Preparing For and Managing Change

In a world of uncertainty there are a few things that we can view as certain; one of those is change! This by its very nature creates uncertainty.

At the Ballou Family Office, we consider Change to be a fourth block in an investment management sequence. The others are: Goals, Strategy, and Implementation.

If you also believe Change is a fundamental aspect of any management sequence, then the logical question is: What is your process to prepare for and manage change?

Experiences in the 1970’s provided the foundation for identification of the Factors and Influences (F&I) that act as the catalysts for change. This became a focus after the investment markets of the 1970’s refuted academic teachings of the day related to finance and economics. Surprisingly, many of those same principles still remain the foundation of financial education today.

This experience taught us that conventional wisdom is not always wise. Conventional wisdom is mostly a function of looking backwards and expecting the relationships of the past to remain in effect in the future.

Any basic study of finance and social sciences confirms the actuality of cycles. We also understand that each of the Fourteen Factors and Influences (F&I) we have identified do exhibit cycles and patterns. With additional research, experts in these cycles can be found and their conclusions are weighed. What is extremely difficult is connecting the dots of how the factors and influences interact with each other and determining whether they are defining or resulting interactions.

The Ballou Family Office is pleased to provide a forward-looking thought process for the management of change. To this end, we are available for communication with regard to F&I and the cycles they are shaping. At this time, here are some areas of change we are focusing on: 1) Inflation 2) Interest Rates 3) Unipolar world versus the multipolar world as it is evolving 4) Debt levels and Fiscal policy 5) Bifurcated valuations 6) Demographics.

While all the F&I are significant, the interaction of the above six suggest the need to understand that the next decade is setting up to be different than the recent past. We invite you to partake in this significant conversation with us. Reach out to the team @ 614 457-8171. My extension is 202 - Chuck Ballou