The resilient economy, combined with the expected tailwinds from additional stimulus and further public health progress, indicates we are in a relatively good place to start the year.

December is the “giving season,” when many people consider using their wealth to help others. Because of the urgent need for generosity presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be looking for ways to stretch your charitable donations. As always, the use of tax-efficient giving strategies can help them go further.

Managing student loan debt has become one of the biggest financial planning challenges for many. In the U.S., student loan debt rose to $1.51 trillion last year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. So, if you or family members are dealing with the burden of budgeting every month for a student loan, you’re not alone.

From the pandemic and the economic recovery to political risks and market volatility, there’s a lot to be wary of as we enter the fourth quarter. Fundamentally, however, conditions remain favorable.

These fears are real. The 2000 presidential election—with the Florida “hanging chad” debacle—hit markets, and this election could be even more dramatic. Markets are already expecting trouble: expectations of volatility, as measured in the options markets, have spiked for November. From a political standpoint, unless there is a blowout win by one side or the other, we are almost certain to get litigation and an unresolved election, like in 2000. A substantial market reaction would be quite possible.

Although 2020 has been a year of unexpected changes, one routine has remained consistent: the fourth quarter means it’s time to begin organizing your finances for the new year. To help you get started, here’s a checklist of key topics to think about, including new tax and retirement considerations related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In August, we saw positive equity markets and better-than-expected fundamentals. Take a look at the numbers in our latest Market Update.

As the U.S. presidential election draws closer, there are growing questions (from both sides) on whether the outcome will negatively affect the markets. Of course, this is not unusual. As you may remember from the last election cycle, many predicted doom if Trump were to win. In the election before that, we saw similar worries concerning Obama. In both cases, despite the fears, the markets ended up doing quite well.

Halfway through 2020, we’ve already had enough news (and then some) to fill up an average year. So far, we’ve seen a pandemic explode—then moderate. The stock market crashed—then recovered rapidly. There were protests around the nation—and we don’t know what will come next there. In addition to these major events, politics has steadily become more confrontational, and we know it will likely get worse as we move toward the November elections.

June was another positive month for markets. The S&P 500 returned 1.99 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) gained 1.82 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite rose by 6.07 percent. On a quarterly basis, the Nasdaq led the way with a gain of 30.95 percent, while the DJIA gained 18.51 percent and the S&P increased by 20.54 percent.