Happy New Year, new decade and new beginning! I hope this year and decade bring you and your loved ones a lot of fun and happiness.
Last year at this time we had just come out of a very negative December and my newsletter mentioned to expect more volatility. I am here to say I was wrong. The VIX, which is a number that gauges the volatility in the market dropped a whopping 46% over the past year. Many financial professionals, myself included, would have offered an audible eye roll if told that the S&P 500 would rise 31.49%.
The US economy appears strong, with employment high and interest rates low. While manufacturing is softer, it also represents a lot smaller portion of our economy today than it did even a decade ago. Challenges for 2020 that we are considering are the trade war with China, conflict with Iran, a contentious political environment and election headlines that will likely impact the market. For clients, challenges during election years tend to be heightened optimism or pessimism associated with the election. We are here to dampen either of those outlooks and help you make informed decisions with your financial life.
On the Personal Side:
With the end of the calendar decade coinciding with an end of my 30’s, it is a moment of reflection. Ten years ago, I lived in my first house with Evan and Lila and our economy was at the beginning of climbing out from a March 6, 2009 low in the Dow of 6469.95, after losing over 54% of its value. This was also the beginning of the current bull market we are experiencing. I could barely make my mortgage some months and I was working to pay off the last of my credit card debt from college.
I look to the next ten years with a calmer, more confident and peaceful determination about me. A little more age and a little deeper faith will do that to a person. Over the next ten years, I will see one child enter college and have another on the cusp. I will likely experience dating through the eyes of a father and my hair will likely thin a bit through that experience.
I guess most importantly, what will you and your loved ones be looking at 10 years from now? What can we do today to ensure you are prepared for that and beyond?
These last three months have been a lot of fun. Sometimes I feel like my wife would be qualified to run the air traffic control tower in Atlanta with all of the activity she coordinates. She does it all and makes it look so easy. I am a super proud dad of both of my girls as they have made the transition to a new school look easy. Amelia turned 8 with a fun roller-skating party. Lila decided to go through a crazy growth spurt and broke her growth plate in her foot along the way. She made the most of the boot by decorating it regularly for Christmas.
On the Business side:
This past quarter has been consumed with our transition from Summit Brokerage to Cetera Advisor Network. At some points I even became a bit frustrated. I am confident we are at the final stages of the transition and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for our clients. We have been working diligently to learn and incorporate many new systems into our business. An email will go out to clients with further information on a mailing coming in February that may or may not require action. We are also using this opportunity to confirm some of your information so please do take a moment and look it over as we are aware that there have been some instances with incorrect information.
Travel:
How are you enjoying retirement or living life to the fullest? If so, we want your picture in a hat. If you would like a hat, please email Hollie and she will mail one to you. Don’t forget to post a photo online and tag us. We want to travel vicariously through you!
Social Media:
I will be creating two videos per month now that will cover various financial topics and distributing them through social media. I would love your feedback. Let’s connect on LinkedIn or Twitter at @mattloganinc ,or follow my channel on Youtube or find me on Facebook. I will be posting regularly on our blog as well so be sure to check it out from time to time.
Introductions:
A New Year brings a new chance to achieve goals both personally and financially. I want to help you achieve those goals. I also want to help your coworkers, family and friends. This video I recently did can sometimes relieve the fears some people have and explain the process we use to help people.
Online Access:
We have consolidated our online account access through E-money. If you would like to set up an account and do not work with us currently, please email us to set up an account. If you have already set up your account and would like to access your accounts, click here. More often, we are helping facilitate financial communication among generations. If you are concerned about your parents and their financial situation this could be a good solution for you.
The Bus:
Football season was very busy for the bus per usual. On top of that, Christmas and New Year’s were filled with holiday parties, concerts, Christmas lights and more. My favorite trip the bus took was taking it to a UNC football game with the kids.
Featured Blog Post:
This quarter I want to share a video I recently created describing our process for financial planning. Please click here and let me know your thoughts.
First Quarter Outlook:
As we watch our economy head into a new year and the For a more in-depth look, click here for the First Quarter 2020 Outlook.
We continue to feel that through proper financial planning, we can manage your portfolio in the best way to suit you.
Disclosure: The views stated in this piece are not necessarily the opinion of Cetera Advisor Networks LLC and should not be construed directly or indirectly as an offer to buy or sell any securities mentioned herein. Due to volatility within the markets mentioned, opinions are subject to change without notice. Information is based on sources believed to be reliable; however, their accuracy or completeness cannot be guaranteed. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Investors cannot invest directly in indexes. The performance of any index is not indicative of the performance of any investment and does not take into account the effects of inflation and the fees and expenses associated with investing.
The S&P 500 is a capitalization-weighted index of 500 stocks designed to measure performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of 500 stocks representing all major industries.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ.
The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX®) is a key measure of market expectations of near-term volatility conveyed by S&P 500 stock index option prices.
