Our 2020 Holiday Message
From Higgins & Schmidt Wealth Strategies
How do you start writing a letter that is meant to serve as a close to one year and the opening of a new year in the midst of a reality that we are still, months later, trying to make sense of? How do you avoid the cliches and avoid what has already been said? We think the challenge is in reconciling opposing sets of criteria: how we really feel right now and how we think we are supposed to feel right now. More specifically, how we think others think we should feel right now. The truth is, specific groups of people have borne the medical brunt of this pandemic more than others, and specific groups of people have borne the economic brunt of this pandemic more than others. The popular slogan “we are all in this together” seemingly misses the mark when the experiences are so vastly different for people. We are days away from closing out the year and stock markets are at record highs. While investors certainly paid their emotional dues last March, the financial scoreboard shows that many of us are in a better place today than we were last year despite the rhetoric, the fear, and the chaos. For many, 2020 will be remembered as being quite prosperous and it can be hard to reconcile that with all of the pain we’ve seen this year. So, how can we be thankful for our blessings while conscious and empathetic of those who have experienced less good fortune this year? The answer lies, in our opinion, in our actions.
In 2020 we experienced a hyper-political environment plagued by way too much posturing. We heard way too many words and witnessed way too few actions. Our hope for 2021 is that the year is remembered as a time when people took steps to repair their communities and turn empathy into a meaningful effort to get to a point when, as 4 year old Wesley Schmidt would say, “When everybody is well.” To get everybody well, medically and economically, it’s going to take actions from those who are well. Our challenge to our community is to consider where they stand in the context of all things 2020. If you are well, we encourage you take a practical step to reach out and help someone. If you need some ideas, we have included links to a few organizations that we support below. However, you know your community best, you know where the need is, and you know who can help meet that need. Higgins and Schmidt Wealth Strategies will go first and make a contribution today.
Wesley, we will be well soon. We say that with confidence because we share the belief that we are in the best place we could ever want to be. While our system has its share of ugliness and aspects of our history are abhorrent, we believe the collective will to achieve, grow, and get better contribute to the never ending effort to form a “more perfect union.” Our friends and clients know that we are basically unrelenting in our optimism. We are also careful stewards of our client’s goals, dreams, and assets. While optimistic, we are realistic and we know the struggles, fear, and volatility are not behind us. We will continue to stay guarded, conscious, and diligent while being advocates for our clients’ continued prosperity.
Our wish for you this season is that you enjoy a unique quietness and peace that we have never experienced before and hopefully never will again. We can’t wait to greet you in person next year. Your presence, your personality, and your smiles encourage us more than you know and we can’t wait to see all of it again very soon. Be happy, be safe, and of course, be well.
Happy Holidays from Higgins & Schmidt Wealth Strategies.
Organizations we support:
Fellowship in Serving Humanity (FISH) , Senior Resources of Broomfield
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results. All indices are unmanaged and may not be invested into directly. The economic forecasts set forth in this material may not develop as predicted and there can be no guarantee that strategies promoted will be successful. Rebalancing a portfolio may cause investors to incur tax liabilities and/or transaction costs and does not assure a profit or protect against a loss. Stock investing involves risk including loss of principal. Bonds are subject to market and interest rate risk if sold prior to maturity. Bond values will decline as interest rates rise and bonds are subject to availability and change in price.
