Kaizen Capsules

IN THIS MONTH’S RECAP:

• U.S. – China trade disputes persist causing world markets to decline
• Consumer confidence surges to near 18yr highs
• Jobless rate fell to nearly a 50-year low
• US housing market continues to soften despite a sharp drop in mortgage rates

Q1 Recap Summary:

• The Federal Reserve takes a less “hawkish” stance
• The truce in the trade dispute holds
• The real estate market strengthens
• Stocks make an impressive comeback from Q4

THE QUARTER IN BRIEF

IN THIS MONTH’S RECAP

• Domestic and foreign shares up modestly in the month
• Scheduled tariff increases on Chinese goods postponed
• Fed Reserve gives a more dovish outlook on interest rates
• Some signs of US economic slowing but economy remains strong

For those of you interested in the details of the market, here is our recap of January’s economic activities.

In this month’s recap

Even with less itemizing, there are still tax documents you want to retain for years to come.  With the start of the tax season, we thought it would be prudent to send out a refresher on what documents to keep and for how long and when and what you can discard.

How much do you really know about long term care?  Here are some eldercare facts and eldercare myths for you to consider.

To say that 2018 was a year of ups and downs would be an understatement!  Here is a look at where we started and how we ended the year along with the details on what

THE MAJOR THEMES OF 2018

Summary of this week’s letter:

• Volatility is up and likely to persist
• Market downturns are frequent and common
• How we invest to weather all market conditions
• Reiterating the case for international exposure

Volatility Continues