Thank You For Attending

Thanks to all for attending our “Investment Strategies in Turbulent Times” presentation held on Nov. 14 at California State University Fresno, University Business Center.  There were over 90 in attendance.

Highlights of the evening included the honoring of Portfolio Advisors Inc. founder, Gary Leffler.  Gary was presented with a custom made framed piece that included memorabilia from throughout his career.  The presentation was made by Michael Leffler (Gary’s son) who is the principal and owner of Portfolio Advisors.  The featured speaker from Dimensional Funds was Regional Director Jay Totten who talked about the importance of a diversified portfolio in weathering the economic storms that inevitably occur.    

See pictures from the event below

Market Turbulence

October was quite a month from an S&P 500 standpoint.  The index grew 10.9%, its largest growth month since 1991.  This growth spurt followed, as you may recall, 5 consecutive months of decline.

We’re certainly seeing big daily, weekly and monthly swings in stock market indices…. turbulent times indeed.  But, with stock markets, shouldn’t we expect a degree of turbulence?  Since 1980, for example, the average intra-year (that is, during each calendar year) S&P 500 decline exceeded 14%.  Restated, the average high-to-low decline during those calendar years exceeded 14%.

Calendar year returns since 1980 were positive 24 of the 31 years, despite those intra-year declines.  And, the average annual return for the S&P 500 for the 1980 through 2010 period was 11.4%.  So, a level of stock market turbulence seems to have always been with us, and the long-term stock market return was attractive despite it.

It is our belief that a properly diversified investment portfolio remains an effective strategy for dealing with rocky and uncertain markets in the future.  Your advisor is best suited to help you navigate through these turbulent times. 

Changes Made to Website and Blog!

Thanks for taking a look at our updated website and blog!  We have been hard at work to make the website compelling and relevant.  We have also changed the look and functionality of our blog and we invite you to follow us by submitting your email address.  When a new item posts, you will receive an email alerting you with a link to the item.  We plan to add one or two new topical items per month and hope that you will find them interesting.  Some other new blog functions include the ability to easily email an item to a friend, or to post it to your own blog.  You will also be able to share the post through your own Twitter and Facebook pages.    

We also hope that you spend a few minutes going through our website and checking out all of the content.  New to the site, is information related to the client experience, FAQ’s or general questions and answers as well as information about our strategy and philosophy.  In the “Client Center,” you are able to access your portfolio documents and can access many tools, such as a 1040 tax calculator and an amortization calculator.   In the “Information Center,” you will find Financial Briefs, Featured News and Articles of Interest.  You will want to check this area monthly for articles that may be helpful to you.

We hope you look forward to our monthly updates and we look forward to serving you.