Insights

1st Quarter 2018 Market Update

1st Quarter Market Update

Happy New Year from the arctic abyss that has been Greensboro, North Carolina over the past few weeks. 

Great news is that many people are finally seeing the US Economy as healthy again.   Unemployment is the lowest it has been since the tech bubble at just 4.1%, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates just slightly once more and the stock market is back in new territory with the Dow and the S&P setting multiple new highs last quarter.  Now that the US Economy is healthy, it is interesting to get some perspective from clients and potential clients.  Do you take all of your money out now and put it under your mattress?  Do you take the money that has been under your mattress and invest it now?  Do you stay the course with a balanced portfolio and adjust slightly?  Well, I have a hard time with the mattress investment plan but maybe the solution is more tailored to the individuals and has noting to do with trying to time the market? 

On the Personal Side:

Christmas 2017 is in the books and proved to be the best ever.  Lila is 8 and Amelia is 6 and the magic ages made for much wonder and fun with Christmas.  Much like the markets performing better despite the mud slinging in Washington, we had a really great Christmas despite the stomach flu making a visit.  Quite frankly, a stomach bug and the resulting time on the couch cuddling with the girls watching A Christmas Story was just about the perfect way to close out the year.  I couldn’t be more proud of them both as they are really excelling in school and growing up all to fast for me.  Amelia started this year going full time to Kindergarten after the ease in first half of the year.  Lila is developing quite a passion for gymnastics and the practice mat tends to make a regular appearance in the den after dinner these days. 

This coming April, our family will head to Boston to watch Evan run the marathon.  I am excited to visit Boston for the first time since I left at 10pm after exams one night with all of my worldly possessions in a small Ryder truck to head back to North Carolina after a semester at Boston University.  Lila, Amelia and I can’t wait to cheer on Evan as she takes on this amazing feat while making it all look so easy.  The girls are both excited to get to fly into “Logan Airport.”  Evan continues to volunteer at the school and operate a music business all while keeping our home operating and even making sure we eat healthy. 

I have been enthralled with my regular new year analysis and planning for the coming year and beyond.  Personally, health and family are more of a priority for me in the coming year. 

On the business side:

Ashlie is recovering from ankle surgery over the holidays and we expect her to return later this week to officially start the year off for our office.  If you have had some changes in your financial picture that you would like to discuss and review, don’t hesitate to reach out to Ashlie to schedule an appointment via email at [email protected]

Exciting news from Brooke is that she and her husband Caleb are expecting their first baby boy in May of this year.  We are very excited for their great news.

Based on feedback from clients we have also revisited some performance reporting that we used to use.  The reason for this is that the system with Emoney can still make it difficult to display true performance without showing additions or withdrawals from the accounts.  We will be sending these individually and checking in with you from time to time so please keep an eye out for these emails from myself, Ashlie or Brooke.

Social Media:

I would love to connect via LinkedIn or Twitter at @mattloganinc ,or follow me on Instagram or  follow my page on Facebook where you will find timely articles and regular TV interviews.  We have really worked to try to provide interesting financial pieces from us as well as from other news sources that you may find helpful.

Introductions:

One of the best results of a run in the market is a higher interest in investing.  This can be the first time that many people even speak with a financial professional.  If you have friends and acquaintances inquiring about this, send them my way to be sure they get started on the right path for them. 

Online Access:

As I mentioned, we have consolidated our online account access through E-money. To access your accounts, click here. The system really helps me advise you in a more effective manor by allowing me to see your whole financial picture and craft a plan to fit your needs.  You can include account not held here in your analysis as well as any debt or assets you have and most of them link directly to other sites, allowing you access to a walking net worth statement.  If you need assistance setting this up, let us know and we would be happy to walk you through the system.

The Bus:

This bus got a lot of time on the road this past quarter with people using it for basketball games, football games and a lot of holiday parties for businesses as well as individuals.  I would now say it is fully up and running and we have a great system for it.  If you are interested in renting it for an event, please contact [email protected] for more information and to schedule it for yourself.  The bus comes with our driver and the cost is relatively low at $50 an hour to use it.

Fourth Quarter Outlook:

With the markets coming off a great 4th quarter with the S&P 500 up nearly 6.64% and up over 21.83% for the year, the markets have continued their strong performance throughout 2017.  Foreign markets, especially emerging markets have done particularly well with the MSCI Emerging Market Index up a whopping 37.28% for the year. Moving forward we are focusing on the new tax plan and how our clients may be able to benefit.  While the economy is healthy, geopolitical risks and a loose cannon twitter account seem to be the two largest risks for our economy.  Other risks include rising interest rates and longer term inflation risks.  For further analysis and market information click here for the 2018 Outlook.

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 MSCI Emerging Markets Index is designed to measure equity market performance in global emerging markets. It is a float-adjusted market capitalization index. Additional risks are associated with international investing, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic stability, and differences in accounting standards.

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