Entering the final quarter of 2019, the overall markets are giving us a solid return for the calendar year. In fact, this is the best first three quarters of a calendar year since 1997. Yes, the year I graduated high school was the last time the S&P 500 started out better. Why doesn’t it feel that way? Despite the great start to the year, the S&P 500 is still 1.6% below the current July 26, 2019 all-time high. Looking slightly further in the rear-view mirror, it is only up 2.2% from the high before the tumble we experienced in the fourth quarter of 2018. Through all of the volatility and despite a great year to date, the markets are still mostly trading in a sideways pattern looking over the past full year. All that being said, time frames are really important in gathering and gauging investments.
On the Personal Side:
After a whirlwind summer full of fun, my thirst for routine is beginning to be quenched with the girls back in school. The girls have made the switch from a wonderful experience at a charter school to a new and equally wonderful experience at our neighborhood school. Coincidentally, yours truly is an alumnus of Irving Park Elementary school my daughters now attend. We are loving the sense of community feel. Lila is enjoying bike riding in the neighborhood with her classmates after school now that her school days and car time are reduced. Amelia came home with big news for me: “Daddy Daddy, there is a boy in my second-grade class with an earring! Can you believe that? His daddy must be riiiiicccchhhh!” I shook my head with no response and know that she is doing just fine at school despite likely misreading information from classmates’ accessories. A big round of applause to my wife Evan who recently sold her music business and is doing some homework on her next opportunities in her professional life while keeping the wheels on the bus in the Logan home. It is extremely difficult to start a business much less start one from the ground up and eventually sell it. Evan and I are looking forward to our upcoming anniversary weekend and our first attempt at back country camping outside of Asheville. Fingers crossed.
On the business side:
For the first time ever, we went as an office to our annual national conference in Denver, Colorado. Our office was closed for three full days of learning from our peers and industry leaders. I hope to make this an annual event moving forward as I feel that was a great investment in our office and a lot of fun at the same time!
The past few weeks have been consumed with the changes at our broker-dealer and the transition to becoming part of Cetera Advisor Networks. While we hope that the change will constitute little more than the stack of letters in legalese you already received, there is a learning curve on our end with some new technology and systems. We hope to have some new capabilities to be able to add value to your financial lives that we will be ready to roll out in 2020.
Travel:
How are you enjoying retirement or living the fullest life you can? 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.
Social Media:
We are putting out a lot of interesting and somewhat entertaining pieces via social media. Please follow me or like my page. I would love any feedback you may have as well. Let’s connect on LinkedIn or Twitter at @mattloganinc ,or find my channel on Youtube or Facebook. I will be posting regularly on our blog as well so be sure to check it out from time to time.
Introductions:
I am so thankful for the wonderful people I get to meet and the growing family of clients. Please keep me in mind if the opportunity arises to pass my name to someone you care about.
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:
We donated the bus to help our friends over at Groove Jam for the third year. They did a phenomenal job in raising over $15,000 and collecting 1764 lbs of donations for Greensboro Urban Ministry. This is always a fun event and we enjoy to providing a safe shuttle for the festival.
Featured Blog Post:
I had the opportunity to collaborate with our friends over at the Oechsli Group here in Greensboro to film a couple of pieces for our Youtube Channel. I am really happy with how they came out and inspired to go lose some weight. Check out this video on my “Why?”
Fourth Quarter Outlook:
There is a lot to watch in the overall markets per usual. We have been paying particularly close attention to Twitter. We are also eyeing China trade relations, the Middle East and the pending Hurricane Season along with all of the drama unfold in the political arena in our capital. All that being said, we still see a lot to like in the markets overall and we are becoming more interested in larger companies that pay dividends.
We continue to feel that through proper financial planning, we can manage your portfolio in the best way to suit you.
Sincerely,
Matt
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.
