You probably know that Valley National has been voted Best Financial Planner a number of times by a handful of different sources. This year, not only is our team nominated for best in our field but also for Best Place to Work. Voting is open until June at https://lehighvalleymagazine.com/best-of-the-valley-2018/#//

Our team is competing in the Volunteer Challenge for the third year in a row! Our entire staff participates in these projects to assist local non-profits and ultimately support the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley. This year many of our clients and friends in the community assisted with our project by donating to our food drive. We were able to deliver 241 pounds of food. In addition, our team sponsored a monetary donation that will provide 12,000 meals. Last but not least, our staff split up and took the time to volunteer at the Second Harvest warehouse to package food boxes for seniors and food backpack for children. We are looking forward to the final event on Tuesday, May 15 – https://www.volunteerlv.org/volunteer-challenge

While you may not have watched all the hours of testimony from Mark Zuckerberg, you have probably heard a bit about Facebook in the news lately regarding data. Did you know that users can download a copy of the personal data that Facebook holds? https://www.facebook.com/help/302796099745838 Users can also access data from Google, LinkedIn and many other web-based communities.

We are hiring Associates through our Entry Level Professional (ELP) Program.

The ELP program, in its sixth year, is designed to immediately integrate talented individuals into Valley National’s expanding “one-stop” financial planning business model through hands-on training, continuing education, and mentorship in the areas of financial planning, tax preparation, and investment management.

Read more about this opportunity at our website, and share the link to the online application page.

There is exactly one week left to submit your individual tax returns to the IRS. April 17, 2018 is this year’s official tax deadline – due to the 15^th falling on a Sunday and Monday being Emancipation Day – a legal holiday in the District of Columbia.

Emancipation Day is a holiday in Washington DC to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Compensated Emancipation Act, which president Abraham Lincoln signed on April 16, 1862. Local government offices are closed and many public services do not operate. In all other areas of the United States, April 16 is a normal day and public life is not affected.

The Act is different than the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which formally ended slavery in the US. The Amendment was proposed on January 31, 1865, and ratified by 30 of the then 36 states in the same year. However, it was only ratified in Mississippi in 1995.

For your convenience, you can now securely pay your tax preparation bill online! Our team continues to focus on the ease of our clients’ experience through secure and simple options to do business with us. It is as easy as 1, 2, 3 to view your invoice and pay it with a credit card or direct from a bank account via QuickBooks. Our website has a quick reference guide so you know what to expect: http://www.valleynationalgroup.com/webpay

YOU HAVE OPTIONS! We strive to make your financial life as simple as possible. Please use the method of payment that is most convenient for you – online, in person, over the phone, by mail.

The Friday before Easter is the only non-federal holiday among the exchange’s nine closed days. The New York Stock Exchange has been closed every Good Friday for more than 150 years, with the exception of 1898, 1906, and 1907.

Why? Several myths surrounding this market closure exist. The stories range of religious agreements, to historically low trade volume, to good old fashioned superstitions about bad luck. Whatever the reasons, the long-standing tradition remains.

The other eight stock market holidays in the U.S. are New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Our own Laurie A. Siebert is featured on the Pennsylvania Institute of CPA website because of her contributions to their journal in the form of articles and video that were picked up by several regional and national media stations.

Watch the video series and read her most recent article on our website at valleynationalgroup.com/news

Last week we reported on the fact the stock market had indeed suffered a “Correction.” A Correction is a series of stock market declines over several days or weeks leading to a 10% to 20% decline from a stock market high. The stock market typically recovers from a Correction in a relatively short time of 3 to 12 months.

Please join me in welcoming Stefany Keiser to our Valley National team as Administrative Assistant. The firm will be releasing an official announcement this week, but I wanted to let you know first. Stefany will be available immediately to assist my clients with scheduling appointments and taking questions. Of course, the rest of your service team will be right alongside to offer additional assistance and to help Stefany become familiar with our procedures and our people. They have already completed a week of intensive training with her on our systems and processes. I am confident that you will find your experience with Stefany to be everything you have come to expect from my team.

Stefany comes to us with 17 years of client service experience. She is originally from Easton and now resides in Bethlehem. She can be reached at skeiser@valleynationalgroup.com or by phone at extension 118.

Thomas M. Riddle
Founder & Chairman
Valley National Financial Advisors