Our team and office are growing!
You may have noticed that Haldenby Financial Group has expanded out to the Petrolia to better service clients. Our newly renovated office is located at 4359 Petrolia Line and you are more than welcome to pop-in for a visit with our licensed assistant, Amanda Malette for a visit!
New spaces & faces: We are happy to welcome Taylor Wales (from the area) to the Haldenby Financial Group team! Taylor is a licensed associate advisor, who will assist Cathy & Dean in our ongoing commitment to bring the best planning & investment experience to you!
Market Moves: Keep Calm & Stay the Course
If there is something we learned from the last big market drop in 2008, it is that staying the course and the “buy, hold, prosper” philosophy works well for the long-term. Knee-jerk reactions and changes mid-stream can cause more harm than good to one’s investments and goals. Let us be reminded that over the past three years we have seen solid above average growth. In recent months we have experienced a correction and more volatility. Although it might be uncomfortable to see such fluctuations, corrections are healthy and help us to avoid huge market pullbacks (bubbles).
Over the past year, we have visited multiple investment seminars and conferences. The over-whelming theme is that this is not a “2008” occurrence, rather a pause in the type of growth we have experienced over the last few years. This is reinforced by the fact that global economies continue to grow. We have confidence in knowing that markets, over the long run, have moved in a positive trend and will normalize. Those who choose to stay invested will be rewarded for their patience. Positive growth will return and it is a good opportunity for those waiting to enter the markets at lower levels. That being said, in general, many managed investments recommended by our firm have outperformed the overall market indices. This is not only a factor of quality investment management recommendations, but also the fact that we have properly diversified income (bonds) and equities (stocks) within your portfolio-mix.
So, why are investments fluctuating? To help cut through the noise we believe the recent reaction is the product of three elements:
- The US Federal Reserve (Fed) has been wavering on its decision to raise interest rates for the first time in seven years. This monetary dance has to be taken cautiously, in order to ensure the Fed does not raise rates too soon in order to keep economic growth on the straight and narrow! We are cautiously optimistic that the fed’s confidence in the markets will lead to a rate increase this year. This in turn would be positive for markets as a signal that the economy is on solid footing.
- Oil’s supply has grown and this puts downward pressure on oil prices. This for multiple reasons, but at the end of the day it comes down to: too much oil, not enough buyers. Historically, oil has had tremendous growth, and while we believe the price will stay low over the short-run, at some point it will normalize back to a average level. The other side to this equation is that the low cost of oil helps “fuel” the bottom lines for companies that use oil (from production of goods, to transport of everyday goods). We tried to think of a company or government that does use oil–We’re still thinking.
- Globally, China has been a developing strongly and has been going through a slow-down recently. This has been lifted by Chinese economic stimulus, as a new global player learns how to temper economic uncertainty
Our first rule of investing is “mitigate risk.” We examine your goals & needs in detail to ensure you are matched with the investment that best fits you. One such way of doing that is to involved investment and income guarantees. Some investments allow you to grow the market value like a mutual fund, but protect your principal for the long-run using maturity and death benefit guarantees. Others employ an extra layer of protection to guarantee you money or ‘income’ for life. These philosophies may give you an added level of comfort in volatile times—if you think these may benefit you, please let us know.
The Power of Consolidation
Do you have investments at different institutions? Funds at the bank?
Having more than one advisor may work for some, but it can become confusing and lead to lost opportunities. There are many benefits to consolidating your investments and planning with our firm. First and foremost, choosing Haldenby Financial Group as your financial planning firm gives us the ability to completely understand your financial situation and goals. Our all-inclusive planning services allow us to:
- Better understand, review and execute your entire investment and financial planning strategy.
- Develop & protect your financial plan, investments and tax strategies; and help you save your money on your investments, insurance, banking, debt & mortgages.
- Reduce the chance of being trapped in Ontario’s “death (probate) tax”… with a full legacy review of your holdings and beneficiaries we can ensure you pass on your legacy the way you intended.
- Reduce paperwork. In a world that is supposed to go paperless (yeah, right!) consolidation with Haldenby Financial Group will reduce some of your statements and headaches.
- Save you money: everyone likes to know they are getting a good deal. If you consolidate with Haldenby Financial there are opportunities to reduce your investment costs and automatically increase your investment returns.
- Did you know that you could hold and we can advise on your bank branch mutual funds in your HollisWealth portfolio, potentially saving you money? With certain bank mutual funds when they are held under our advisor series the investment cost is reduced.
In order to have a complimentary consolidation review, please contact our office to setup an appointment or discuss this with us at your next review.
Too Much Paper?
Save some trees, and unclutter your file cabinet with our help. Have you had enough of storing your HollisWealth paperwork?
If you have a HollisWealth Wealthtracker account, it is easy to change your preferences to receive paperwork by email instead of mail. Simply log onto your Wealthtracker account and click on “eDelivery” on the left side bar.
Then select your Delivery Method as “Online” for each account.
Not on WealthTracker? No problem: If you have a computer and would like to be setup on WealthTracker account please contact our office to set one up!