Politics, Money and Two Tips for Staying Calm through the Next 100 Days

The first 100 days for an incoming administration is the traditional, initial period of assessment to demonstrate to the electorate how much it has achieved in fulfilling its promises.

There appears to be plenty on the agenda: the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, tax reform, renegotiated trade agreements, and infrastructure-financing all promise lively discussion amongst our elected officials, disturbing headlines, and the nightly “yes it is, no it isn’t” stuff of television’s political news programs.  An old friend of mine used to call this “noise.”

Just how much can be achieved in a hundred days is far from clear. It’s an ambitious fiscal agenda—one that will be rolling out through the same period that the Federal Reserve is likely to be initiating an interest rate hike, with two, possibly even three more to come this year.

One thing I can guarantee you is that markets don’t like uncertainty, and I would prepare yourself for a period of volatility until the way ahead gets a little clearer.

These moments can be a little unsettling to even the most seasoned investor, so here is a couple of tips:

1.      Invest in accordance with your long term goals, ambitions and circumstances. (It’s a good time to review the fundamentals of your portfolio.)

2.      Don’t listen to the “noise.”

And as always, don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions.