We were in Memphis for Thanksgiving and saw the musical Six, which is about the wives of Henry VIII. Though a polarizing choice in the Eagleston house, we will use it as inspiration for this month’s update. I am going to refrain from putting in links to the songs for the mental health of our readers.

The end of the year is always a hectic time, and although some argue turning the calendar to a new year is capricious and arbitrary, most people (not to mention Uncle Sam) do not look at it that way. To that end, let’s look at four things you may want to be discussing with your financial advisor before the clock strikes 11:59 on December 31.

Having only recently moved back to Cincinnati, I was a little unprepared for the autumnal gloom that can overwhelm the beauty of the foliage. This became apparent on a jaunt to Pittsburgh for our daughter’s soccer team where, unfortunately, the soundtrack was (and I am only being somewhat hyperbolic here) driver of GDP growth, inspirer of Halloween décor, and destroyer (or would-be savior) of American football, Taylor Swift. We will celebrate her entire catalog (as well as another, older Swift).

America lost a television icon in August with the passing of Bob Barker, long-time host of The Price is Right. As one of our colleagues insightfully noted, he died at age 99, coming as close as possible to 100 without going over. We will come on down and use a few of the show’s games for this month’s recap. September Update - Key Takeaways • Fed policy finally started to squeeze investors in August. • The deck remains stacked against investors as we consider the factors we track. • The rest of the year may be a cliff hanger, especially for higher valuation stocks.

The French Enlightenment philosopher, writer, historian Voltaire once wrote: “The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.” Adapting one of history’s pithier jibes to the realm of financial advice, we think the so-called passive index is most often neither passive nor an index, and it is most certainly not investing. Investors should take heed.