Happy New Year! The markets are up!
Although you didn’t expect me to say that, allow me to clarify. Since January 1, 2019, through the time of my writing on Jan 10th, the global equity market (depending on what index you use) is up by about 4.5%. If we go all the way back to January 1, 2017, those same indices will show global stock gains of about 6-10%. Yes, those are positive numbers.
So why all the hubbub around big market losses? Because 2018 didn’t end as well as it started. Because the news media takes in more advertising dollars when they write more hyperbolic articles about the stock market. Because since the start of 2018, through January 10, 2019, those same global markets are down 10-12%. Because all those reasons combine to garner our attention and make us worry.
This is the reason I spend so much time working with you to understand your goals, to make sure your investments are structured in a way that we don’t have to worry about these market gyrations. If you are worried, call me and we’ll talk about it! Otherwise, allow us to recognize market downturns for what they are: part of process, something we expect to happen and an excellent time to invest in the stock market.
In the life of me and Passport.
As 2018 drew to a close I had an awful lot to reflect upon.
The Good: Amira and Nora seem to be adjusting well to kindergarten; Samuel continues to enjoy preschool. Passport Wealth Management, my baby of 2018, seems to be off to a great start and I have you to thank for that; so thank you!
The Bad: I stepped into the role of Temple President last summer and I now find myself in the business of hiring a new Rabbi!
The Ugly: The twins have started dance lessons…tap lessons! The floors in our home are now serving as practice studio.
Some pleasant diversions.
The best book I read this year was City of Thieves by David Benioff[1]. The book takes place in St. Petersburg at the time of the Nazi siege. One lasting memory I have from college is a European History course is one lecture in particular about the siege, it was a powerful memory and reading this novel was just as riveting.
It is rare that I tune into the radio while driving and hear a story that I absolutely must listen to the end of, even if that means sitting in parked car for 20 minutes waiting for the story to end. That happened to me when I heard the story[2] of the man who was swallowed by the hippo but lived to tell about it. Paul Templer also wrote a book[3] about his experience.
Finally, to those of you in cities with a strong commercial air service by Southwest Airlines I turn your attention to the best credit card offer[4] I’ve seen in ages. For four years either myself or Jillian held a Southwest Airlines Companion Pass and used it to garner thousands of dollars in free airfare. The way we used to get it involved applying for two Southwest credit cards simultaneously and spending dollars at a certain time around the start of the new year. This new card is much easier than the old way, the only loss being you get the companion pass for 1 year, instead of 2. It is simply a great deal!
Live Long and Prosper,
Daniel Tobias, CFP®
Please note: The above is a copy of the 2018 Q4 Passport Wealth Management client newsletter attached to quarterly statements from January 2019. The newsletter is published to the website for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. You should consult a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional for financial advice. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Indexes are not available for direct investment. Investing involves risks, including the potential for loss of principal. There is no guarantee that markets will act as they have in the past or that any investment plan or strategy will be successful.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/City-Thieves-Novel-David-Benioff/dp/0452295297/
[2] http://snapjudgment.org/belly-of-the-beast
[3] http://www.paultempler.com/pauls-book/
[4] https://awardwallet.com/blog/southwest-companion-pass-welcome-bonus/
About the Author: Dan Tobias
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