Let's talk about the markets and this wild ride we call 2020. By Jay Pluimer, AIF® CIMA®
Despite global uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic, a slumping economy, record unemployment and fear of a recession, the stock market continues to climb. We will talk about this phenomenon on this week's episode.
We are excited to announce that Kathy Longo has been featured on Forbes.
Excerpt: "Kathy Longo, the president and founder of Flourish Wealth Management®, believes that it is time for 'portfolio rebalancing.' 'Sitting at the end of a 10-year equity market recovery, this is the time where individuals should take risk off the table and balance market exposure...'"
An important aspect of the Flourish investment philosophy is to help our clients find the right portfolio for them. We use a variety of tools to help clients identify their risk tolerance, then match that up with their long-term financial goals to build a customized investment solution.
The following article by Dave Goetsch, Executive Producer of “The Big Bang Theory”, provides helpful perspective about the importance of staying focused on long-term goals instead of reacting to short-term market movements. This is an important concept to connect with because big market changes can affect us emotionally and psychologically. Mr. Goetsch does a nice job of summarizing his connection with market performance without using investment jargon.
If we’ve been doing our job as your fiduciary advisor, you might already be able to guess what our take is on current market news:
Still, it never hurts to repeat this steadfast advice during periodic market downturns. We understand that thinking about scary markets isn’t the same as experiencing them. For context, US stocks haven’t seen a one-day pullback of 5% since June 2006, when the S&P 500 Index was at 1,260 compared to its February 2018 level of 2,800. It’s also important to note that US equities are down 1% for 2018 despite the losses over the past couple of days and have risen 17% from a year ago.
So, what’s going on? Why did U.S. stock prices suddenly drop after over 13 consecutive months of positive returns, with no obvious calamity to have set off the alarms?
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
This article from Dimensional Fund Advisors explores an old adage about whether or not monkeys throwing darts at a stock chart can really build a portfolio with higher returns than the average active money manager. According to this article, the answer is mixed. It really depends on the chart being used by the monkeys for target practice. Additionally, the sustainability of the monkey’s portfolio is largely dependent on patience, prudence and a deep understanding of underlying expenses. It certainly gives pause for thought. We hope you enjoy!
