Some of you have been clients long enough to remember the birth of my first daughter 25 years ago.

Happy New Year! We welcome the arrival of 2022 and are hopeful for the opportunities each new year brings.

We welcome Autumn, as the humidity and heat of summer give way to cool crisp air, clear skies, and the changing colors of the leaves.

As we enter the dog days of summer, I am reminded of a reference from F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby regarding summer.

“In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” – Mark Twain.

As we turn the corner of another year, I was brought back to the famous speech given by Teddy Roosevelt

“In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists”.

Last quarter I wrote that I was optimistic about our country’s ability to weather a crisis like COVID-19, and while the last 3 months have been challenging, we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.

In these difficult times it is easy to think we are alone. Especially when our support systems are far away or have been reduced to virtual connections.

We closed 2019 on a strong note as the markets logged new record highs. On the surface, as tensions appear to ease with China on the back of a “phase 1” trade deal, and the threat of a potential recession fades, we forge ahead into the new year with only minor headwinds – unlike the close of 2018.