I sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are healthy as we begin the new year. When the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, I am sure, like myself, most of you were eager to move into 2021. Although things haven’t magically transformed overnight – the pandemic is still with us – we do have hope that throughout these cold, winter months, vaccinations will increase and we’ll resume some semblance of normalcy by the end of summer. Although we’ve all had a very rough year, many of us have had some great moments to cherish, such as the birth of a child or grandchild, high school or college graduations, weddings, retirements or just simply spending more quality time with our families.
Since it is January, you are probably expecting me to a send a customary message encouraging you to make a New Year’s resolution and focus on your financial plan – and yes, you’re absolutely right! If there’s one lesson that we’ve all learned living through 2020, it’s that we should do what we can to be more prepared for the unexpected. This time last year, we were seeing news of Covid-19 in China and then Italy, but I don’t think any of us could have imagined that one year later, the virus would have changed our lives so dramatically. The unexpected in life, whether a personal event such as a disability or the loss of a job, or a global event such as a pandemic, can wreak havoc if you don’t have a proper plan in place. That’s why I am continuing to encourage my clients, now more than ever, to have a checkpoint meeting to help ensure that our plans are still on track. We’re continuing to conduct meetings over video conferencing for our clients and staff’s safety, and it’s working out very well.
The pandemic has taught us a lot. Besides planning for the unexpected, we also need to look forward (plan a vacation!) and try to plan as best as we can for the future. Trying to anticipate how the markets and investments will be impacted in the coming year is always challenging, but knowing as much as we can now will help us decide if adjustments need to be made to your financial plan. If you’d like to learn more about what thought leaders at Raymond James are predicting this year, and missed the live January 11th client webinar titled, “Ten Themes for 2021| Seeking the Thrill of Victory,” you can view it here. These themes are also summarized in our feature article this month, so If you’re interested in the abbreviated version, check out “Ten Themes That Will Affect Your 2021 Investing.” Our other feature article addresses likely scenarios for policy changes with the new Biden administration, “Expect Policy Change for Taxes, Climate, Consumer Protection.”
We look forward to meeting with you and helping you navigate 2021 by further refining your financial plan. Please reach out and schedule a checkpoint meeting at your earliest convenience either by calling 301.595.8600 or by using our online scheduling feature. We look forward to a much better 2021 for all!
Todd M. Wike, CFP®
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
Managing Partner, Potomac Financial Group
2020 RJFS Chairman’s Council Member*
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