Second Half of 2014
In my First Half note, I mentioned I thought the markets would be difficult to navigate in 2014. That has certainly been the case so far as the markets deal with several international situations (Iraq, Ukraine and Gaza), the reduction of Quantitative Easing by the FED and modest overall growth in the U.S. and the world in general. Despite these issues, however, the markets have remained quite resilient.
We remain cautious in the third quarter and will remain patient for opportunities to purchase core holdings on possible market weakness. Longer term, we remain bullish on large-cap U.S. companies, dividend-oriented large-cap international stocks, some international fixed income and municipal bonds.
The 2014 Raymond James Summer Development Conference in July held in Nashville offered excellent educational sessions again this year. Some of the best sessions included topics on healthcare in retirement, social security planning/options and general market perspectives/opportunities. It’s always good to hear excellent ideas that could benefit our clients.
Finally, we have received tremendous positive feedback from our clients on our “Goal Planning and Monitoring” program. My team and I look forward to meeting with you to share some of our new ideas and opportunities. We greatly appreciate and value our client relationships, and their continued trust and confidence. While there will certainly be numerous worries and pitfalls over the coming years, we look forward to the future with optimism.
Best regards,
Ken
