Advisor Updates
June 2020
An open letter to clients and prospective investors:
As I celebrate the milestone of 30 years in this industry, I can unequivocally say I could not have imagined the circumstances, both economic and social, that we are facing today as I begin decade number four as a financial advisor.
My career has spanned five presidencies, two Gulf Wars, the technology bubble of the late 1990's, and both the worst economic recession of recent generations and the longest bull market in the history of our country. Now we are dealing with the fallout from the Covid-19 virus, including an economy that was shuttered in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. The result was a severe drop in the S&P 500, and indeed relatively all global investment indices as the world navigated what quickly became “the new normal.”
However, I am certainly not providing anything of value by simply stating what happened. We all know what happened and are adapting the ways we live and work and worship accordingly.
Where do we go from here? I have always been an advocate for the resiliency of the people and of the economy of the United States. We have faced incredible challenges economically and socially and have always managed to better ourselves as a whole. During my first month as a financial adviser, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 2999.75, an all time high. As I write this, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is approximately 26,000, a gain of over 700% over 30 years as it currently trades. Time, in contradiction to the famous quote, does not heal all wounds. However, it is a great asset to you as an investor.
I firmly believe that at some point in the future the issues that are raw and real today will be in our collective rear-view mirrors, and I hope we learn beneficial lessons from them. New technologies, medicines, products and services will be available to us and many of the companies that currently are a part of our daily lives will continue to comfort and sustain us for decades to come.
If you have a financial plan in place, stick to it. If you don't have a plan, let's create one. These last several months have been incredibly difficult to navigate for so many aspects of our lives. We will not heal quickly, but I absolutely believe that indeed we will heal.
I hope that all of you and your families are safe and healthy, and I am eager to resume personal visits and office appointments as soon as it is safe and advisable to do so.
Sincerely,