Though the story shared with you today may have some age, its message is timeless. Published on December 14, 1982 was the story winning first place  in a popular magazine’s contest, “My Most Moving Holiday Tradition.” It has not only encouraged families to adopt the tradition in their own home, but also inspired an Atlanta, Georgia family to start Giving101, a nonprofit passionate about unleashing the amazing power of contagious giving. May we remember throughout the season to give from the heart and remember Mother Teresa’s words, “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.”

The Small Cap rally is no turkey. In the two weeks since the U.S. presidential election we have seen wide swings in different areas of the financial markets, but one of the clear winners has been U.S. Small Cap stocks.  Why have they “trumped” the performance of other asset classes?

As we celebrate a time to count our blessings and shift our hearts to the gifts and graces that flow into our lives every day, we share with you a story of one family’s Thanksgiving ritual; the gratitude tree. May it encourage us all to take time during this busy season to express all that we have to be thankful for in our lives today and every day thereafter. 

Earlier this month we celebrated Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars. We share with you today a story that reminds us their service and dedication to our country is one to honor on November 11th and every day thereafter. Currently, there are only five surviving veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that have quadruple amputations; Retired United States Staff Sergeant Travis Mills of the 82nd Airborne is one of them.

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.