This is the time of year when school children celebrate the end of school and beginning of summer vacation. It is a time of sleeping in, more leisurely schedules and no homework. It is a time for children to experience some “academic peace of mind.” Life is good! They are beginning to create the experiences that will become the basis for that famous “what I did on my summer vacation” essay that they will have to write when they return to school in the fall. (Do they still make them write that essay? Didn’t you?)
For many years, long before our current financial crises, our firm has adopted the mission statement “To help our clients achieve financial peace of mind.” Never before has this been more challenging than the last several months. As we entered 2009, we adopted the motto, “Let’s look forward, not back.” Fortunately the past three months have provided a strong rebound in the stock market, with US Large Company stocks up over 25% and most stock asset classes (especially international stocks, but not REIT’s) actually showing gains for the year. Only time will tell whether we will have a recovery in the form of a “V”, “W” or “U” but we continue to be confident that we will have a recovery and that the investment return potential in the 2010 to 2012 time period should be good.
Start thinking now about what you would write in your “what I did during the summer of 2009” essay. Enjoy the lovely weather. Spend more time outside. Follow thru on those plans to spend quality time with family and friends. Eat well (healthy that is, not too much ice cream!) Take a Sunday afternoon nap. Polish up your golf or tennis game, go for a bike ride, take a swim. Make your summer of 2009 special.
Remember that you don’t control the stock market or government policies. Remember that money isn’t everything; it should be the means to an end, not the end itself. Count your blessings. You are in better financial shape than many others.
Relax and enjoy your summer. There is an old stock market saying, “Sell in May and go away.” While we don’t recommend that, we do recommend that you spend this summer taking your mind off the economy and enjoy each day. Be ready to write a good essay!
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.
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