Wait… It’s almost 2018?!

I don’t know about everyone else, but I am scratching my head as to what happened to 2017.  It feels like just yesterday that we wrote the Weekend Word looking back on 2016. So, let’s take a little bit and recap 2017 as 2018 comes rolling in.

  • Donald Trump was officially sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.
  • We got to experience the first total solar eclipse in 99 years.
  • It was a bad year for natural disasters between Hurricanes, Earthquakes and Wildfires.
  • We mourn the loss of Malcolm Young, Jerry Lewis, Chuck Berry and Roy Holliday among others.
  • The horrible trend of terrorist attacks continue worldwide.
  • U.S. politicians are mired in countless scandals.
  • The Dow blows past 20,000 on its march to 25,000.
  • We saw healthy economic growth across the globe
  • The Patriots won their 5th Super Bowl in 15 years.
  • The Houston Astros overcome Harvey to win their first ever World Series.
  • Our Pittsburgh Penguins win take home the Stanley Cup in back to back seasons!

While the headlines looked bad in 2017 there is a lot to remain hopeful for as the markets chugged forward despite all that happened this year globally.

This year at Laurel wasn’t arguably more jam packed than the previous.  We continued our building renovations, and updating and upgrading our processes and procedures to become more efficient and effective.  We welcomed Bridget to the LFG family, and have added an office puppy to the mix.  We continued our due diligence and met with fund company representatives, portfolio managers, and investment strategists over 40 times throughout the year to make sure we are continually evaluating our fund choices and to stay up to date on market activity.

All in all, 2017 was like any other year.  It had its ups and its downs, but we’ve all made it through hopefully no worse for wear.  So, we look forward to 2018 with the hopes that we will carry on the momentum we have had in 2017, albeit with a little less adversity.  Hopefully 2017 was a good year for you and your loved ones, and if there is anything we can do to make 2018 great for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out.