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What Happened Last Week and What It Means to You: June 17th, 2022

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Week Ending June 17th, 2022

Excuse the movie titles. It is the first time I have been to a theater since COVID and yes, Top Gun was awesome!!!

Buzz Light Year, I mean Inflation…

To infinity and beyond. Both bad for business. Ask Disney. Inflation is now pricing the average family out of the parks. A one-day park hopper Tier 6 pass is $215 for kids 3-9 and $224 for ages 10 and up.
What does it mean – Inflation beyond anything we have seen in this country since the 1970’s if we do not get energy back under control and regain our energy independence. In the late 70’s, energy independence was the sole reason for creating the Department of Energy. It has done nothing but create more rules and regulations and has provided the federal government nearly 50 years of excuses to mess with American energy independence. Another example of, “I am from the government, and I am here to help.” Yikes. How’s that working for us?
Here is what really matters to most Americans:
• The food index was up 1.2% month-over-month in May and up 10.1% year-over-year. A heck of a lot worse if you actually eat real meat and vegetables and fruit.
• The energy index was up 3.9% month-over-month in May and up 34.6% year-over-year. Just wait until you start seeing your regulated electric bill start going up at record levels.

The Hangover…

Personal spending is falling off after an amazing time online. Stimy-boats, stimy-flatscreens, stimy-phones, stimy-RV’s, stimy too much money?
What does it mean – An Amazon life for me. See the chart below – The yellow spikes are the stimulus checks. Our government handed out $ trillions on behalf of you, the taxpayer, to many of your fellow citizens who went online and ordered trillions of goods from Amazon, Walmart, etc. While it was great for many companies it accelerated the adoption of new fitness equipment, technology and leisure equipment like boats, RV’s, and outdoor equipment. Now the stimulus checks have come home to roost and real wages are falling. Free money from the government is slowing or gone unless you live in CA and are addicted to drugs. Our current administrations solution is to spend trillions more on handouts. How do you think that will turn out?

First comes record inflation…

Then comes record interest rate hikes.
What does it mean – The highest increase in interest rates since 1994. After record increase in inflation the Fed was forced to meet the pain with more pain for consumers. Only issue is they are still behind the “8” ball and will need to continue to catch up if they can not get this under control. One solution would be for our current leaders to abandon their flawed ideology. The other is a hard landing and a recession. Both will be painful, but one will lead to less government and bureaucracy, which got us here in the first place. The question is, will the government save you or will you save yourself and by doing so help the ones you love? Understand cash flow. For many it will change rapidly.

Target…Targets CEO says, “We are in an environment many of us have never seen before”.

What does it mean – Study history. Mark Twain once reminded us that, “History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme”. Due to inflation, Inventories are way up. We are seeing price destruction. People are walking into stores and looking at the prices and walking out. Target plans to aggressively sell off inventory to get it out the store. This is going to hit margins hard and this is great for large corporations but will destroy the mom and pop stores that can not afford to sell off inventory to compete with companies that are large enough to handle the losses.

Just another case of the government trying to help. Will someone please tell our elected and unelected bureaucrats to study history. We have been here, done it, and got the shirt. President Biden should know this; he was in congress when the Carter administration tried this in the 70’s.

The noise is loud…

Economists and prognosticators are filling the airwaves with noise. Most of it useless.
What does it mean – Remember about 4 months ago nearly every prognosticator and market analyst was telling you we would see at most four .25% increases by the Fed? Remember about 18 months ago the Biden administration, the Fed, presidential economic advisor, Mark Zandi and Janet Yellen, all told us that inflation would be transitory or would fade as the Chinese virus fades? Not so true. Inflation does not fade, nor does it just show up. It is usually the result of bad fiscal and monetary policy.

Businesses can not survive with out the rule of law…

Across the country the rising cost of living, lack of accountability, threats to our legal system and to judges families, doxing of people that you may not agree with.
What does it mean – All of the above is leading to chaos and the destruction of society.

Daymond Jon, the founder of FUBU and member of The Shark Tank and an entrepreneurial legend, sent this video out on LinkedIn. It says it all, Dad’s we can all do a bit more. Love is time. Dads, our countries future depends on your time.
Enjoy the video and hope you all had a great Father’s Day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdPaqt6RY_Q

Let’s roll America,

Doug De Groote, CFP®, MBA, CTC
Managing Director

805.230.0111 Main
800.984.3302
818.642.9789 Cell
805.230.0061 Fax
2660 Townsgate Rd Suite 450
Westlake Village, CA 91361
doug@degrootefinancial.com
www.degrootefinancial.com
www.lw4ip.com
De Groote Financial Group, LLC is a federally registered investment adviser that maintains a principal office in the State of California. The information contained in this message is confidential, protected from disclosure and may be legally privileged. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, distribution, copying, or any action taken or action omitted in reliance on it, is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to this message and destroy the material in its entirety, whether in electronic or hard copy format.

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Jeannie Ewing-Nicholson

Operations Manager

Jeannie started her career in the Financial Services industry in 1994 with Oppenheimer & Company. As part of the De Groote Financial Group, Jeannie is responsible for the operational needs of the firm including cash management and account administration. With her upbeat attitude and attention to detail, Jeannie provides an efficient streamlines experience to ensure clients meet their goals. Jeannie enjoys travel, outdoor activities, Pilates, and is a football and basketball fan. She resides in Westlake Village with her husband, daughter and son.

Mary-Ellen Lykken

Executive Assistant

Mary-Ellen, Executive Assistant at DFG, keeps the office running smoothly by providing administrative support and assisting with scheduling and organization. With a background in human resource and office management, Mary-Ellen comes from the non-profit and services industries.

Outside of the office, Mary-Ellen is committed to the advancement of independence and productivity for those with disabilities. By telling her story of the challenges and joys of raising a child with complicated disabilities, she hopes to help others navigate similar circumstances.

She is happiest when visiting her two grown sons. Otherwise, you can find her competing on the pickleball courts.

Sara Mariniello

Operations Manager

Sara is new to the financial industry only starting in 2022 when she was hired at De Groote Financial. As Operations Manager, Sara is responsible for all the paperwork surrounding opening accounts and investment paperwork and is also responsible for much of the client communication. Sara has her bachelor’s in science and nursing from Concordia University, Texas and worked as nurse for over a year prior to moving back to California. She loves all things sports and church related and is likely spending every free moment with her Husband visiting family in Texas and New Jersey.

Fadi Ahmed

Chief Operations Officer and Chief Compliance Officer

Fadi works with clients to ensure an exceptional experience. He coordinates and assures the planning process and wealth management tools are at your fingertips to provide the clarity you deserve and the transparency and access to all your accounts. Fadi ensures the data and information is reflective in our planning software. All changes and updates flow through his desk and he coordinates those changes with the rest of our team.

Andrew Krout

Wealth Advisor, Co-Chief Investment Officer

Andrew Krout is a Wealth Advisor at De Groote Financial Group, LLC. He also serves as a Co-Chief Investment Officer for the firm, focused on wealth management.

Previously, Andrew served as CIO with Kelly Financial in Boston Massachusetts since 2013. He is a licensed investment advisor representative and insurance producer. He graduated from Saint Francis University with a bachelor’s degree in both finance and accounting. He is a candidate for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation. Andrew holds life insurance licenses in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut.

Andrew is passionate about serving his clients and investment management and how to apply news and current events to investment decisions. He played Division 1 golf in college, and still enjoys playing and watching the sport in his free time.

David Darst

Co-Chief Information Officer

David Martin Darst, CFA is an Investment Advisor to DeGroote Financial Group, specializing in asset allocation and product selection. Previously, David served for 17 years as a Managing Director and Chief Investment Strategist at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, with the responsibility for Asset Allocation and Investment Strategy. He joined Morgan Stanley in 1996 from Goldman Sachs, where he held Senior Management Posts within the Equities Division and earlier, for six years as Resident Manager of their Private Bank in Zurich.

David is the author of 13 books, including bestsellers The Art of Asset Allocation, 2nd Edition (McGraw-Hill), and The Little Book that Still Saves Your Assets (John Wiley & Sons). He also appears as a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, FOX, PBS, and others, and has contributed articles across a variety of publications.

David graduated with a BA in Economics from Yale University, and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. He has lectured extensively at Wharton, Columbia, INSEAD, and New York University Business Schools, and for nine years, David served as a visiting member at Yale College, Yale School of Management, and Harvard Business School. He is a CFA Charterholder and a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and the CFA Institute. 

Doug De Groote

Managing Director

Doug is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) with an MBA in Financial Planning, and is an active member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). Before establishing De Groote Financial Group, Doug founded the United Wealth Management division of United Capital. Prior to that, Doug was a partner at Crowell, Weedon and Co. He regularly contributes to a variety of financial and general media.

Doug’s passion, and what he believes, is that everyone deserves the opportunity; they deserve to have the freedom and responsibility to be pro-active in achieving independence and financial success.

Doug’s life is focused around his family, wife and three children, and making sure they get the foundation that is necessary for them to have the awareness of the opportunities that abound in our great country.

Doug helps increase his client’s awareness and success, to identify and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves and help protect them from some of the pitfalls or obstacles that are thrown in our paths. With regards to their financial circumstances, Doug helps his clients identify their goals, plan for various outcomes and manage their assets to help them make their vision a reality.