By Scott Ronalds

From our Quarterly Report:

It’s a remarkable time to be an investor. After decades of overspending in the Western world, we’re watching Europe melt down and the American empire decline faster than expected. The debt burden is slowing the world economy and accelerating the power shift from West to East. And while we watch with amazement, the fear factor grows.

When you look at your Steadyhand results, however, you might not think 2011 was so remarkable. Despite all the negative noise, political ineptitude and market volatility, our client returns weren’t far off of their long-term expected levels. Balanced portfolios were up between 2% and 5% (depending on the particular fund mix) ...

Read Tom’s full brief and the rest of our report here.