women, people of color and the disadvantaged. Access to health care, including abortion, is a human right.”

The District Attorney for Travis County, which includes Austin, Jose Garza suggested he will not abide by Texas’s trigger laws, which will make all abortion illegal in Texas in 30 days. “I will not force women into the shadows, especially when they need life-saving medical care. No matter what the law says, I implore you: please, seek medical help if you need it,” he said in a statement. Garza was one of five district attorneys who earlier vowed not to prosecute abortions. District attorneys from Dallas County, Bexar County, Nueces County, and Fort Bend County also made the pledge.

Since this morning’s decision, other district attorneys have made similar statements. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, who oversees the Houston area, didn’t go so far as to say the office would decline to enforce the trigger law but stated, “prosecutors and police have no role in matters between doctors and patients. As in every case, we will evaluate the facts and make decisions on a case-by-case basis.”

Throughout the state, liberal politicians and leaders are trying to shout above the conservative victory cries.

Beto O’Rourke parlayed the news into a campaign plea for his race against “If you care Governor Greg Abbott. ​​ about protecting a woman’s freedom to

make her own decisions about her own body, health care, and future, join this campaign and help us win,” he said in a statement. He also announced that he’d be holding a rally for reproductive rights this Sunday in Austin.

Democratic Attorney General Candidate Rochelle Garza noted in her state-

ment that Texas’s restrictive trigger laws “will disproportionately impact women of color, people living in poverty, and rural communities,” vowing to restore access to abortion in Texas if elected.

In the aftermath of the decision, Abbott referred to Texas as a “pro-life state.”

But liberal leaders suggest to their constituents that there may be a way around the state’s restrictions—a faint glimmer of hope for Texans who need access to abortion.

Giving You Legal Advice That Matters

Range of Services Family Law Civil Litigation Litigation Why Should You Call W. Tyler Moore, PC?

W. Tyler Moore, PC, is connected to his clients, focused on the results, and aggressive with his defense.

• Nearly five decades of experience in family law and civil litigation in the Houston area • Reliable and highly responsive • Aggressive representation

Partner With a Respected Family Lawyer in Houston, TX Here For You When You Need It Most Call (713) 492-0998 or email wtm@wtylermoore.com.

Office: 5005 Woodway Dr #201, Houston Business Hours: Mon – Fri: 8:30am – 5pm | Sat – Sun: Closed Website: https://www.wtylermoore.com July + August 2022

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DESIGN

DESIGN

Designing During The Pandemic

By Adele Cohen Segel

General Contractor, licensed interior designer and founder of Relocate a& Renovate

Outdoor Kitchens

One of my recent projects is designing and constructing an outdoor kitchen and covered patio which has become the new trend in home remodeling.

My client explained the reasons why he wants this outdoor kitchen.

“We have a large family of different ages so we want to enjoy our outside activities together. The children can play in the yard, while the adults are cooking and enjoying each other.”

Other benefits include the fact that it is a safe place to entertain for social distancing, and it expands the living space of the home. It has become so popular that it now adds to the value of the home!

24 | HEIGHTS | July + August 2022

Doors, Doors, & More Doors!

“For homeowners everywhere, quarantine has offered a strange moment of recalculation.” The New York Times.

Changing family and work constellations necessitate changing the current spaces in the home. Our open spaces are no longer serving our lifestyles. Children are attending school from home, parents are working from home, and grandparents are moving in with their families in large numbers.

I have seen this kind of trend a few times over my 30+ years in my remodeling and design-build business. This experience allows me to help realtors, clients and families come up with new housing strategies to work with existing spaces and improve the value of the homes at the same time.

I have been contacted by so many

people the past few months who are confused and paralyzed. I work with families and realtors to review options they never considered and then to create the best action plan so they can make smart decisions in an uncertain time.

Adele can be reached at 713-5823843 or email me at adele@relocateandrenovate.com.

Multi-Generational Buyers

In a Merrill Lynch age survey, seniors are not downsizing at all. Instead they are upsizing their homes to make room for family to visit or move in with them.

With adult children staying home longer and aging parents moving in more families are deciding to combine living spaces.

According to Whirlpool Pro, Darioush winery Napa multi-generational buyersValley are vineyards looking

for space to allow individuals to have a private sector of the home, easy access around the home, and flexibility to adapt to everyone’s changing needs.

Let the children teach grandma the computer while she is teaching cooking to the children.

The Old Murphy Bed is New

Imagine having a room that’s a guest room when you need it, and when you don’t, you can use it as an office or a den. Or having extra storage space in your living room that houses an extra bed for when you need it.

Murphy beds have been around since the 1920s but they are coming into renewed popularity during these times when families are creating new home configurations and family members are moving back in together.

“I wanted to use my extra bedroom as a home office, but I need my mother-in-law to have a place to stay when she visits. My Murphy bed turned out to be the perfect solution!” Lisa H. Call me for a creative Murphy bed solution for your home at 713-582-3843 or email me at adele@ relocatedandrenovate.com.

Celebrating 50 Years in Houston All Price Ranges Quick n Installatio

Making Dreams Come True

The Shoppes At Memorial Villages 1022 Wirt Road, #308 • Houston, TX 77055 713.627.8970 • cabinetsanddesigns.net July + August 2022

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Major Zach, Stick Delaup, Tom Forney

Jeanne Kilroy Wilson, Elise Joseph

Jan Rhodes, Alexis Valentine

Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary Breaks Record with $1,000,000 on Luncheon and After Sale

T

Model, wearing outfit on the invitation Elise Eckert, Lisa Jakel, Sidney Faust, Betty Hrncir, Judi McGee

Maura Montgomery, Maggie Austin

he Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary (SAWA) launched a week of incredible shopping opportunities with their sold-out Luncheon (420 people in attendance.) Runway Show and Chic Boutique Shopping Experience at River Oaks Country Club raising a whopping $1,000,000. The theme for this year’s Reflections on Style 2022 was “The Art of Fashion.”

Leading the helm of this annual fundraising event were Laurel Bashaw and Dodi Willingham. The Chic Boutique Co-Chairs were Maggie Austin and Pam Sengelmann. The Chic Boutique Showroom CoChairs were Sarah Burchfield and Frances Villagomez-Howard and Judy Chong, President of SAWA. During the luncheon esteemed honoree Dorothy Nicholson was recognized for her generous support and longtime service to The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary and her commitment to many other important community organizations.

To prepare for the week’s events the Auxiliary volunteers collected new and gently used clothing and accessories. The donated items were carefully selected and arranged for sale at not only the Chic Boutique at the luncheon but also for sale in the “pop-up” Chic Boutique Showroom.

Laura McWilliams, Gina Saour

Jana Arnoldy

Amanda Gelb, Deborah Dunkum

Carol Sharpe, Lilly Andress

Leslie Devillier

Terry Romano, Darlene Clark, Lisa Jakel Lucy Lewis, Kristy Liedtke

Trish Greaser, Tina Yrshus

Debby Leighton

Anne Duncan, Jenny Elkins, Rose Cullen

Susan Hansen, Cristina Bailey, Betty Hncir, Vicki West

FI ND YOUR NE W HOME I N THE HE IGHTS AT

1202 Archer Street 4 Bed

3 Bath

3,260 Sq Ft.

Elegantly surrounded by Houston Heights neighboring cultures, this beautiful home comes complete with custom mill work, entertainers cocktail bar, chefs kitchen, and home theater system.

SCAN ME!

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

Geron Fuller REALTOR ASSOCIATE C: 210.286.8785 E: geron.fuller@nanproperties.com @gandrealestate

Melissa Perez REALTOR ASSOCIATE C: 832.914.7494 E: melissa.perez@nanproperties.com @melissa_a_perez

Financial

FOCUS

high inflation and rising rates What It Means For You

O

ver the past year, the U.S. has experienced a dramatic increase in prices for food, fuel and many other essentials, with the inflation rate hitting a 41-year high of 8.5 percent in March. In response, the Federal Reserve has been aggressively raising interest rates to cool the economy and will likely make more incremental increases through 2023. To put it mildly, it’s a time of economic instability that has households of every income level worried about their financial footing.

While some families aren’t necessarily panicking about the cost of gas and groceries, many are concerned about the impact of high inflation and rising rates on their investment portfolios, longterm legacies and previously planned big purchases. Preserving capital, mitigating risk and maintaining purchasing power are all top of mind. There is no perfect approach to navigating through an economic storm, so you should work with your advisor to understand the obstacles and prepare to change course, if only temporarily.

28 | HEIGHTS | July + August 2022

more sophisticated maneuvers and strategies. In order to determine which make the most sense for your unique financial situation, consult your financial advisor.

They can help you learn about additional options and work to determine the best strategy with you. Be open to making a change – it just might pay off.

Don’t Neglect Growth While guarding against potential investment losses is prudent, it’s important to balance short-term protective strategies with long-term goals for building wealth. After all, high inflation erodes the purchasing power of funds that arBy Evans Attwell en’t appreciating. Investors need to think Senior Vice President carefully, not only about their own lonFrost Bank gevity and retirement needs, but about the financial legacy they’d like to leave Here are a few thought starters to behind some day. History suggests that, despite inevitable setbacks, the stock further investigate. market remains a reliable generator of Be open to new strategies growth when viewed over the long term.

When it comes to investing throughout the year, keeping it simple is usually PULL THE TRIGGER ON PLANNED PURCHASES As interest rates rise, borrowing mona wise approach. But in turbulent ecoey becomes more expensive. So, it may nomic times, like we’re seeing today, inmake sense to move quickly on major vestors may benefit from some slightly

purchases that require a loan. If you’re already set on buying a beach house, for example, locking in a fixed-rate mortgage this year will likely cost considerably less than six months from now. Alternatively, buying in cash would avoid the concern of paying interest altogether, and with an appreciating asset like real estate, it could prove to be a shrewd investment to offset inflation.

Re-budget for Big Expenses While routine daily expenses may not cause much concern, skyrocketing costs for big-ticket purchases can make a meaningful dent in even the healthiest of nest eggs. Planning an extravagant wedding? Sending a child to an Ivy League school? Dreaming of a bucket list vacation? Be prepared to pay more, perhaps much more, than you originally expected.

Don’t Go it Alone When the economy throws investors a curve ball, the objective advice of an

experienced financial professional becomes more valuable than ever. Reach out to a Frost advisor for help with strategies tailored to your unique goals, risk tolerance and time horizon.

Would you like to talk to a financial professional?

Contact Evans at 713.388.1367 or evans.attwell@frostbank.com.

Investment and insurance products are not FDIC insured, are not bank guaranteed, and may lose value.

Brokerage services offered through Frost Brokerage Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, and investment advisory services offered through Frost Investment Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser. Both companies are subsidiaries of Frost Bank.

Investment management services, financial planning and trust services are offered through Frost Wealth Advisors of Frost Bank.

Additionally, insurance products are offered through Frost Insurance.

Deposit and loan products are offered through Frost Bank, Member FDIC. Frost does not provide legal or tax advice. Please seek legal or tax advice from legal and/or tax professionals.

WE ’RE IN THE PEOPLE BUSINESS. W E J U S T H A P P E N TO B E A B A N K .

Unmatched service. Sound advice. And peace of mind knowing your money is well cared for.

Now, how can we help you today?

Visit us at our River Oaks Financial Center, 2443 Westheimer or call at (713) 388-1059.

MEMBER FDIC

July + August 2022

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MartelAwardFinalists Amber Franco, Donielle Clemons and Lisa Bruton

Keynote Speaker Dr. Marc Brackett

Whitney and Jim Crane

Linda Nunner, Dr. Jackie Smith and Pam Davis

2022 FRIENDS AND FAMILIES LUNCHEON Bestselling author Dr. Marc Brackett delivers thought-provoking speech about supporting children’s emotional development Luncheon raises $180,000 for Museum’s early childhood and parenting programs

Kathy Kim-Gray and Kimberly Atlas Harrington

Liz Scofield and Disney Harris

Chairs Alison Powell and Krystal Thompson

Alison Powell, Keynote Speaker Dr. Marc Brackett and Krystal Thompson

Children’s Museum Houston and chairs Alison Powell and Krystal Thompson raised $180,000 during the 2022 Friends and Families Luncheon at the River Oaks Country Club.

Keynote speaker and best-selling author, Dr. Marc Brackett, shared how developing emotional intelligence in adults and children can help, rather than hinder, success and overall well-being as explained in his latest book, “Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive.” His speech resonated with the more than 200 parents, educators, families, and friends who were touched by his real-life scenarios.

ABC 13 News Anchors Gina Gaston Elie and Samica Knight served as Mistresses of Ceremony.

For more onChildren’s Museum Houston go to www.cmhouston.org | www.childrensdiscoveryfb.org

Jennifer Cope and Jordan Seff

Mona Sarofim, Holly Radom and Katie Arnoldy

Jennie Getten, Natalie Oliver, Gigi Craig and Annie Eifler 22 | HEIGHTS | May + June 2022

Group of Legacy guests

Mistresses of Ceremony Samica Knight and Gina Gaston Elie July + August 2022

| Intown |25

MORE COMMUNITIES. MORE CONNECTED CARE.

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