The Lowry Letter®

We are halfway through the 3^rd quarter of 2023. It’s a great time to make sure that your retirement plan contributions are on target. If you are wondering whether you are, we can review your paystub and let you know.

Please also remember that the new version of Investor360 becomes the permanent version on August 18^th. Let us know if you have any questions!

A few weeks ago, we invited you to try the new version of Investor360 (the application used to review account balances, etc.). Starting Friday, August 18, the current version will be retired in favor of the new one.

Happy August Greetings! There is a lot of good news out there. Even the Fitch downgrade of the U.S. credit rating is an echo of the 2011 move by Standard & Poor’s. We don’t think it has a meaningful impact or is telling us anything we didn’t already know about our country’s fiscal governance.

Brad McMillan’s market thoughts for August can be viewed here.

It’s hard to believe that kids all over the country are heading back to school soon. Florida’s sales tax holiday for school supplies is currently ongoing, ending August 6^th. Don’t miss out on the savings! Eligible items are found here.

As you know, we send reminders for periodic reviews by mail. If you prefer to receive these reminders electronically, please advise our office.

Read this week’s Lowry Letter® for a info about features included in the new Investor360°® platform, news on inflation, PSLF updates, and more!

We hope your Independence Day holiday was safe and enjoyable! We recently spoke with a client who shared the wonderful celebrations in their small college town. What is your favorite place to spend the 4th of July?

Our office will be closed next Tuesday, July 4th, in observance of Independence Day. We hope you have a safe & enjoyable holiday!

The Lowry Letter® will be on vacation next week.

Commonwealth’s midyear Market & Economic Outlook is now available and does a good job of cutting through the noise to tell us what is really happening.

At a recent meeting, the demographic and population shifts prompted by COVID-19 and everything that came with it were discussed. Florida is a leading state for growth, but not because of births. Texas leads the US in birth rates, while Florida has one of the lowest birth rates, owing to our older population.

Our office and the markets will be closed on Monday, June 19^th, in observance of Juneteenth National Independence Day. This will be the 3^rd year of its treatment as a federal holiday. 

Today’s letter covers a lot of ground, and we hope you enjoy it.

The passage of debt ceiling legislation removes a major political worry. Inflation returns to the fore as the dominant concern, as Brad McMillan explains in a helpful June Market Update.

Last week saw a stronger job report than expected, so we can expect caution from the Fed and possibly an additional increase in interest rates.