Our Top 5 Blog Posts (& Videos) of 2020
Or Things We Really Wanted to Make Sure You Saw
By: Steven Higgins, Financial Advisor, Principal
Every year at about this time we like to highlight some of our favorite blog posts from the previous year. There is no nifty algorithm or objective process whatsoever. Just our “faves” and, realistically, stuff we want you to see again. We research and write all of our material and always try to present the current events in a way that our clients can apply to our united and continuing endeavor to meet our clients’ goals. 2020 brought endless fodder for a couple of amateur writers to opine about. However, the challenges of producing content fast enough to keep up with the changes was difficult especially when our day jobs are focused on personal communication with clients and effectively planning and investing strategies in real time. We believe communication is possibly the most key element of our jobs as financial advisors. We believe that so much that we built a video studio in our office which was completed just in time for everybody to work from home. In something of a comedy, several occasions nearly had me destroying my computer during what I admit were “temper tantrums” as we briskly tried to re-purpose Zoom and Go-To Meeting to serve as a sort of remote recording device. We hosted several “town hall” style events with guest speakers and while the content was informative we found that our guests liked to talk…a lot and we found out real quick that we aren’t CNN producers. However, we were committed to getting out front for the benefit of our clients.
In our first post of the year, titled “The Three Most Significant Issues for Investors As We Begin 2020” guess what we failed to mention? A PANDEMIC! I think we may re-think how we title our predictive posts in the future. That being said, the number one issue on that list was this:
“….2020 will certainly bring with it volatility and cringe worthy moments. The year begins with the President’s impeachment trial in the Senate and the year ends with the presidential election. There will be no shortage of political fodder. While the economy remains incredibly strong and has proven to be very resilient, there will be short term setbacks. During any correction there are certain to be those, “experts” and otherwise once again foretelling certain doom. Remember having a plan and sticking to the plan is the best strategy.”
Now, vague predictions lacking any specificity are hardly prophetic, but we’ll stand on our advice nonetheless. For the record, in lieu of any fortune telling for 2021, were opting to recycle the last sentence of last year’s crystal ball report, “Remember: having a plan and sticking to the plan is the best strategy.”
Thirty-one posts and 8 videos in the books for 2020 and here are the best!
Click on the links to see the original material.
March 12, 2020 – Corona Virus Volatility – Our Process
Posted 11 days before the market bottomed and in the midst of the fastest 30%+ market correction EVER, this short message was a sort of a report from the front. Obviously we didn’t know that the following month, April 2020 would turn out to be the second best month of all time. We touched on the historical relevance of volatility and our process to manage it. Writing this message felt a bit like giving a weather report in a tailspin.
As advisors, we know that there are a lot of emotional forces that impact our clients, investments, and goals. Some of our communications are focused on dealing with the fear that can accompany major volatility events. This is not one of those videos. Filmed and posted right when the market was bottoming, we dug into our tactical investment and tax strategies which turned out to be powerful throughout the year.
June 17, 2020 – Your Investments at HD Wealth Strategies in 2020
September, 23 2020 – Our Investment Process: the sixth tactical rebalance of 2020
While the market chaos of Spring yielded to a quicker than expected market recovery, we stayed diligent managing our investment process and and keeping our client’s portfolios in-line with their Personal Investment Policies and their goals. There turned out to be a total of seven tactical rebalances in 2020, all driven by our process. Along the way we communicated these events to give insight to what could have seemed like chaos and happenstance.
March 16, 2020 – Video – Perspective. Process. Poise
Every historic event has seminal moment that defines the way you remember the moment or how other people remember you in the moment. Sometimes, the point of inflection is a defiant symbolic flag planting, and sometimes it is the calm demeanor of steadfast confidence. This video posted just seven days before the gut wrenching bottom of the Covid 19 market volatility event illustrates the communication and relationships we have with our clients and with ourselves as a team. This was the last thing we as a team did together in person before setting off to work remotely for way longer than we ever thought we would. If I was given one opportunity to show what it means for us to be financial advisors for our clients, it would be this video.
As always, we are always looking for ways to better inform our clients. If you have any requests for topics you’d like us to cover, please let us know. Our goal is to provide as much helpful and timely information as possible, and our singular audience is our clients. Happy New Year! We are so excited to see what 2021 brings. (And by excited, I mean a nervous excitement with a guarded optimism.)
Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advice offered through HD Wealth Strategies, a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial.
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. There is no guarantee that a diversified portfolio will enhance overall returns or outperform a non-diversified portfolio. Diversification does not protect against market risk.
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