This week we are hosting a webinar:

Tax FAQ with Team VNFA: An update on 2019 filings and 2020 planning
REGISTER HERE

Our team is presenting two free webinars this month. Both are open the public so please share the links.

THIS WEEK: Thursday, May 21 at 10 a.m.
Options in Financial Planning Strategies Due to COVID-19
(co-hosted with the LV Chamber) REGISTER HERE

• Investment outlook – short-term and long-term.
• Cash flow considerations for businesses and individuals.
• Retirement account changes under CARES Act.
• Portfolio rebalancing, distributions, investment strategies.
• Ask the Advisors – common client questions.

Presenters:
Laurie A. Siebert, CPA, CFP^®, AEP^®
Senior Vice President

Timothy G. Roof, CFP^®
Vice President

Connor Darrell, CFAAVP, Head of Investments

NEXT WEEK: Thursday, May 28, 5 p.m.
Tax FAQ with Team VNFA: An update on 2019 filings and 2020 planning. REGISTER HERE

• VNFA Remote Processes
• IRS Updates
• Economic Impact Payments
• Business Tax Provisions
• 2020 CARES Act Planning
• Q&A

Presenters:
Elizabeth Wilson, CPA
CFO/Head of Tax Services

Amanda Pugliese, CPA
Senior Tax Manager

Jonathan Ritter, CFP^®, CPA
Financial Planning Associate

VNFA REMOTE TAX TEAM FAQ
UPDATE: Our team is now ready to begin accepting paper tax documents. Our physical office locations remain closed, so delivery is limited to USPS mail. *Clients working directly with our New Jersey office should call 908-454-1000 for inquiries and mailing/delivery instructions.

Read the FAQ at valleynationalgroup.com/tax

Dear Clients & Friends,

As I say in the related video I recorded from my home, these are unprecedented times. As such, our physical office locations will remain closed until further notice for the safety of our employees and our clients. I am pleased to say that our entire team is working remotely successfully – albeit sometimes a little differently – to continue to provide our suite of services for your financial life. Our commitment to a client-first focus is what continues to keep us strong in this, our 35^th year of business.

Since 1985, VNFA has held strong and steady through many historical events in our lives and in the financial markets. I am confident in our firm’s infrastructure and our professional team to see us all through this pandemic as well. Thank you for your continued dedication to and trust in our team.

If you are not already following us on social media, here are links to our pages on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as our YouTube channel for video messages. We plan to continue to provide thought leadership, important news and announcements, and updates on our staff’s efforts in our community.

Our tax team will be reaching out soon to those still waiting with next steps in the preparation process on the way to the new July 15 filing deadline. Thank you for your patience as we put together resources and processes to ensure safety and efficiency.

If you need to reach any of us – including me – please call our main office line at 610-868-9000 and use the voicemail prompts to leave a message. We are set up to receive an e-mail with the recording of your message immediately, so that we can listen and respond in a timely manner. You can also e-mail any of us directly or send a general message for our team to FromOurTeam@valleynationalgroup.com.

I will not inundate you with messages, but I will continue to provide updates periodically or as we have any changes to announce. We look forward to a day when we can all be together again. Until that time, stay safe and healthy.

Sincerely,
Matt Petrozelli
President and CEO
Valley National Financial Advisors

Welcome Mo Spolan to #TeamVNFA!
We welcome Maurice “Mo” Spolan to the new position of Investment Research Analyst. Mo is a CFA Level III Candidate with a degree in Finance from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Leeds School of Business.

Mo will work out of VNFA’s Bethlehem headquarters as part of the investment department. He will contribute to the VNFA Investment Committee research initiatives regarding portfolio construction, individual equity analysis and the development of new strategies/offerings.

“Mo has been able to hit the ground running as a productive addition to our team despite the unusual circumstances of his start,” said Connor Darrell, Assistant Vice President and Head of Investments. “Mo’s first week in the office was a unique one, and it ended with our management team closing our physical offices and sending the entire staff home to work remotely.  Long-term, we expect that our clients will greatly benefit from the depth Mo’s hiring adds to our investment research process.”

In addition to his recent experience in asset management and investment banking, Mo was also contributor for Seeking Alpha, a crowd-sourced investment research platform. Outside of work, Mo enjoys reading a broad range of nonfiction, watching professional sports, and lifting weights.

Sharing Community Needs
The Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley has created a page on their website with links to finding volunteer opportunities; a listing of direct needs for local nonprofits and helpful links for resources for COVID-19.

If you can help or you know of a nonprofit in need of help, please visit the page and share the link. volunteerlv.org/covid-19

Our congratulations are delayed by COVID-19, as so many things have been, but we want to celebrate our own Laurie Siebert who is being honored among the 2020 Women of Influence Circle of Excellence. The awards ceremony is scheduled for June 15. Laurie was a 2014 Women of Influence and is now one of five Circle of Excellence winners selected by the Lehigh Valley Business editorial team for their longstanding contributions to their organizations, industries and communities in the Greater Lehigh Valley. READ MORE

Frequently Asked Questions (during COVID-19 office closure)

How to I reach my Financial Advisor and support team?
The best way to reach your Financial Advisor or a Support Staff member is via e-mail while they are working remotely from their individual home offices.  However, you can call our main phone at 610-868-9000 and leave a voice mail message.  All voice mail messages are converted to recordings and immediately sent via email to the recipient.  Please leave a detailed message, including the best number to return the call, and someone from your team will get back to you as soon as possible. If you don’t know the direct e-mail or phone number you are trying to reach, you can send us a note at FromOurTeam@valleynationalgroup.com and your message will be routed to the appropriate person on your behalf.

What is the status of my tax return?
Our team will continue to work on tax preparation over the next couple of months with the new July 15 deadline in mind. If your return is in process and you wish to check the status, e-mail us at tax@valleynationalgroup.com.

If you still need to get us your documents, please upload digital copies to your secure eVault Client Portal. If you need to set up a personal portal, please contact us and your service team will help you. If you are unable to submit documents digitally, please hold them at home – do not mail to us. If you already have documents on the way, we have made arrangements to procure that mail for safe keeping until we can revisit normal physical operations.

How do I get paper documents/checks to VNFA if you’re closed?
Currently, VNFA is receiving all regular and overnight mail deliveries. However, due to a possible lag in delivery time, it is better to send documents electronically (ideally via your secure eVault Client Portal – alternatively by fax and e-mail for documents that do not contain sensitive personal data).

We encourage you to use electronic transfers such as an existing moneylink, but checks can be received via regular or overnight mail delivery. If you are unsure of the best method in your particular situation, please give us a call so that we can guide you to a solution.

Will normal business hours continue or be adjusted?
Our team will continue to be at your service Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., as usual. Please understand that there may be a slight delay in the delivery and return of your messages as working remotely with our team and our service providers sometimes requires a few extra steps to ensure clarity and security.

Where do I find the latest news and insights available from VNFA in between The Weekly Commentary e-mails?
We have established a special landing page to collect our resources related to our clients’ interests and needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The page is available from the banner on our home page or directly at valleynationalgroup.com/COVID-19-resources If you have a question or a specific topic you would like us to address, please submit your inquiry to us at FromOurTeam@valleynationalgroup.com.

Please read this entire message as it contains important details about our client services. The accompanying video is a brief overview of the two most important items included below.

By order of Governor Wolf our physical office locations are closed and our entire team will continue business operations and client service remotely. Our team can be reached via e-mail, or by voicemail through our main phone number at 610-868-9000. We will receive an e-mail with the recording of your message and respond to you as soon as possible during our normal business hours – Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The IRS has extended the tax filing and payment deadlines to July 15, 2020. This gives us more time to help you complete and submit your Federal, State and Local tax returns. This extension also covers normally associated interest and penalties, such as the failure-to-pay penalty as well as 2020 first quarter estimated payments (including payments of tax on self-employment income).

Prior-year (2019) IRA contributions are normally due by the tax filing deadline, which is now July 15. While our offices our closed, we recommend that you submit any of these types of payments via electronic transfer and refrain from sending us checks in the mail.

Our team will continue to work on tax preparation over the next couple of months with the new deadline in mind. If you still need to get us your documents, please upload digital copies to your secure eVault Client Portal. If you need to set up a personal portal, please contact us and your service team will help you. If you are unable to submit documents digitally, please hold them at home – do not mail to us. If you already have documents on the way, we have made arrangements to procure that mail for safe keeping until we can revisit normal physical operations.

Our team is prepared to handle all of our services for clients using secure and tested remote technology. We do not anticipate any business interruptions and we are very pleased that we will be able to continue to provide the same level of service that we have for the past 35 years.

On behalf of our entire VNFA family, I hope that you and your family remain safe and healthy during this challenging time. We are here for you – as always – should you need us.

Sincerely,
Matt Petrozelli
President and CEO
Valley National Financial Advisors

In light of the announcements yesterday by the CDC and our government to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, we are closing our physical office locations as of 4 p.m. today (March 17) until further notice.

Our VNFA Team is asking that you stay safe and stay home. Our team is set up to be able to continue our service remotely. We will remain accessible via phone and through our digital access points.  Please note the following resources for you to maintain immediate contact with your VNFA Team:

1.  Please continue to call our main number 610-868-9000 or email us at FromOurTeam@valleynationalgroup.com. We will help get you to the right employee, even if they are remote. We will have designated staff available for trades, money movement, and general service.  
2. Follow us on social media, Facebook (@ValleyNationalFinancialAdvisors), Twitter (@VNFAsince1985), and LinkedIn (Valley National Financial Advisors). Additionally, all important announcements will be posted on our website.  
3. With regard to market insights and guidance, we will continue to publish thoughts and research via The Weekly Commentary available on our website, via our free e-mail newsletter and theweeklycommentary.com.  
4. The tax deadline is rapidly approaching. Please understand that the tax preparation process may be impacted. Our team is already anticipating filing a larger amount of extensions. We will stay in regular communication with you to make sure that you know what to expect moving forward.  
5. In the interest of healthy best practices at this time, we remind you that our secure eVault Client Portal is a solution for document exchange. If you do not have a portal or you are unsure about how to use it to post, view and download documents, please contact your service team.  

These times will pass. In the meantime, we plan to continue to serve you and your families as we have for the past 35 years. If you have any questions, please contact us. It is important that you feel supported and secure as we move together through these challenges.