A Letter From One of Our Investment Managers

We received the following letter from one of our Investment Managers. With the current economic conditions, it’s important to wise consumer and not to make any rash decisions. They have included their recommendations based on their experience. If you have any concerns, the best thing you can do is to contact your personal investor. Their knowledge can help you make the best decision for you.

Dear Clients~
The recent market volatility – across global markets, across every sector and manifested in wild swings in intra-day activity – has been at minimum unsettling and for the most part unnerving. While we have experienced markets like this before, that experience doesn’t make it any easier to endure the daily (and intra-day) volatility we’ve witnessed these last couple of weeks. It is unquestionably stressful.

In our experience it pays to step back a bit from the daily gyrations, even take a deep breath and place these days in perspective.

The truth is that no one can know what tomorrow, next week, or next month will bring, but we can seek to explain and provide insights into these markets so that our actions are thoughtful and deliberate.

Let’s start with the reality that we are not able to control the markets. Nevertheless, we do remain in complete control of how we have prepared your portfolio and any actions we may take to respond to them. Together we can act in a way that works best for you and your financial objectives.

Here is how we can take command of that which we can control and prepare ourselves for what may lie ahead.

• Don’t allow the headlines du jour to drive your decisions. Decisions made under emotional stress are very rarely the best decisions we make, and that’s never truer than with investment decisions.
• Review your situation and take action. The climate has undoubtedly changed. That may (or may not) be a reason to make changes to your portfolio. Have your goals, time horizon or liquidity needs changed? Have price movements altered your relative balance of investments? Is your appetite for risk now different? We can consider a portfolio review in light of any changes.
• Seek opportunities. The bouts of sharp price declines can create investment opportunities that didn’t exist as recently as yesterday. Staying attuned to them may bear fruit in the months ahead.

We will continue to monitor these markets and your portfolio. Now is the time to review your portfolio to assess where we stand and to identify actions we can take in light of a changing landscape, which will help you feel more confident in the weeks and months ahead. Please let one of us know if we can take the time to go through this valuable process.