As we look back on the year, THANK YOU for making 2022 a successful year for Balanced Financial Concepts. Every year we strive to earn your trust in new and different ways by adapting to the ever-changing world and being proactive for you, our clients.
A very warm welcome to new clients this year and a personal thank you to those who introduced us to new relationships. We can’t thank you enough for thinking highly enough of us to introduce us to people who you think highly of.
Market In Review from Gautam
2022 has been a stressful year for investors. Unlike last year, the financial markets were extremely noisy this year. Stimulus money came out of stocks and bond markets were upended as the Fed raised interested rates faster and farther than expected. However, I do believe all this was a good thing and the economy needed to slow down. With interest rates low for so long, money was moving a little too fast, between housing, business acquisitions, and overall consumer spending.
As an advisor, I’m glad the markets are finally down so we can stop talking and wondering about it. As an investor, there’s never enough money to buy the dip. And it’s OK to do nothing: check out Gautam’s commentary in the Blog section on our website here: Don't Just Do Something, Stand There. I’m eager to see what 2023 brings as historically high interest rates have also been good for the economy and the financial markets.
Texting!
We will use texting mostly to confirm meetings and for quick exchanges for those who prefer texting. (You know who you are and we do too!) We will continue to send our e-newsletter and other important updates through email and social media. If you would like to text with us, please save Balanced Financial Concepts (440-349-5110) as a separate contact in your phone, then text us to get started. As with voicemail and email, trade instructions cannot be accepted via text.
Office Updates!
This year was one of few updates but some travel:
- In May, Gautam and family travelled to Maui for the Cetera Circle of Excellence conference where they hobnobbed with Cetera’s top advisors and took time to enjoy the island.
- In September, our administrative team - Fanitta, Carrie, Mara, and Kym - traveled to Naples, Florida where they met with peers to share the latest technology advancements, brainstorm ways to enhance client services and office efficiencies, and had some fun seeing people in person again. They have been busy putting new ideas to work to serve our clients better!
- Gautam was featured in a Cetera Wealth Management spotlight that you can read HERE.
Leading with Planning: AdviceWorks and Roadmap
AdviceWorks is your central access point for your finances, including account statements and other correspondence, e-delivery preferences, and seeing all of your accounts (including outside accounts) in one easy-to-access place. With e-signature now available for many forms, we will be using AdviceWorks whenever possible to limit mailing sensitive information except where necessary.
Roadmap will help you answer questions like this:
“Am I doing ok?”
“Should we be doing anything differently?”
AdviceWorks now brings you the full capability of our firm and our Roadmap planning tool within AdviceWorks can give you a defined path forward.
You can learn about AdviceWorksHERE. We’re happy to give you a demo during your next review or send you an invitation so that you can explore on your own.
Virtual Webinars and Learning Opportunities
This year we were happy to host three virtual sessions:
- Let’s Talk about the Real Estate Market
- College 101 - College Planning with Class 101 Cleveland Southeast
- College 102 - Navigating The Road to College with Putnam Investments
We will continue to offer a variety of learning opportunities and educational programs, so look for invitations in your email as well as on our website under “Events.” If you haven’t done so already, find Balanced Financial Concepts on social media for regular updates. (Links to our social media pages are easy to access at the top of our home page.)
Annual Reviews and In-Person Meetings
We will continue to schedule annual reviews during your birthday month. (You’ll receive an email the previous month with a request.) In-person meetings are always welcome, but you will continue to have virtual and phone options for your convenience (or for last-minute weather or scheduling changes).
Holiday Office Hours
Our office will be closed on the following days in observance of the year-end holidays:
Christmas – Friday, December 23rd and Monday, December 26th
New Year’s – Friday, December 30th and Monday, January 2nd
Our office will also be closed on Wednesday, January 4th for our annual offsite Business Development Retreat.
During these days, we will be checking voicemail and email regularly. If you need to come into the office or meet with Gautam (particularly our out-of-town clients), please contact us immediately for scheduling.
We, at Balanced Financial Concepts, know that you have a choice in who you work with. THANK YOU unconditionally for your business, your friendship, and your ongoing trust for the past 30+ years.
From our families to yours, WE WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY 2023. We are grateful to be a part of it.