Who would have thought that against a background where there have been no major legislative victories in Washington this year, investigations into possible impeachable offensives by the president are ongoing and tensions with North Korea remain near a boiling point, that the various stock market indices would be reaching all-time highs on an almost daily basis? Probably nobody.

But that is indeed the reality that we find ourselves in. Not only have the markets been going up, but volatility has also been almost non-existent, and the markets have been able to shrug off potentially negative events time and again.

As we near the end of 2017, the events mentioned above as well as the potential failure of tax reform efforts (especially in light of the recent election losses by Republicans) and continued political gridlock cast a potential shadow over the markets. Don't forget, as well, that we are due at some point for a normal bull market correction that seems, quite frankly, well overdue.

This is not to say that I am forecasting doom and gloom. But I think that given all of the forces that potentially stand in the way of this market, it makes sense to reiterate to clients how important it is to think long-term and to not overreact when volatility returns and the market declines.

Click here to download a piece from Oakwood Capital Management entitled "Key Questions for the Long-Term Investor." It's a great piece to share with clients to remind them of your value as well as to keep them levelheaded.

The piece concludes with the question "So, what should I be doing?" The answers: