Week of 6/17/2021

School is out in most of the country, and we join many parents and grandparents (and kids) who are glad to put this strange year behind them. We hope conditions continue to improve and look forward to returning to normal school patterns. We want to make you aware that we will be having an off-site team meeting on June 28-29. Our office will be closed for meetings, but we will be checking messages and emails at regular intervals. There may be a slight delay in processing requests, and we wanted to provide plenty of notice.

Inflation continues to be on many of your minds and we think Brad McMillan’s post does a good job of putting the year-to-year comparisons in perspective. Do the significant jumps in housing prices signal a long-term trend or will this year’s price increases stand out as a pandemic-fueled anomaly? We agree with Brad’s take and the item below seems to support that. The tremendous spike in lumber prices may have reached its end. Lumber futures, while well above their long-term average, have fallen 41% from the peak reached last month. Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, The Bomber Mafia, tells a great story about the conflict in the air warfare community before and during World War II. It’s an especially good audiobook, as it uses actual recordings of subjects where possible. My Octopus Teacher was recommended to us by one of you and is a really wonderful documentary, available on Netflix. It’s suitable for the whole family and is beautifully made. Many of you may know that each year you can request a free credit report. During a period of significant economic activity and significant fraud activity, reviewing your credit report is a prudent activity.

“Ask the Joes® (and Cale)” will return next week.

‌ ‌ ‌ Advisory Services offered through Lowry Financial Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Securities and additional advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. Advisory services offered through Lowry Financial Advisors, Inc, are separate and unrelated to Commonwealth. Lowry Financial Advisors, Inc. is located at 12921 SW 1st Rd, Suite 215, Tioga, FL 32669. 352-333-7990 Lowry Financial Advisors is the only advisory firm that helps its clients reach their goals through The Achieving Simplicity® Experience™, providing clarity and confidence in their personal and financial lives.