Season’s Greetings!

Dear Clients and Friends of Connectum

We are nearing the winter solstice and Christmas with the prospect of lighter days ahead.

It has been an unusual and extraordinary year in many respects, particularly on the social front but by being solution oriented, the move to working from home has been relatively painless and full of valuable lessons. Regular digital ´Teams´ meetings have become the norm with colleagues and have also largely replaced face to face meetings with clients. It has all worked better than we could have hoped. So even though we have missed our colleagues, not being physically present has neither negatively impacted relationships nor productivity.

March was a particularly challenging month given the huge uncertainty created by Covid-19 and subsequent substantial falls in global equity markets and the oil price whilst at the same time, many societies faced restrictions practically unknown outside times of war. Panic, however, is seldom an effective strategy. We took a deep breath and focused on closely following up with our clients and the application of strategies that we know work through both bad times and good. We have invested considerable time in the daily monitoring of portfolios and communicating with our clients.

New communication channels have been used alongside established ones.  Online videos and webinars have enabled us to communicate our perspectives on market developments and put them in a historical context, alongside the measures we took to protect portfolios and help calm fears that clients may have had. Where weighting limits were reached in equities, property and bonds, we have recommended and rebalanced portfolios. This has protected the portfolios.

We have also been active in the public debate with 13 commentaries and articles in the media, principally in Finansavisen, in addition to the Connectum Global View and social media posts. Improvements have been made in reporting and many internal processes.  Among these we have initiated the use digital signing for client agreements, investor profiles, recommendations and trades, making these processes safer and more secure than before.  Even more importantly, digital signatures have made things easier for clients, replacing a need for printing, signing and scanning papers with a couple of ´clicks´ on a mobile phone.

Many of us know people who have lost loved ones, seen their incomes disappear, been laid off and had their lives changed dramatically by the pandemic. It also seems that many have used the time they would previously have used travelling, face to face meetings and other forms of social contact to reflect on their lives and of interest to us, their finances. At least to some degree.

Many have recognised the need for a robust financial plan to see them safely through crises such as the one we have experienced this year.  This has led to a significant number of enquiries and new clients. Otherwise, it has been a time for appreciating many of the small blessings in life.  Appreciating one another, good conversations, the kindness of strangers, small gatherings when possible, family, friends and exercise in the fresh air. New paths have been found and new ways to break up what could otherwise be quite a monotone existence.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, and we are looking forward to a brighter, better and more open 2021.  Please feel free to get in touch if there are any questions you may have or need help with.  That’s what we´re here for.

Thank you for your support in 2020.  We would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Best wishes from Henrik, Richard, Nils-Odd and everyone at Connectum.

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