Well, 2011 is in the books and the simple truth is that it was not a good one for investors. Of course, if you listened only to the media, you would think we were in the midst of a total economic collapse. We are not. Yes, there are serious problems and they will not be solved easily or quickly, but they will be solved. Two hundred and thirty-six years of history tells us so.

My optimism for the future continues. Markets are generally up from when I first wrote about The New American Renaissance (click here and here) and my confidence is unshaken. The mass media does a horrible disservice to us all with its constant exaggeration and seemingly permanent cataclysmic tone. We must rise above the noise and not let it distract us.

If I have the privilege and responsibility of supervising your money, your comprehensive year end summary and analysis should be in your hands by now. As you can see, the fourth quarter was a good one for patient, disciplined investors, but the year as a whole was disappointing. Most portfolios saw a moderate decline in value. Again, no crisis, but certainly nothing to celebrate either. We also saw a continued high level of volatility which I believe we will have to live with for the foreseeable future.

This year has begun with solid positive returns, erasing in most cases, for now, the losses of last year. This volatility, of course, makes maintaining a long term, disciplined approach even more challenging than usual. At he same time, however, it makes it that much more important. As we saw in the last quarter and the beginning of this year, ignoring the "noise" pays off.  

Now, as always, The Intelligent Decision is to have a well planned, written program, adhere to it, monitor it closely and make adjustments only when fundamentals change and not with passing trends. If you are in need of that kind of serious approach to your finances and I am not yet helping you, please give me a call. I'd love to hear from you.

For those who do have my report in hand, please have a look at it and call me any time so that we may review it and your entire financial situation on an individual basis.

Best wishes to all for a happy, heathy and prosperous future.