The Lowry Letter®

The Lowry Letter will take a break next week before the school year begins in our county. It has been a short summer!

We can only speak anecdotally about what we have learned about our own community, but the surge in COVID cases is real. Hospital resources are being stretched in many places and unvaccinated persons make up the vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths. There are a number of reasons why some cannot receive the COVID vaccination, and each individual must make their own informed choice. But the data shows that taking the vaccine is a safe and effective means of preventing serious illness and we hope participation rates improve.

We encourage everyone to follow the same risk-managed approach we apply to investments to other areas of our lives. 

We are grateful to have been spared the worst of Elsa (though the bad Frozen jokes were harder to avoid). Now is a great time to get prepared for the next storm. We speak a little more on that below.

Onto our normal programming

The arrival of Tropical Storm Elsa (hours away as we write this) is a reminder of the importance of planning. By the time an emergency arrives, it is usually too late to do the small and simple things that make all the difference. Emergency preparedness, like financial planning, is a process. If you haven’t yet, we recommend starting by answering some simple questions:

• What will I do if the electricity goes off? What is my alternate light source?
• What is my evacuation plan – WHERE and WHEN will I go?
• Do I have a way to stay informed?
• Do I need assistance in preparing my home or with evacuation?
• Do I have any special medical conditions/medications to consider?

There are many things to consider, but this is a good beginning.

In the event of power loss or other storm-related issues, our responses to your requests may be slower than normal. If you can’t reach us and your need is urgent, please call our friends at Commonwealth at 800-251-0080and ask for the Service Center. Even if we cannot reach the office, we are able to check messages and email remotely.

Onto our normal programming:

It is hard to believe that we are halfway through 2021. In many ways, this year has been better than we might have imagined

The Covid vaccines are a tremendous success story, with the daily death rate numbers telling a very compelling story. Countries like Singapore are considering policies to “live with Covid,” treating it like other diseases, such as flu and chickenpox. This is viable now because of the efficacy of vaccines in reducing both the rate and severity of Covid cases, allowing medical resources to remain within acceptable levels.

First, a reminder 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. You can text our office number as well if you need to get in touch.

We hold periodic team meetings to make sure we meet one of our strategic directives- continuous improvement. We welcome feedback of all kinds and enjoy the opportunities for growth.

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

We had a great webinar with Justin Duft regarding potential tax law changes. Among the key takeaways are these:

• The most effective estate plans are a team effort
• Complex solutions are not always the best solutions
• Our loved ones should know whether we have a plan in place

If you have specific estate planning questions, don’t hesitate to reach out

Changes to various tax laws have been proposed and are of concern to many. We’ve scheduled a webinar with Commonwealth’s Justin Duft to discuss these and other important matters related to estate planning. Justin is the director of Commonwealth’s Advanced Planning Department and has a JD with a focus on estate, trust, and tax law, as well as many relevant industry certifications.

The webinar will take place on Tuesday, June 8th at 12pm EDT.

Please register in advance for this webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OwbiZrcbTYeGuDbiBNPmJg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. We hope you can make it!

Our office will be closed on Monday, May 31st in observance of Memorial Day. We hope that you enjoy the holiday weekend. We express our profound appreciation for the men and women who have given their lives in service of our country.

Please make plans to join us on June 8th at noon EDT for a discussion on estate planning and some of the changes that have been proposed by the Biden administration. More info to follow!