 Dear Clients and Friends, What a great beginning to the new year! We are excited to share with you our new expanded newsletter, which will still include the Quarterly Update you are used to seeing but will now also include other exciting StraightLine news and updates. We recently launched a new website, which we hope you are enjoying, with its focus on improving your digital experience through technology. The site has streamlined navigation, comprehensive information, and interactive features. We have also just launched a new and exciting financial planning tool from MoneyGuide along with other upcoming exciting tools to be announced soon. You’ll read more about all of that below in the Q4 2023 Update. Michael Bisaro, AIF® President and CEO Important Reminder At StraightLine, your financial well-being is our priority. If there have been any updates or changes in your financial situation since you last met with your Financial Advisor, it is important that we meet with you as soon as possible. We ask that you please contact our office at 248-269-8366 or email us [email protected] to schedule a meeting, so we can review those changes together. 4th Quarter 2023 Update 2023 was the best terrible year in recent history. While sentiment remained depressed throughout the year, markets ignored the noise and went on a year-end run that rivals anything we have seen in the last decade. Overall, the year provided many important lessons in investing, with clear examples of why timing markets and letting emotions dictate decisions is rarely a good idea. In the short term, we remain cautiously optimistic about the prospects for 2024, even as we expect somewhat choppy returns. In the long term, many of the macro themes we have previously hit on (innovation, uncertain geopolitics, aging demographics, and higher inflation) remain in play and could once again impact markets. Encouragingly, the fourth quarter saw market returns broaden beyond the technology behemoths that accounted for so much of the returns during the first three quarters. US small-cap stocks were up 14.03% in Q4, leading the way, while international equities and domestic bonds markets were also higher. We believe the broadening out of returns can continue in 2024, and despite the big run, domestic small caps remain one of our highest conviction ideas. If markets continue to do well, we should see a meaningful uptick in both M&A (mergers and acquisitions) and more IPO activity as private companies look to access capital by going public. For nearly two years, rising rates and market turmoil led to frozen capital markets, but it appears that there was an uptick in activity during the last quarter. More corporate activity should be a tailwind for smaller companies, and there is more room to run in the months ahead. We have maintained a healthy weighting to small and mid-cap stocks in our allocations, and as the year progresses, if our outlook appears to be correct, we may look to increase our allocation in this area. For the time being, we continue to prioritize maintaining a neutral risk stance with broadly diversified equity exposure and higher quality fixed income holdings. Read the rest of the Update here. If you missed the December Virtual Quarterly Update, watch it here.  New StraightTalk Blog Along with the new website we have launched a new blog featuring updates on financial trends and opportunities, events and webinars and other valuable insights to optimize your financial journey. A few highlights from the blog that might interest you: Subscribe today!  Client Tools to Navigate the Journey Each month we plan to feature a client tool to make the best of your financial journey. Client Tools can be found on the StraightLine website under the Resources tab. We are so excited to offer MoneyGuide’s MyBlocks now to our clients. In the first of a series of instructional videos, Rob Rickey, CFP®, showcases the capabilities of our new goals-based financial planning software now available to you. Find out more here! StraightLine In the News The end of 2023 was a busy time for the StraightLine team. In August, the news of Rob Rickey joining as the Chief Growth Officer resonated around the financial services industry with a news release and subsequent articles in publications such as:  Rob was also a guest on these podcasts:  StraightLine was also recognized by BestStocks.com in November for our efforts to modernize our business model through investments in people, technology, and infrastructure.  Holiday Hijinks The StraightLine team had a wonderful time at their holiday party.
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Mailing address: 165 Kirts Blvd., Suite 100 • Troy, MI 48084 StraightLine, LLC is a registered investment adviser. Information presented is for educational purposes and is only intended for a broad audience. The information does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. StraightLine has reasonable belief that this marketing does not include any false or materially misleading statements or omissions of facts regarding services, investment, or client experience, has reasonable belief that the content as a whole will not cause an untrue or misleading implication regarding StraightLine’s services, investments, or client experiences. All marketing has presented information in a fair and balanced manner. Past performance of information presented should not be relied upon without knowledge of certain circumstances of market events, nature and timing of the investments and relevant constraints of the investment. StraightLine does not give tax, legal or accounting advice, we recommend you consult a professional tax or legal representative if needed. By contacting us, you may be offered information regarding the purchase of insurance and investment products. The opinions expressed herein are those of StraightLine and are subject to change without notice. The opinions referenced are as of the date of publication and are subject to change due to changes in the market or economic conditions and may not necessarily come to pass. Any opinions, projections, or forward-looking statements expressed herein are solely those of the author, may differ from the views or opinions expressed by other areas of StraightLine, and are only for general informational purposes as of the date indicated. StraightLine believes that the content provided by third parties and/or linked content is reasonably reliable and does not contain untrue statements of material fact, or misleading information. This content may be dated. StraightLine may discuss and display charts, graphs, formulas and/or specific assets which are not intended to be used by themselves to determine which securities to buy or sell, or when to buy or sell them. Such charts and graphs offer limited information and should not be used on their own to make investment decisions. Consultation with a licensed financial professional is strongly suggested. Investments involve risk and are not guaranteed. PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS: Fi360, a Broadridge Retirement and Workplace, Inc. owned company, licenses the designation marks Accredited Investment Fiduciary® and AIF® in the United States. Attainment of the AIF® Designation demonstrates initial and ongoing understanding of the Prudent Practices® and methodology. Designation requirements include training, exam, experience, ethics and standards components-- more information is available at Professional Designations. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks. Those certification requirements include education, exam, experience and ethics components--more information is available at Professional Designations. Comments are closed.
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