We wanted to reach out to you and hopefully be able to share a little peace of mind. We hope this communication finds you well and able to feel secure in the steps you are taking to protect yourself and your loved ones.
As the world and the stock markets move through the challenges being presented by Covid19 and we all adapt to new behaviors: we are here for you.
Our firm has been working remotely for the last week, and we are all grateful for your message of support. We want to acknowledge the support of our corporate team and our IT group for making this happen pretty darn seamlessly.
You can reach us in the usual way, work phones are forwarded to our remote worksites, our email and all the systems we need are at hand. We are able to connect by phone, email, Zoom or GoToMeeting if you want to meet remotely. Please reach out if you would like a conversation with us.
Markets continue to respond to economic news, major policy announcements by governments and central banks, and information on the social responses to this pandemic. From where we sit as investors, we expect that markets will respond to new information and uncertainty. Markets are working.
While this time the source – the pandemic – may be different than past market declines – the markets response of declining prices – is what we would expect given the situation.
As an investor, this is not easy. At the same time, this is the risk part of risk and return that your portfolio and your financial plan have been designed to consider. It may depend on where you are when you read this just what the impact is in your community right now. But whereever you are, we are all in this together – social distancing, health concerns, working remote, concerns about how your work or business will be impacted, market declines.
It is a lot of change and uncertainty and adaptation. And the news is relentless. Both from a health and markets point of view.
Watching or listening less often while staying informed, being selective about listening to fact-based reporting from reliable new sources, is likely better for your peace of mind that much of the emotionally demanding and perhaps not so accurate information that is available.
Finding a source of ‘chill’ music instead of hearing the same news reports over and over can really help.
For those of us working at home, making sure our work spaces are comfortable. Having a good chair, a headset or an appropriate height work surface can help reduce the strain of the hours we are working. In other words, the tiny screen of your lap top on your dining room table can be wearing which you might be noticing by now.
Staying connected to friends and family is also important. Old fashioned phone calls or video calls I realize greatly help with peace of mind.
Know that your portfolio and your financial plan were prepared with downturns in the market in mind. We are here to help you ‘stay in your seat’. We are accessible by phone or email, and would welcome an opportunity to connect with you.
In the interim, please see some resources below you may find of interest:
A perspective on market volatility and a successful investment experience. This video was released some time ago, well in advance of current events by Dimensional Fund Advisors, a long-time partner in our provision of evidence-based investment strategies.
As a business owner, recent announcements of the Canadian government support
And here is a bit of inspiration for your day from Financial Launchpad
Take good care,
Cheryl, Nancy and Brady
