October 30, 2020
I contemplated not writing a letter from August Wealth this month, but I decided to write a very brief one. As many of you know, October can be a particularly difficult time in my life. It isn’t that I think about time or dates on a conscious level, but there are factors that impact me emotionally just because of the time of year. The good news is that I have a heightened sense of awareness of my strengths and weaknesses. I have grown to respect the fact that it draws on my energy levels, I rest and reflect more, and I come out of it stronger than ever. This awareness of hope for the future, faith that life’s problems tend to work themselves out, keep me moving forward even when life is hard.
Many others I speak with also seem to be having a hard time right now: political uncertainty, market volatility, increase in Covid-19 infections and the response to mitigate it, fear of election outcome and social unrest, and the upcoming holidays and how we will or won’t celebrate this year. The stress and emotion people feel is real; uncertainty and change can be hard. I have a great deal of empathy for the pain people are experiencing. However, as in all aspects of life, this too shall pass. It’s all just temporary; my advice, focus on the present instead of the way things were or the way things might look in the future. The present to me looks pretty good, and it’s not just rose-tinted glasses (I don’t own those!).
I have faith that we are more alike than different, and although we lose that perspective sometimes, people will come around to the view that we will move forward and help one another. Our government is founded on universal truths and a dynamic system that will get us through. Those founding fathers were wise men. We will have resolution on election results soon (maybe not right on election day), and even if we have some disturbances, most people will just continue with their lives. Most adults know they are being manipulated to a degree if they are on social media, and so they will view the stories they read recognizing with some degree of caution.
Covid-19 mortality rates continue to decline for all age groups as treatments improve, and someday in the future we will be passed the dominant theme of the moment.
I hope we are all able to celebrate the coming holidays by giving thanks for all we have been given: our lives, our families, our country. The more gratitude we have, the less we will view changes to the way we celebrate as a negative. It just becomes a different way of celebrating this year.
All this uncertainty and fear is likely to leave many people waiting for more clarity and certainty before moving forward. In many of my conversations, I sense people’s trepidation. However, the economy continues to recover, in the aggregate we continue to move forward, and this momentary pause because of elections and Covid will be behind us soon. There are many investments that will likely benefit in the coming years, but I suspect many investors are not participating yet. From my perspective, the climate for investment and growth look very positive indeed. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it.
No book or quote this week, but a Netflix Movie!
My Octopus Teacher
This documentary really had an impact on me. It is a metaphor for life. We are connected to each other, and we are connected to all of life on earth. Sometimes we lose our way, but the path to happiness and beauty is right in front of us if we stay open to seeing how miraculous life is.
I won’t give any details away, but bottom line, I don’t eat octopus anymore!
Joseph Cardello, Principal August Wealth Advisors, LLC The Loft, 101 Franklin Street, Suite A
Westport, CT 06880 Direct (916) 461-9451 toll free (800) 985-9477
jcardello@augustwealthadvisors.com www.augustwealthadvisors.com
Investment advice offered through Stratos Wealth Advisors, LLC, a registered investment advisor; DBA August Wealth Advisors.
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