I can almost feel the cooler air coming. I always look forward to the cool breezes of October. That’s the kind of change that I like. Some changes are a little scarier. But, if we are prepared or insulated from harm, we have nothing to worry about. Like Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period (AEP). For the next couple of months, we will be in full swing, making sure that our clients are taken care of and have the most appropriate programs going into 2019. For our financial clients, we are always changing, fine-tuning, and adjusting portfolios to take advantage of opportunities. So, change is always occurring. We build Retirement Income Plans that, for the most part, are not affected by the risks commonly associated with investing. We plan with safety, yield, fees, and taxes in mind…in that order.
Market watchers have been focusing on things such as emerging market weakness, politics, and earnings that some worry may have reached their peak. When it comes to the global economy, the world isn’t in the same type of situation as the United States. While the U.S. is in a great position to negotiate tariffs, other nations aren’t ready to handle interest rate increases.
We have major countries that are still at zero percent interest rates. What happens when those countries that are not doing so great start to raise rates? That’s what concerns me.
The S&P 500 could trade as high as 3040, but if it gets past that mark, I think there may be a “bit” of a pullback on concerns over the midterm elections. That could bring the S&P 500 down to 2875. Ultimately, I see market gains in the range of 7.5 percent this year and another 5.25 to 5.5 percent next year.
So, once again, we advise certainty and safety over unnecessary risk in retirement, while keeping fees as low as possible, with above-average returns. Change isn’t scary when you have a goal- appropriate plan.
Cheers!