Greetings! I trust that this will find you well and enjoying life.
In case you haven’t heard (ha) it’s a presidential election year and those are always important years. I’m not going to bend your ear about who to vote for and why to vote for them. I figure you feel pretty justified and set in your position. I am going on record to say that I believe this to be the most important election of our lifetimes. And because of that we need to do all that we can to make a difference for what we believe and want for our country. This is a big chance for you to make a difference. They say that everyone has a moment in time of fame and this maybe it for you. So, get off of the fence, pull out all of the stops, let your friends and family know what you believe and if at all possible, get someone to vote who wouldn’t have if not for your effort. I’m making sure to speak with my young adult children and frankly anyone I know who I believe may be on the fence or not motivated to go vote. Voting is a privilege for us as Americans and no better example of freedom.
In case you’re not up on voting technicalities here they are. This years’ election is November 3. The secretary of state allows you to vote early in case you’re busy, out of town or just want to and those ten days are 10/16-10/27. If you live where I do in St Tammany Parish you can vote early in Slidell, Mandeville or Covington. For locations you can call the registrar of voters at 809-5500. Their web site is www.stprov.org and info is there as well. If you’re not registered to vote the deadlines to do so are by mail 10/5 and online 10/13. You’re going to need a Louisiana id to register. By the way phone numbers for other regional registrar of voters are Tangipahoa 985-345-3717, Orleans 504-658-8300, Jefferson 504-736-6191 and St Bernard 504-278-4200.
You can vote by mail if you are age 65 or older or will be out of town for a good reason like being at college or working out of the country. To do that you need to submit a form and you can call them to get one or access it on the web site.
The stock market’s performance won’t guarantee who wins the election especially in a year as challenging as 2020. History however shows that the incumbent has a clear advantage when the market rallies in the months leading up to the election. Going back to 1928 incumbent presidents have won 90% of the time when the S&P 500 was positive in the three months leading up to the election. That’s about as unequivocal as you can get! There have been six instances when in an election year the market fell from the end of August through election day and in all six times the incumbent lost the election (very unequivocal). So, why don’t we all hope for the best for a lot of reasons and perhaps even hold our breath…
It’s awesome to be an American with the freedoms we have! Imagine what it’s like to live in Cuba or Venezuela!!
And so, I want to encourage and challenge you to make a difference in this election. Regardless of the outcome, you’ll feel a lot better if you tried.
Best regards,
Jeff Christian CFP, CRPC
“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.”
Henry Ford