Reasons for Optimism
I went to the funeral of my great grandmother in law earlier this year. Her name was Goldie. She was born in 1922 and passed away at 97 years old. At the funeral, they told stories about her upbringing and how during the winter due to the cracks in the house it was near impossible to get warm at night.
She lived through the great depression, World War II, The Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Global Financial crisis in 2008. To me, those don’t seem like the best of times but to Goldie, she described them as the “good ol’ days” in her southern drawl.
I’m sharing this with you because looking back on history, life is pretty easy for us right now. We are living in a highly advanced society where not only do we not have to worry about whether we can keep warm at night, we can control our air conditioning or heater from the power of our smartphones so when we get home we are nice and snug.
The point I want to make is, I am optimistic about our future.
- 1 year ago, for the first time since the Labor Department started collecting data in 2000, there were more job openings than unemployed workers1
- To add further, In March of 2019 there were 1million more job openings than unemployed workers2
- In February, hourly wages rose at the fastest pace in 9 years2
- The Tax Policy Center estimated 65% of people paid less in taxes in 2018, under the new tax law that was passed3
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in April that jobs grew for the 102nd month in a row, the longest consecutive streak in history (by over 2x)4
- The unemployment rate is at 3.8%, near its lowest level in the last 50 years.4
- We’ve had the best start to the S&P500 since 19875
- Real GDP* (Gross Domestic Product) increased by 3.2% (outperforming expectations of 2.5%, strongest growth in 4 years6
During Goldie’s lifetime, the S&P 500, the top 500 companies in the United States, has averaged a rate of return of 9.8%4
What do you think it will return over our lifetime?
*GDP, Gross Domestic Product is one of the primary indicators used to gauge a country’s economy. It represents the total dollar value of all goods and services produced over a specific period.
Author: Tanner Fedell
I am an independent financial consultant working through North Star Consultants in Dallas, Texas, but I also work virtually with clients throughout the U.S. Whether you are an individual or a business, we have a whole host of solutions to fit your needs that I won’t bore you with listing here. If it impacts you financially, we can help.
Financial Advisors do not provide specific tax/legal advice and this information should not be considered as such. You should always consult your tax/legal advisor regarding your own specific tax/legal situation. 2521029/DOFU 5-2019
This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events, or a guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon by the reader as research or investment advice regarding any funds or stocks in particular, nor should it be construed as a recommendation to purchase or sell a security. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investments will fluctuate and when redeemed may be worth more or less than when originally invested.
The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged index of 500 stocks that is generally representative of the performance of larger companies in the U.S. Please note an investor cannot invest directly in an index.
1 There are now more job openings than workers to fill them, Lydia DePillis, CNN Money, June 5, 2018
2 The U.S. has 1 million more job openings than unemployed workers: CBS NEWS March 15, 2019
3 New York Times: Face it you probably got a tax cut, April 14th, 2019
4 Bureau of Labor Statistics: The employment situation – March 2019
5 Seeking Alpha Louis Bellucci S&P 500® Has Best First Quarter In Over 20 Years – But Upward Momentum Slows
6 CNBC US economy grows by 3.2% in the first quarter, topping expectations Apr 26, 2019, Fred Imbert