April 2020

As I am writing this, there is a lot of uncertainty in the world right now. The stock markets are extremely volatile, Coronavirus or COVID-19 is all we hear about on the news, and everything is shutting down around us. I don’t know how things will feel or what the circumstances will be when you read this, but I hope it is better than how we are all feeling now.

We all have our story of how these uncertain times are affecting our families and us. Maybe travel plans got cancelled, or we can’t go visit our elderly friends or family. Perhaps we have kids or grandkids that work in the service industry and are now temporarily out of work. Maybe that highly anticipated surgery we had scheduled just got cancelled. The bottom line is we are all in this together.

Here’s the deal. No one – NO ONE could have or could ever predict an event like this would happen this year. (Not including every Sci-Fi or apocalypse movie that has come out in the last 20+ years). The fact is, we are living in uncertainty and the good news is we have already prepared for it when we last met or spoke. Now, I could go on to reiterate our motto…you know what Cliff and I always say, “We don’t predict the future, we plan for your future,”…and its true, but let’s talk about something we feel is more important right now – YOU!

We are thinking of each one of you and your families during this difficult time. We hope that you are all staying safe and healthy and taking precautions to remain that way. Each one of you is so important to us; we feel like you are part of our extended family!

While your investments are going up and down, please know that we are keeping a close eye on things. Every day we are reading the latest news, listening to our home office experts and navigating the best next steps for you. In addition, Raymond James has incredible resources for this unexpected time. We have your best interests at the forefront of our minds.

At some point, we will look back on this, breathe a sigh of relief and be thankful this is all in the past. I don’t know when that will be, but hopefully it will be sooner than later. For now, let’s focus on what is positive in our lives: our families, our friends, our blessings and spring is on the way!

Any opinions are those of Stacy Caudill and Cliff Mulder and not necessarily those of Raymond James. The information contained in this report does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. There is no assurance any of the trends mentioned will continue or forecasts will occur. Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected.