Fall is in the air! The weather is a little cooler and we have been enjoying a few scattered showers! But for now, we have some business to discuss.
First, since we are empty nester and don’t rely on school calendars, now is our time. I will be out of the office Oct. 6-7 and 20-22. Lidia will be here, and Tim Wenger will be available if you need to make trades.
Another date for your calendar is Oct. 17 from 10am-2pm: SHRED DAY! Hopefully, all your taxes are filed and if you want to get rid of old paperwork, we are ready. IF you have more than a grocery bag of stuff, give us a warning so we have enough bins for everyone.
Stuff happens especially with email addresses. We are trying to check as we hold review meetings, but if you can let us know when contact information changes, we appreciate it. A continuing trend is the move to mobile phones instead of home phones. We have captured most mobile phone numbers because that is what we use to connect you with your account in Advice Works. It is important that we stay on top of contact information.
Speaking of staying on top of things, I had the opportunity recently to speak at a meeting of ILEA, the International Live Event Association. These are the folks who help plan events and all the pieces that make an event, music, flowers caterers, etc. We met in the brand new Brannan Center in Calistoga, which is absolutely gorgeous, and you may want to check out their calendar of events for a visit. September is often a quiet time for their industry, and they wanted to focus on their personal finances and invited me to speak. Fun group of people engaged listeners and a beautiful venue; great combination.
Now to the stock market. The S&P 500 * index is up 13.22% year to date as of this writing (Sept. 30) and about 3% for the month. What is going on? If you read the news, you might find yourself a bit confused as there are good and bad reports on the economy. For example, I spoke to a friend about his business, and he is booming; good news. Why is his business booming? Because the industry he serves is in trouble and they are trying everything to attract new business using his services, bad news. We are headed into the Fourth Quarter with the holidays and increased retail sales. From a financial advisor’s stand point this also is a mixed blessing as it is wonderful to see retailers prosper but not if it means unsustainable debt by the consumer. Beware the credit card spending.
Looking to 2026, we know there are mid-term elections, and everyone wants to prove THEIR point. The House and the Senate are on the edge in terms of control and we are seeing the result in the budget crisis and Government shutdown. Folks let’s git ‘er done!. Do what you can and provide guidance where you cannot. Every child wants the great big shiny XYZ for Christmas, but not every family can afford the biggest and brightest. We do what we can to make up for it during the holidays. The same applies to government as we cannot undertake every program that arises. There are times to say no and there is debt to pay down. Amidst sending out holiday greetings, please take a moment and write to your congressional representative and tell them what is important to you and thank them for representing you. Your voice, your vote, make it count.
*"S&P 500 – 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. 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."