Letter to Stakeholders, April 2021
Wednesday, April 14, 9:24am EST. We are at an important inflection point of our grand social and economic experiment. On the precipice of a post-pandemic economy – one that has accelerated and highlighted the dangers of our financial wealth gap – we are about to test the limits of health, social and economic policy.
Tens, Millions and Trillions
Since this time last year, we have been faced with three (3) inescapable crises:
- COVID-19 - With decisive action by members of our Federal and State governments, millions of people are now vaccinated each day. Will government subsidized vaccines outpace the many variants from the UK, South Africa, Brazil and California?
- Social Unrest – Despite the arrest and trial of George Floyd’s murderer, we already have tens of people being shot to death by police this year; including a continued pattern of unarmed black men being killed. Asian hate crimes have been on the rise for months and hit a peak with 6 of 8 murders at Atlanta area spas last month. Can new or old hate crime laws reduce the hate?
- Economic Instability – Trillions of dollars have been spent and earmarked for fixing the long-term economic impacts of the COVID-19 shutdown and the mass migration from Central America to this country. Will a $2 Trillion infrastructure plan be enough to reimagine the economy of this country for the 21st century?
These are the things we are focused on as fellow caretakers of your goals and fellow stakeholders of this community. It seems to us that the erratic rise and fall of inflation and short-term stock market swings, pale in comparison to these much bigger issues. How these three (3) issues are managed will determine what kind of economy we have today, ten years from now and decades from now. You are invested for the long-term. The results of future health, social and economic policy will eventually impact your portfolios because they will impact the direction of this, the most successful democracy in world history.
How does this end?
Professional financial planners are amateur economists. So how does this end? We don’t know. But we are continuing our formal education in wealth planning, digital currency, blockchain, sustainable investing and philanthropy. We are also paying close attention to corporate leader’s political involvement as they lend or withhold support of new voter laws, tax policy and infrastructure spending. None of these issues will be resolved in 2021 but over the next few months politicians, business leaders and central bankers will give you and I plenty of direction.
Stakeholder Spotlight
Over the past year we hosted many community leaders over Zoom, broadcast live on Facebook; and eventually memorialized on YouTube (Subscribe Here).
Later today I am excited to host Ebony Perkins, Director of Investor Relations at Self-Help Credit Union, a non-profit bank dedicated to building wealth in disadvantaged communities. They began in 1980 and started with $77 in North Carolina to support worker-owned cooperatives. Today, they are in five (5) states including both Carolinas, California, Chicago and Florida. Ebony manages a 7-person team, working with investors and philanthropists to support Self-Help Credit Union’s mission: opportunity for all.
Join us live today at 3 pm by registering for our “Zoominar” here.
Sharing Financial “Tips”
Here are the financial tips you can share with friends and family for this month:
- Get your vaccine. Check your city, county (or your cousin’s) for your poke!
- File your quarterly taxes. First quarter 2021 federal taxes are still due tomorrow.
- Update your beneficiaries. Tax time is a good time to check to see who gets what.
There is a lot of uncomfortable news “out there” these days. We may not have total control but we have choices. As your financial stewards, we support you in whatever way you intend to change the world. Now is a good time.
Go for it!
Jason J. Howell, CFP®, CSRIC®
President
Jason Howell Company (JHCo.) is an independent, family wealth management firm run by two owners who consider it their family business. Jason J. Howell, CFP®, CPWA®, CSRIC® and Douglas W. Tees, MBA, CFP® are both married to patient wives and are dedicated to their kids.
The firm owners believe that serving families through a process that supports family harmony, preserves family history and nurtures family values is the key to true wealth. It begins with a sustainable Investment Strategy and continues by equipping client families with three (3) tools for creating sustainable wealth. Most JHCo. clients invest their time, talent and treasure in the community. Jason Howell Company enjoys serving clients who go beyond being stockholders to becoming true "stakeholders." JHCo. calls this work total family governance and it's their specialty. Doug and Jason empower communities, one family at a time.
For more information about our strategies, just book an introductory call: Introductory Call