21/12/2020
What an unusual year 2020 has been!
Throughout my working life, I’ve always worked in the office and never thought that working from home would work. Well... COVID-19 shattered that belief!
As a team, we started working from home in March. It was an adjustment for both the team, and for our clients. Yet we made it work easier than we could ever have imagined. Zoom meetings became frequent and regular, telephone calls from your mobile phone rather than the office number. One-on-one meetings were replaced with human interaction via Zoom. Clients often working from home would introduce us to their furry family member, and we got used to birds chirping in the background. As a community, we helped each other out with many in our local community embracing the “paying it forward” concept and helping out our neighbours.
Interestingly, we found that we really don’t need to print as much paper as we used to (good for the environment), and many clients became used to signing paperwork digitally by DocuSign. Somehow we all made it work and things will never be the same.
We eventually started coming back in the office in July. The city was empty, barren of the city buzz. We questioned whether our local businesses would come back. Green shoots started as we saw local coffee shops slowly reopen. We want, no need, them to be successful, as they (and too many others) are victims of the global pandemic.
Job-keeper, Job-seeker, cash boost, stimulus packages and record deficits. We still can’t understand the “great toilet paper shortage”...
Yet here we are in December 2020. What has 2021 got in store for us?
There are many still suffering from Coronavirus worldwide, and we are far from being past it. Many businesses have permanently shut down, some bounced back, and so many remain affected. As a community, we must find productive ways to help them get back. On a positive note- the vaccine is on its way, we have a new president in the USA, and the share market is back to pre-pandemic levels in the USA (and in Australia we aren't too far away).
With that in mind I thought you would find of interest the following article Review of 2020, outlook for 2021 - from pandemic to recovery by Shane Oliver, Head of Investment Strategy and Chief Economist. The article provides a review of 2020 in terms of what it meant for economies and investors, and takes a look at the outlook for 2021. Click here to read the article.
https://www.ampcapital.com/au/en/insights-hub/articles/2020/december/review-of-2020-outlook-for-2021?csid=1135475446
While no one could have predicted the current COVID pandemic crisis, the Global Financial Crisis (can you believe that happened some 12-13 years ago), or September 11, 2000- the one thing I know for sure is the importance of planning for the worst, and hoping for the best.
As the festive season approaches, it’s more important than ever that we try and reflect on the positives, the things that we can control. Time is the most precious resource. The team plans on using this time to spend quality time with our friends, family and loved ones.
In lieu of sending Christmas cards, this year we have donated to Beyond Blue Australia – click here for more information.
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
Beyond Blue is an Australian mental health and wellbeing support organisation. They provide support programs to address issues related to depression, su***de, anxiety disorders and other related mental illnesses.
So from the team, we wanted to thank you for your continued support and for allowing the PGD Financial Services team to serve you in the challenging 2020 year.
Please note our office will be closed Thursday 24th December 2020 reopening Monday 11th January 2021.
If anything urgent arises during this period, please email us at [email protected] and a team member will respond as soon as possible. We will be monitoring the email inbox during this period.
We wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. We look forward to working with you in 2021!
Warm Regards,
Harry, Leah & Natalie
Beyond Blue provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health.
