On Monday we wrote Wall Street wanted Hillary to be President…and that was clearly true at the beginning of the week through about 2:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning.  As election results came in and states were being “called,” the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down as much as -850 points in the overnight session as it became clear Donald Trump would become President of the United States. Two days do not make a market trend, but we share some of our key observations from actions in various areas of the market the last two days since Trump was named as President-elect.

A year ago, Jeff Greenley was working as a lawyer in the Ohio attorney general’s office. Now, he and his wife and two children live in southeastern Ohio for his new job as Director of Human Resources for the Switzerland of Ohio local school district, in the heart of Appalachia. Greenley is one of the 32 graduates from the first class of Bright New Leaders for Ohio Schools, a program for mid-career professionals with a desire to change careers and use their skills to help struggling school districts throughout the state.

Earlier this week an article from Bloomberg.com titled “The Next 10 Years Will Be Ugly for Your 401(k)” circulated on Apple news. The article is based on research from California-based Research Affiliates and concludes that in an environment of low interest rates for U.S. bonds and high valuations for U.S. stocks, the outlook for future returns from those asset classes is low. Specifically, the article goes on to state that an investor has a 0% chance of earning a real (after inflation) annualized return of 5% over the next 10 years. Our team shares three main thoughts in regard to this article.

To reach your personal best, you need to learn how to challenge the person in the mirror. He or she is your toughest adversary and your only real competition. Discovering how to overcome your limitations, fears and self-doubts will do more for your development than defeating a dozen competitors. We share with you today a short story highlighting swimmer Diana Nyad overcoming a coveted goal she attempted years ago, along with four principles you can start applying today to become a better version of yourself.

Earlier this week a member of our investment team, Aaron Filbeck, attended JPMorgan’s two-day Wealth Management Summit in New York City. The Summit was a chance to meet with JPMorgan’s portfolio management teams, dig into investment processes, and discuss the current state of the markets. In addition to hearing from fund managers, Aaron also had the opportunity to attend a presentation and Q&A session with Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan’s Chief Executive Officer.

It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life; focusing too much on the destination instead of enjoying the journey. As our schedules fill up with important events and we start finding our minds in different places, may we remember to focus on being present and simply enjoying life as we experience it. We share with you today a story about living life in the slow lane; one to keep in mind even more so with the holiday season upon us.

Yesterday a client asked, “Why was the market down today?”  Our response was “Because it’s October.” The response was not mean to be flippant – October is a month notorious for market volatility. We share with you today a graph reflecting the S&P 500 historical seasonal pattern along with an interesting chart displaying the S&P 500 average performance in presidential election years. 

Last Wednesday, teachers around the globe were recognized in honor of World Teachers’ Day. Chances are, we all can think of that one special teacher who gave us something, besides the next day’s assignments, to take home and really think about. As we reflect on the ways our lives were uniquely impacted in the classroom, we share with you a teacher’s story that gives life to Phil Collins’ lyrics “by learning you will teach; by teaching you will learn.”

This past weekend, an article appeared in The Columbus Dispatch written by Todd Walter, Client Advisor and Director of Advisory Services at The Joseph Group. In case you missed it, Todd discussed the work of Senator William Roth, a legislative sponsor of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. That legislation produced one of the great financial planning tools of this generation – the Roth IRA. Today we share with you the many benefits of a Roth IRA, applicable to individuals throughout all stages of life.

We often hear how important it is to “find our passion” in life.  We even discuss it here at The Joseph Group as part of our “second half” discussions with our clients – encouraging them to pursue their true passion once they’re financially able to.  But how does one discover his or her passion? 

Author and life coach Darren Hardy encourages people to write down the answers to the following questions as a way to zero in on what you’re passionate about.