I am writing this email proactively, as I always like to stay ahead of my clients’ concerns.  And, after 20 years I have developed a decent “gut feel” when a little guidance may be welcomed.  As we look back at September and head into the final quarter of the year we have started to see some volatility in the market picking back up- and this is NEVER fun (unless it’s on the upside only). We just wanted to take a quick moment to check in with all of our clients to be sure they know where we stand.

Many of our clients have expressed concern over the amount of government stimulus that has been paid out over the past 18 months, especially with what looks like (much) more coming down the pipeline. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that plans need changing, but it is also prudent to stop and pause and take a look around at the current state of things to make sure you are well positioned to close the year out.

• How are you doing? Are you able to ignore the news and market tickers or is it causing you to lose sleep? Good if you said “ignore”. 😊
• If you are seasoned to the market’s volatility, and not losing sleep, stay the course and don’t fall victim to fear which is dangerous
• It is normal to feel that a change needs to be made when volatility picks up in the market, but often the right move to make is to stay the course as it is impossible to time anything.
• On average at some point throughout the calendar year there is a 15% pullback. To date, the largest pullback we have seen is 5%. Remember, pullbacks are normal and help to keep the market healthy.
• Do you realize that your financial plan has cash and bonds built into it, for these types of seasons, so that you don’t have to react to the fear?  If so, your plan is working.  If not, my entire team is here to figure out what tweaks we need to make to get you to that comfort level.
• Did you know…American households are sitting on $20.5 trillion in bank deposits, MMFs and CDs (most yielding close to 0%).  This was up from $14.5 trillion in January 2020  (I’ll just say that in my opinion, cash is always a good thing).

Our entire team is here focused on serving our clients and building financial plans to get through all market cycles. If you are feeling and sense of worry or just need some reassurance on your plan, do not hesitate to reach out to our team – we are here for you and your family!