Putting the Finishing Touches on 2017
With new tax legislation dominating the end of 2017, and markets not really doing much of anything, we can safely place 2017 in cold storage - if not the dustbin of history. Why cold storage? Just because it's likely that as we take our first unsteady steps into 2018, we'll look back for a while to see just how things ended up in 2017 and why. On the other hand, that idea doesn't really seem all that appealing or potentially informative. After all, did 2017 really make any sense?
We've been told the economy was rock solid, and that its trend is up. We've been told that unemployment fell like a rock, and that new jobs will spring to life due to the recent tax legislation. We've been told that the stock market presages good times ahead, given its strong performance in 2017. If all of this makes sense to you, great. We're certainly not going to offer a contrary view. Heck, maybe you're right. And if you are, again, great.
Regarding the recently passed tax legislation, we've been reading and listening to analysis that tells us it's too early to draw definitive conclusions above and beyond what we've already posted. If you care to, we suggest you follow what should be continuing commentary and clarification as we move into the New Year.
As for markets, we've learned from long (and sometimes painful) experience that any predictions we might be tempted to offer have as much chance of being wrong as being right. So why waste space or your time?
So that leave us with today, the penultimate day of 2017. Looking back, we find "gratitude" to be the best description of both our feelings about the 17th year of the third Millennium, as well as the reality from which those feelings spring. No complaints on this end, and we thank God for that. Blessed to be born in the U.S. in a time of relative peace and prosperity, what's to complain about? Having a wife, children, friends, a profession, wonderful clients and colleagues only adds to the halo around our little neck of the woods.
And so as this Year of Our Lord 2017 winds down, we place ourselves, as always in God's hands, even as our imagination revels in the glory of a wonderful Christmas Season. If you're wondering what our thoughts and feelings look like, well, here it is:
And with that we wish you a Happy Sixth Day of Christmas.
As for New Year's Eve, don't do anything stupid; stay safe. To all those who patrol our streets to keep a lid on those who insist on being stupid and unsafe, we offer up our prayers for your own safety.
As Tiny Tim said in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol: God bless us, everyone.
We've been told the economy was rock solid, and that its trend is up. We've been told that unemployment fell like a rock, and that new jobs will spring to life due to the recent tax legislation. We've been told that the stock market presages good times ahead, given its strong performance in 2017. If all of this makes sense to you, great. We're certainly not going to offer a contrary view. Heck, maybe you're right. And if you are, again, great.
Regarding the recently passed tax legislation, we've been reading and listening to analysis that tells us it's too early to draw definitive conclusions above and beyond what we've already posted. If you care to, we suggest you follow what should be continuing commentary and clarification as we move into the New Year.
As for markets, we've learned from long (and sometimes painful) experience that any predictions we might be tempted to offer have as much chance of being wrong as being right. So why waste space or your time?
So that leave us with today, the penultimate day of 2017. Looking back, we find "gratitude" to be the best description of both our feelings about the 17th year of the third Millennium, as well as the reality from which those feelings spring. No complaints on this end, and we thank God for that. Blessed to be born in the U.S. in a time of relative peace and prosperity, what's to complain about? Having a wife, children, friends, a profession, wonderful clients and colleagues only adds to the halo around our little neck of the woods.
And so as this Year of Our Lord 2017 winds down, we place ourselves, as always in God's hands, even as our imagination revels in the glory of a wonderful Christmas Season. If you're wondering what our thoughts and feelings look like, well, here it is:
And with that we wish you a Happy Sixth Day of Christmas.
As for New Year's Eve, don't do anything stupid; stay safe. To all those who patrol our streets to keep a lid on those who insist on being stupid and unsafe, we offer up our prayers for your own safety.
As Tiny Tim said in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol: God bless us, everyone.
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