Greetings,

I can't believe we are in the last quarter of the year! LPP has a lot of exciting things happening that we don't want you to miss!

On Friday the 18th we will host our annual LPP Shred Party from 1pm-4pm. We invite you to bring all your old documents to be shredded on site and enjoy some tasty food and refreshing beverages. If you can't make it but have some documents you would like to shred please feel free to drop them by the office and we will make sure they are shredded.

On October 22^nd we invite you to join us for another informative LPP webinar. This time Brett will discuss what you need to know about market returns and how our investment approach works. 

We are also excited to introduce you to our newest team member Tanner Merritt. Tanner earned his undergraduate degree in Business Management and a graduate degree in Personal Financial Planning from Texas Tech University. Before joining Life Planning Partners, he served in the U.S. Army, worked as a financial advisor at Vanguard, and most recently traveled the world as a financial counselor, providing support to military personnel. Tanner's decision to join Life Planning Partners stems from his deep passion for delivering comprehensive financial planning with a client-first approach.

He became a CFP® professional in 2021 and is also a Certified Financial Therapy, CFT™, practitioner, driven by a strong commitment to improving financial well-being. Originally from Selma, Alabama, Tanner relocated to Jacksonville after living in England for two years. Outside of the office, he enjoys watching Formula 1 racing, attending concerts, cooking, and cherishing time with his wife, son, and two dogs.



We look forward to you meeting him! 

Staying on Course

By Brett Lozowski

Despite some turbulence, financial markets continued to rally this past quarter. The US stock market (S&P 500 index) hit all-time highs gaining a terrific 22.0% year to date. Bonds also continued to gain posting 4.5% return year to date.



Everything went right for financial markets this quarter. The stock market quickly shrugged off a volatile 10% pullback in August just to record new all-time highs in September. Inflation continued to ease, unemployment rates remained near historic lows, and we even got the long-awaited rate cut from the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve even indicated further rate cuts this year, which can help consumer lending rates.

With financial markets surging to fresh all-time highs, you would think nothing can stop financial markets from running higher. Well, it only takes one small clog in the machine to derail everything, whether that be higher unemployment, lower corporate profitability, unexpected higher inflation, or lower interest rate cuts than expected.

You may notice I left off the US presidential election. There will likely be a very turbulent news cycle through this last month leading up to the election. As you remember from our July newsletter, who wins the presidential election has very little impact on the financial markets.

The largest companies in the US became successful through their resiliency. They overcame and endured many economic cycles and presidential cycles throughout their history, and they will continue to remain resilient regardless of who wins the next presidential election.

Just like our favorite companies - we must also remain resilient and disciplined to our approach in sticking with our financial plans. Success happens when we follow the plan and avoid the noise that often causes people to abandon rational thought. We’ll remind you of this when the picture isn’t so rosy.

As always, your team at Life Planning Partners is here for you with any questions or concerns you may have!

New Requirement - BOF filing with FinCen

You may have heard something in the news about the federal government requiring people who own companies to register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen). This is to crack down on the use of shell companies for financial fraud. If you own a company to hold properties or if you run a business, you will most likely have to register by December 31^st. We are in the process of identifying who will need to file. The good news – it takes about ten minutes if you have your information ready. You’ll need to know your tax ID number for your company and you’ll have to upload a copy of your driver’s license or passport. We’ll be in touch with instructions soon. Click here to visit the FinCen site and learn more.