June 2022

If there is one thing I learned from the Covid pandemic, it is to remember to take time for myself and enjoy a little simplicity in life.  If there is one thing I have forgotten from the Covid pandemic, it is to take time for myself and enjoy a little simplicity in life. Seems contradictory, I know.

Thinking back to April 2020, when we realized these Covid shutdowns were our new reality it felt good to have nowhere that you HAD to go.  It was refreshing for me.  I made promises to myself that I would use this extra time of no obligations to do things for myself, get stuff done around the house and just really enjoy the time we always seem to crave.  Then, as did most people, I got into my new routine of making myself busy in different ways.  Sure, we were all still home, but for me I was avoiding all those things I just promised myself.  Instead, I missed going out and seeing people and was aching for a social calendar. 

Well, the social calendar is back.  Life is busy again and with real things to do.  Do you know what? I wish I could set it all aside to lay in the grass, look at the blue sky and feel the warm sun on my face. Why do we do that to ourselves?  Maybe, I should say, why do I do that to myself?  Always looking at what’s next rather than enjoying what is now.   This morning, I took a different approach.  I got out early to enjoy the sunrise, listen to the birds singing and just got lost in my thoughts.   It was a reminder that I don’t need the world to shut down to take time for myself and that things don’t always need to be done just because we think they do.  It is OK to do nothing sometimes.

So, what does this have to do with financial planning and investments?  Well, when I started writing this, it was really just sharing some thoughts and insights that I had.  However, the more I thought about it, I realized this:

We forget quickly.  As investors, when the stock market is going down, we forget how much money we may have already made.  When the stock market is going up, we quickly forget that it can go down just as quickly. Sometimes, we may recommend selling an investment that is doing great, which to you seems counterintuitive.  You may ask, “Why sell, when it’s doing so well?”  We look at it as an opportunity to take profits.  We may recommend buying an investment that just seems to be going down.  You may ask, “Why buy when it’s not doing well?”  We look at it as an opportunity to buy a quality investment that’s undervalued and hopefully, you make some money.   We may recommend holding the course and not making any changes to your investments at all.  You may ask, “Why not make changes?  The market is going down.  Aren’t we better preserving what we have?”  We look at what your goals and time frame are and make recommendations based on that information, rather than the short-term noise surrounding the stock market. 

The fact is that we should often be looking at a good balance in our lives, some social time, some self-time, work time and playtime.  We should focus on the big picture.  When it comes to your investments that is what we do. Our team doesn’t forget easily what the market has done or what it can do.  Instead, we evaluate present situations and look at what’s next for you and your financial goals. 

All investments are subject to risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected. Holding investments for the long term does not insure a profitable outcome. The forgoing is not a recommendation to buy or sell any individual security or any combination of securities. Be sure to contact a qualified professional regarding your particular situation before making any investment or withdrawal decision.