From the Mouth of Babes

Partners

Submitted by: Brian B Smith, CFP® , Bryan M Masten, CFP® & Riley W. Smith

We are living in strange times… or are we?

For the last couple of years there has been a lot of discussion about getting back to normal. Nobody has ever really defined what normal means, but in the context of the pandemic and economic shutdowns I guess 2022 has been more normal. But is this really the normal everyone has been hoping for? The first several months of 2022 have been challenging from an investment standpoint. Add to that the highest inflation American households have experienced in 40 years, and it creates a lot of uncertainty. For many investors this is the worst combination of falling markets and high inflation they have ever lived through, or at least the worst they can remember living through. But this is not the first time (nor will it be the last) that we have faced challenges of this type. It always feels like the worst time when you are in the midst of it. We often talk about process. It is times like these that really show the value of a process. We employ a process that attempts to help us identify when to be invested in stocks, and when to move to more conservative positions. Specifically, this year we have been in money market positions since late in the first quarter. We do still take the opportunity to “dip our toe” back in the market for short periods of time in an effort to find some positive results. But the majority of time has been spent in those more conservative (money market) positions. It has allowed us to slow the market related losses in accounts that we manage for our clients. The portion of any specific account that would be in stocks or in money market varies based on the individuals risk tolerance. As a result, there are varying levels of outcomes, but the process has allowed us to avoid some of the market volatility as compared to simply maintaining an allocation to stocks. We understand that for many of you, any losses are hard to live with. As with past market downturns, this will be a temporary occurrence and before you know it, we will be back to the “normal”. Again, I am not sure how to define normal. While these may be strange times, they are not unprecedented. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your investments, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are always here to answer your questions or provide you with a second opinion on your current investment strategy. We would love to help you “Enjoy More, Worry Less”.

www.financialpartner.net

(936) 294-0201 • 1211 Financial Plaza • Huntsville

Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member, FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a registered investment advisor. Cambridge and Global Financial Partners are not affiliated. Cambridge does not provide tax advice.

From the Mouths of Babes...

Conversations between me and our now 5 year old daughter Gracie.

Gracie: Since it’s MY birthday coming up, I get to decide what to watch.

Me: You think you get to decide even though your birthday isn’t for another week or so? Gracie: Yes. But what does that have to do with what we’re talking about???

Opening her juice box: Mom, I need a little help here. It’s verrrry complicated. I don’t even really know what complicated means …

Conversation one morning as she was getting dressed:

Gracie: Can you help me get my Encanto dress on?

Me: Yes. You have it on backwards and your arms aren’t going through the right holes. Gracie: I know. I always put it on wrong….and this is a monologue, not a dialogue.

In the days leading up to hosting a baby shower at our house:

Every time a package arrives Gracie says, “Is that for me or the baby shower?”

When a new foster baby arrived at our house: The baby was crying and we got the pacifier in her mouth to calm her down and Gracie said “No more baby problems!” Followed up by: “Can we get one that doesn’t cry?”

Submitted by Kelli Stevens