Contingency Plans and Contact Info, Volatility, and a note about IRA

The news continues to get scarier - mainly because of all the changes to daily life and interruptions to plans. Our very own office manager Sheila WAS supposed to be meeting her daughter in Seattle after her Coast Guard deployment to Antartica, and then heading to Wisconsin for her son's wedding. That is all up in the air now. There are undoubtedly similar stresses for many of you. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions about anything. Please know that we are here for you, and as scary as things may be - we never want to make investment decisions based on emotion. Fear is at extreme levels - but I still have no doubt that this will pass - in incremental steps of optimism that life WILL return to normal. Just want to let everyone know that as of now, Sheila and I are in the office daily. Jamie is off at the moment with 5 kids stuck at home. If you have any immediate needs, I want to make sure you have all of our contact information. If we happen to get told to stay home - I do have the ability to work from home, and would more than likely have the office phone forwarding to my cell phone. I also can retrieve voicemails on the office line, but if you aren't sure, you may use the other contact methods below.

Please know that I am here evaluating investment options on an ongoing basis. It is a fine line to try and find things to reduce risks while not giving up the upside of the eventual recovery. Again - with a properly built portfolio - any allocations to stocks should have plenty of time to ride out short-term volatility. From my experience, the number one reason some people have had poor investment experiences is selling in times of fear (after substantial losses), and then buying back when things feel "safe" again - usually at higher levels. It is very common for recoveries to be sharp and swift - usually before things feel any better. Yes - I hate this feeling as much as any of you - but if based on my education and experience I thought our best option was to get to the sidelines - I would recommend that. But I absolutely do not believe that. We WILL get through this scary time - just like the others before it.

One other note - if you are taking IRA Required Minimum Distributions from an IRA account with us that WE manage the portfolio (an advisory account) - your withdrawals more than likely are setup to come only from income and/or bond funds - meaning we aren't selling any stock funds to meet the withdrawals. However, if we don't manage your portfolio, or you have IRA accounts elsewhere (or any accounts you take regular withdrawals from) - please know that you do NOT have to sell funds to take an IRA distribution. If you don't need cash - you can withdraw shares of stocks, mutual funds, etc - keeping the money invested without selling it. Don't sell while things are down if you don't need to - let us know if you'd like to review your specific situation.

Contact Info:

Office Phone 559-408-7439
Ryan Cell Phone 559-240-2143
Office Text Line 559-370-3070

While I can receive texts on my cell phone - for tracking purposes, we are supposed to keep business related texts on the Text Line. This line also can be viewed by everyone in my office if I am not available. We cannot text you without your permission though - however, if you text us first, we can respond. If you are ok with us texting you - feel free to text 559-370-3070 right now to let us know. 

Sincerely, Ryan R. Roloff, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CMFC®, NSSA® 

 The views stated in this letter are not necessarily the opinion of Cetera Advisor Networks LLC and should not be construed directly or indirectly as an offer to buy or sell any securities mentioned herein. Due to volatility within the markets mentioned, opinions are subject to change with or without notice. Information is based on sources believed to be reliable; however, their accuracy or completeness cannot be guaranteed. Past performance does not guarantee future results.