We are pleased to announce the launching of our new website! Please check it out at www.bernofinmgt.com. There are still a few pages with the famous “under construction, check back soon” notation and some editing to be done. It is a work in progress.
I am extremely proud of our firm and the quality of services we provide. The foundation of our firm is our people. Please join me in congratulating Donna Ellis on completing 12 years of service with our firm this month. Mary Dicker will celebrate her 5 year anniversary in January. Aaron Mackris recently passed his Certified Financial Planner exam and will earn his certification in January 2010 when he completes his 3 year experience requirement. Congratulations to Donna, Mary and Aaron!
We are already beginning to make plans for 2010. One of our goals is to improve our annual Cash Flow Report, which I think is one of the most valuable reports we provide. (We prepare one for the majority of our clients, but not all due to different reasons). We will be asking for more client participation in the data gathering stage by using the improving range of software and/or bank website based programs for tracking expenses. More info to follow, but our goal is to optimize the use of available technology to improve the timeliness and value of our reports.
Did you know that November is Long Term Care Awareness Month? Some Fun Facts:
- In 2008 45% of claims paid for Men, 55% paid for women.*
- 24% of LTCi buyers are age 35-44, 36% age 45-54, 23% age 55-64,
- 5% over age 65.*
- 53% of claims paid for home care, 11% for assisted living, 36% for nursing care.*
* American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, 2009 LTCi Sourcebook.
I can’t close without following up on the “rolling 12 month” return from the S&P 500 that I referenced last month. As you may remember, the last 12 month return on the S&P 500 between 8/31/09 and 9/30/09 jumped from minus 17.9% to minus 6.6%, caused by simply dropping off one bad month (Sept 2008 -8.8%) and adding one good month (Sept 2009 +3.7%). As hoped for, the last 12 month return ending October 31, 2009 jumped to a positive 10% because we dropped off October 2008’s 16.8% loss and replaced it with a much smaller 1.8% loss. What a difference a month makes!
As always, your trust and confidence are important to us and we appreciate the opportunity to serve you! Please contact us with any questions you have. |
