By: Jesse Nadell
I have never introduced myself in this forum, but my name is Jesse Nadell and I am founding member and member of the executive committee of the Southwest Florida Business Alliance and also a local Advisor, licensed registered representative, and retirement income specialist. I am often asked questions about what I think will happen in our economic markets over the next 6 months or the coming years. The short answer from the informed Advisor is, “I don’t know.” For the longer answer I generally explain the need for informed speculation that balances mitigating risk while not creating opportunity costs. What we do know is that all markets, whether it be equities, real estate, or private industry are cyclical. There is a natural ebb and flow that occurs over non distinct periods of time, but over the long term, it rises at rather predictable rates. That’s why we can generally count on a certain amount of inflation and a certain growth over long periods such as 30 years. In the day-to-day world we live in though, we can become wrought with uncertainty due to the general unpredictability of those exact same things in a smaller window of time.
This back and forth leads to the better question, the follow up question. “So, what do we do to plan for the future?” This is something that can be answered much more specifically and succinctly. We listen to people who are smarter than us in their field, mitigate risks, leave ourselves available to experience upside growth, plan for taxes, and then reassess every year to the world that changes around us. And therefore, the SWFL Business Network has invited the Honorable Matt Caldwell to speak to us on April 8th.
Residential home values and commercial real estate can be, and often are, a huge portion of people’s financial world. And to be blunt, what has happened to residential home prices in the past 18 months has been crazy! Questions like how long this trend will last, what will happen next, and what does that mean for me are very important in today’s climate. Even for businesses, the prices of the surrounding homes greatly affect how that business decides to market, price, and deliver their products and services. As a resource to local small businesses the SWFL BA wants to help, and we believe the best way to start that is to get you information from the Smart People. That is exactly who Matt Caldwell is, he has been a licensed appraiser for over 15 years, holds the highest possible state certifications but is specifically dialed in to our local market especially after being elected in 2020 to the office of Lee County Tax Appraiser.
I have been told more than once of being a bit too analytical in my personal life and I am sure there is some truth to that, after all we are all flawed, and that is only one of my many. But in private business and personal financial planning, analytics, data points, and educated speculation are the best tools we have to succeed. I know we all have a neighbor, spouse, or friend who knows what the future holds and isn’t hesitant to tell us, but I prefer to hear right from the source. I was raised to respect the janitor as much as the CEO so, if I want to know about why my grass is browning, I ask a landscaper not an eye doctor. But even that isn’t granular enough for me. If you’ll allow me to carry that metaphor a bit further; don’t ask a landscaper with 25 years of experience in Colorado Springs. I want the expert who knows the climate, the pests, and the volatility of Southwest Florida.
I hope to see you at the event, and I look forward to hearing about your specific questions and concerns because, as members of the East Lee County Business community, we have been steadily thriving and growing over the past 18 months despite COVID. But interest rates, inflation, and the local Real Estate market are going to change what the future holds and what we will have to do to continue to thrive over the next 18 months. For more information visit www.swflbusinessalliance.com
