“My mother told me two things constantly. One was to be a lady, and the other was to be independent.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Greetings everyone,

As I write this week’s letter to you, it would have been my mother’s 100th birthday had she lived. She was born Ruth Elizabeth Sauer on October 4, 1921, an only child. I was her first born of four children always remarking that she loved us all equally. But, of course, I knew she and I had a special connection, parent/child, and friend/confidant.

‍

I used the Ruth Bader Ginsburg quote above as it is what my mother told me, too, “Always be a lady and learn to take care of yourself, be independent.” I might have taken those words far too seriously as I look back at my own life. What I do recall so clearly is her total acceptance of whatever it was I needed to do; as a mother myself, fumbling my way into adulthood and surviving relationships and illnesses. I remember one time she said, “I’m so proud of you whatever it is you do . . .” I don’t think she ever really understood my career but was my enthusiastic cheerleader.

How blessed are all of us who have mothers and daughters with a bond that is so special. We encourage our girls today to be all they can be, to live life their own way while giving back to family and to community. We are daughters for a while and then we are the mothers of daughters and sons. What we model for them influences the generations that follow.

Tonight, I light a candle and say a prayer of thanks for my mother, my friend. Happy 100th birthday, Momma.

‍

Road Trip Anyone? Washington has it all.

From hidden waterfalls to secluded parks you never knew existed; Washington has gems all over the place to discover. Here are some of the many hidden treasures you’ll find fascinating.

• Spoon Creek Falls on the Olympic Peninsula. It drops over 70 feet in two tiers. Best time to see is October to July.

• Stehekin Valley, Near Chelan. You can get here by hiking in, flying in or most take a ferry. The scenic valley is hiding in the northwest end of Lake Chelan with trails everywhere.

• Congdon Castle, Yakima. It’s a 30,000 square foot stone castle occupied by a family – not open to the public. It has 80 rooms, 18 are bedrooms, a lookout tower and even an indoor swimming pool. You can view the outside.

• Port Williams Beach, near Sequim. It is a tranquil and often overlooked. Take a metal detector to uncover potential buried hidden treasures.

• Salt Creek Recreation Area, Port Angeles. It is tucked away from the main road behind a forest of trees. This 196-acre park, full of rock bluffs, upland forests, tide pools, beaches, and several places to go camping. T is said to be one of the prettiest hidden parks in Washington.

Did you know that Bucoda, Washington is known as The World’s Tiniest Town with the Biggest Halloween Spirit?

From October 1 to October 31 the entire town is transformed into a Halloween paradise. The town’s original name Seatco from “Tsi-at-co,” meaning “devil” or “ghost place.”

‍

Judith McGee, L.H.D., CFP®, ChFC®

Executive Vice President and Senior Lead Advisor

‍

In the Markets

LAST WEEK

A rally last Friday helped drive stocks generally higher last week. The Dow, the Russell 2000, and the Global Dow were able to post gains, while the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 closed the week in the red. Declines in the market sectors were broad-based, with only energy (5.8%) climbing higher. Growth shares fared worse than value stocks, as evidenced by the dip in the tech-heavy Nasdaq. While the federal government averted a partial shutdown, no progress was made on raising the federal debt limit. Investors also saw the prospects of inflationary pressures continuing as supply constraints are driving production costs higher. Ten-year Treasury yields rose 13 basis points to 1.46%. Some analysts suggest that a spike in Treasury yields may be reflective of investors' expectations that the Federal Reserve could start tightening its monetary policies as early as November. Crude oil prices increased more than $5.00 per barrel. The dollar continued its bullish run, while gold prices dipped.
Stocks opened the week mixed, with the Dow, the Russell 2000, and the Global Dow gaining, while the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 lost value. The dollar and crude oil prices advanced. Bond prices slid, increasing the yield on 10-year Treasuries to 1.48%. Rising bond yields could weigh on growth stocks, particularly in the technology sector, which generally has low dividend yields. Energy and financials led the market sectors, while health care, information technology, utilities, and real estate dipped.
Stocks tumbled last Tuesday on growing concern over the debt-ceiling impasse in Washington. Technology shares underperformed, pulling the Nasdaq down 2.8% — its largest single-day decline since March. The Russell 2000 fell 2.3%, followed by the S&P 500 (-2.0%), the Dow (-1.6%), and the Global Dow (-1.1%). Ten-year Treasury yields reached 1.53%, a mark not approached since late June. The dollar rose for the second consecutive day, while crude oil prices fell. The market sectors declined, with information technology (-3.0%) and communication services (-2.8%) falling the furthest. Energy (0.5%) was the only sector to gain ground.
The market yielded mixed returns last Wednesday. Consumer staples, health care, utilities, and real estate helped push the large caps of the Dow (0.3%) and the S&P 500 (0.2%) higher, while a pullback in tech shares dragged the Nasdaq (-0.2%) lower. The Russell 2000 (-0.3%) and the Global Dow (-0.2%) also fell. Ten-year Treasury yields pushed higher, while the dollar climbed to its highest level since November 2020. Crude oil prices receded but remained well over $74.00 per barrel.
Equities dipped lower last Thursday, despite confirmation that Congress passed a nine-week spending bill to temporarily avert a U.S. government shutdown. Each of the major indexes closed in the red, led by the Dow (-1.6%), followed by the S&P 500 (-1.2%), the Russell 2000 (-0.9%), the Global Dow (-0.9%), and the Nasdaq (-0.4%). The dollar and 10-year Treasury yields fell, while crude oil prices rose. All of the market sectors declined, with industrials (-2.1%) and consumer staples (-1.9%) falling the furthest, while financials, materials, and real estate each fell 1.6%.
Stocks had their best day of the week last Friday, with dip-buying driving cyclicals higher. Investors got promising news about a new COVID-19 medication. Each of the indexes posted gains, led by the Russell 2000 (1.7%), followed by the Dow (1.4%), the S&P 500 (1.2%), the Nasdaq (0.8%), and the Global Dow (0.4%). Bond prices rose, pulling the yields on 10-year Treasuries lower. The dollar slid, while crude oil prices advanced. Energy (3.3%), communication services (1.8%), financials (1.6%), information technology (1.4%), and industrials (1.4%) led the market sectors.
‍

THIS WEEK

Employment figures for September are available at the end of this week. While the jobs sector has been steadily improving, the pace of new hires has slowed. Since June and July, when more than 900,000 new jobs were added each month, August saw a job increase of only 235,000. On the other hand, earnings have increased 4.3% since August 2020.

Source: Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc.

Articles & Education

Q3 Market Commentary

- Read More -

The Three Dimensions of Risk: Tolerance, Capacity, & Need

More wealth has been lost due to human emotions and the lack of sound, disciplined financial planning than to any bear market. The good news is that risk is quite manageable with the help of a trusted advisor and an understanding of three dimensions of risk: our own personal tolerance, capacity, and need.

- Read More -

Investment Term of the Week

Thought of the Week

Please Note: McGee Wealth Management is a tradename. All services are provided by McGee Wealth Management investment professionals are provided in their individual capacities as investment adviser representatives of Mercer Global Advisors Inc. (“Mercer Advisors”), an SEC registered investment adviser principally located in Denver, Colorado, with various branch offices throughout the United States doing business under different tradenames, including McGee Wealth Management.

Mercer Advisors Inc. and/or Mercer Global Advisors Inc. WILL NOT ACCEPT time-sensitive transactional directives via email. This includes, but is not limited to a directive to buy or sell securities, instruction regarding account allocation or any other manner of change notice affecting a client account. For your protection, please do not include your social security number, account number, or any other personal or financial information in the content of the email.

Securities offered through Lion Street Financial, LLC. (LSF), member FINRA & SIPC. Investment Advisory Services offered through Mercer Global Advisors Inc., which owns and utilizes the McGee Wealth Management wordmark and logo in marketing its investment advisory and ancillary services. LSF is not affiliated with McGee Wealth Management or Mercer Global Advisors.

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email and any attachments are strictly confidential and may be protected by legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this email or any attachment is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you have received this email in error, please notify us immediately by returning it to the sender and delete this copy from your system. Thank you for your cooperation.

Investment products are: Not deposits. Not FDIC or NCUA Insured. Not guaranteed by the ﬁnancial institution. Subject to risk. May Lose Value.The information contained in this report does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. There is no guarantee that these statements, opinions or forecasts provided herein will prove to be correct. Investing involves risk and you may incur a proﬁt or loss regardless of strategy selected. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index of 500 widely held stocks that is generally considered representative of the U.S. stock market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), commonly known as “The Dow” is an index representing 30 stock of companies maintained and reviewed by the editors of the Wall Street Journal. The NASDAQ composite is an unmanaged index of securities traded on the NASDAQ system. Keep in mind that individuals cannot invest directly in any index, and index performance does not include transaction costs or other fees, which will affect actual investment performance. Individual investor's results will vary. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This information is not intended as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any security referred to herein. Asset allocation and diversiﬁcation do not ensure a proﬁt or guarantee against loss.

Certiﬁed Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certiﬁcation marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with ﬂame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certiﬁcation requirements.

The ChFC® mark is the property of The American College, which reserves sole rights to its use, and is used by permission.

The Russell 2000 Index measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index, which represent approximately 8% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000 Index.
The Global Dow is an equal-weighted stock index. It is composed of the stocks of 150 top companies from around the world as selected by Dow Jones editors and based on the companies' long history of success and popularity among investors.

Sector investments are companies engaged in business related to a speciﬁc sector. They are subject to ﬁerce competition and their products and services may be subject to rapid obsolescence. There are additional risks associated with investing in an individual sector, including limited diversiﬁcation. The companies engaged in the communications and technology industries are subject to ﬁerce competition and their products and services may be subject to rapid obsolescence. Investing in the energy sector involves special risks, including the potential adverse effects of state and federal regulation and may not be suitable for all investors.

There is no guarantee that ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investment products or strategies will produce returns similar to traditional investments. ESG investment criteria exclude certain securities/products for non-financial reasons, and therefore investors may forego some market opportunities available to those who do not use such criteria.

‍

MWM Weekly Update

The Week of October 4, 2021