2nd Quarter 2016 Market Outlook
I am finally coming clean and the reason for my teary eyes since April 4th is not really pollen. The UNC loss in the National Championship stirred a ton of emotion for me that I am getting through with a lot of counseling and extra desserts. That was one of the best basketball games I have ever seen and the unfortunate part is that my team did not come out as victors left me staring at the wall and unable to sleep.
Speaking of unable to sleep, many of you have heard that there is an election. The divisive nature of this election and politics these days has left a sour taste in my mouth that overwhelms the strong taste of the pollen this time of year. I am asking that each of you go find someone with opposite political beliefs of your own and give him or her a hug in hopes that it could help with all of the negative divisive rhetoric we are experiencing.
Here in Greensboro Spring has Sprung and my favorite time of year has brought our city in full bloom. Then, like many years before it became frigid and cold again. Constant weather checks on the phone have become part of the routine with the kids wearing shorts and flip flops one day and full winter attire the next. This will give way soon.
The first quarter was about as predictable as our Spring weather. The worst January start to date for the indices gave way to a remarkable rebound as fears of oil prices staying low subsided and brought more relative stability to the markets.
On the Personal Side:
As you receive this email, my incredible wife Evan is gearing up for the Boston Marathon this coming Monday. If you see a hot blonde trailing the Kenyan leaders for the marathon you are likely looking at my wife. It is such a huge feat that requires such determination just to train and qualify and I hope her experience is incredible. The treehouse has come close to an end and I have followed up that project with reclaiming wood and tearing down an old shed that predates our home in the hopes of teaching myself to make furniture. I say this in case you notice in our next meeting that I am short a finger or two you will not have to ask the awkward question. My golf game rose to new levels of mediocrity on a recent trip to Pinehurst where I shot my best score ever while wearing a kilt much to the disappointment of the women of my house. Lila and Amelia told me “Daddy, I really don’t like your skirt.” Lila turns 7 next month and watching her become a young woman leads to a lot of concern on my end. I am still cool to her and will take any time I can with her from making furniture to cuddling on the couch. If you are ever having a down day, playing the Pie In The Face game with her would definitely lead to an upswing in your mood. Amelia has become boy crazy and been trying to figure out what taxes are ever since we established paying taxes as a prerequisite to her dating. She is close to figuring it out as she now knows they are pieces of paper.
On the business side:
As with any downturn in the market, our phones and inboxes lit up with existing clients and new clients looking for assurance and direction. We appreciate you telling others about us as we know that market movement causes a lot of anxiety for many of us and we hope to bring reason and long term planning to our clients to allow them to deal with the fluctuation in a better method. For those of you looking for short term planning on what the stock market is going to do tomorrow, I have enlisted the assistance of a magic eight ball. With the long term planning, we have really enjoyed incorporating E-money into our practice allowing clients to see the big picture. If you would like to set a time to review your situation more closely or if you have had changes in your life that have impacted your finances or outlook, please email me and we will get something on the calendar.
Keep an eye out in your inbox as we continue to review and study the recent department of labor fiduciary rule and will be coming out with information for clients as soon as we can. For those of you who are not aware, last week the Department of Labor came out with their Fiduciary Rule to move all retirement plans and IRAs under the Department of Labor and away from FINRA. We will keep you posted on any details as we scour through the legislation.
Also, be on the lookout for a survey later this quarter as we hope to solicit valuable feedback from you on ways to improve our service. Any assistance you can provide with your insight is greatly appreciated as we pursue a culture of constant improvement among our team.
Social Media:
If you have not already done so, please connect via LinkedIn or Twitter at @mattloganinc or follow my page on Facebook where you will find timely articles and regular TV interviews. While I am cautious not to overwhelm you with emails I do post regularly on these outlets and it allows you to receive information from time to time that could be helpful for you and your family. We have also changed the formatting for our quarterly newsletter, so be sure to keep an eye out. A new blog added to the website has been fun to write and I will be adding our newsletters as well as other timely and even some not so relevant pieces of information.
Referrals:
We continue to be amazed at the power of word of mouth and honored to meet such great people via the great clients we already have. Thank you so much for your support in this arena and please let us know if there is anything we can do to help your loved ones.
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. If you need assistance setting this up, let us know and we would be happy to walk you through the system.
The Bus:
The bus continues to be fun for all involved. It has been a little slower as of this past quarter with reservations continuing to rise through April and May. We have donated to quite a few organizations for their various auctions and have been pleased with the results for our community. This past quarter the bus made it to the For more information go to http://www.whythebus.com/
Fourth Quarter Outlook:
The market continues to be rising slowly as many of us keep our eyes focused on the reality TV show that we call a presidential election this year. We do expect the fed to revisit slowly raising interest rates. With the labor market continuing to improve, that should play out well for the overall financial markets but not in a drastic way.
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 Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ.
