Here is the transcript of the video above:
We miss you! We miss you at New England Capital. We also miss feeling normal and comfortable in our daily activities. I don't have a mask on as I speak to you because no one is within 6 feet of me as I record this blog in our conference room. Our new protocol in the office is to arrive to the office with masks, have our temperature taken, continue to wear masks and keep social distance whenever we are not at our workstations or desks. It's just not comfortable, nor does it feel normal.
I want to be comfortable again going to the grocery store or going out to dinner. I want to hug my mother without worrying about disease transmission or contact tracing. And I want to be able to meet with you again. The reality is that COVID-19 does not care what I want. It will continue its course regardless of our desires. Our collective behaviors will dictate how contained or widespread, how financially devastating or financially nondestructive and how long we remain in pandemic mode or how quick we return to normalization.
The New England Capital team left our office on March 16, 2020 to work remotely from our homes. The entire team continued our daily contact through phone calls and zoom meetings. I am so grateful to all of them for their dedication and am proud of the seamless service they provided you and they provided each other. I am convinced more than ever that we, at New England Capital, have the right people, in the right places, equipped with the right tools to help you achieve your financial life goals.
We have begun phase one of our reopening the office. By the third week in July we should all be back from our remote locations working at 79 Main St Meriden. But unfortunately, we will not be seeing clients in the office for the foreseeable future. Until then we continue to enhance the client experience you receive through this unprecedented and fluid pandemic. Until such time as we can all be comfortable with returning to face to face meetings in closer environments, I wish to share with you how we can continue to “meet” or more specifically connect with you.
I feel more technology has been adopted in our firm and though out our country during the last 3 months than would have been adopted in five years. I'm not saying this just because I have learned that I can deposit checks electronically without having to physically go to the bank, or I can buy shoes online without having to go to a mall. Although both of those things are true since I’ve been quarantined!
One thing that Chris and I will be doing more frequently is communication such as these blogs. We will also be developing our social media presence so that you'll be able to follow our thoughts and ideas on financial planning and investment management. This will include Twitter Facebook and LinkedIn. Speaking of our website please check out newenglandcapital.com so you can open your own personal financial website. This can be found under the MyMoneyMatter$ tab on our website. Please call the office and we will send you a link with your username and password. This site will also include a client portal where we can share and exchange documents in a secure environment. We will also be significantly upgrading our reporting and trading capabilities to better serve you. We are currently working on more changes to provide even greater opportunity for enhanced interaction.
We will be doing a series of webinars, the first of which will be a financial planning summer camp. This will develop financial literacy for your kids or grandkids. I am extremely proud of Chris Lee who has made it his personal passion to increase financial literacy in CT school systems. He has been a leader in the Connecticut jumpstart program as well as their national efforts to enhance financial literacy in the younger generation. We have both participated in providing financial planning literacy training in our local schools. Other other webinar topics will include basic financial planning, portfolio design, tax reduction strategies, estate planning and 401K allocations idea. If you have other topics, you’d like us to cover in a webinar format, please let us know. We are always looking for your feedback.
I have listened to your feedback from my last blog which suggested the recording should be shorter so I thank all of you for that feedback including both my sons who worry that every time I open my mouth it can lead to a rambling lecture. I guess there may be some advantages of close quarter quarantining!
I wish you and your family well and please stay safe Stay strong and stay connected.
