When Should You Get In The Market?

At a workshop last spring, I met a man who believed we were at the top of a market cycle and was scared to invest his money.

His thought process went something like this: we’re at the top, the only way to go from the top is down, therefore I will stay in cash and wait until a better time to get in.

Earlier in my career in the industry, in late 2009, I would speak with clients who had just gone through the crash and were scared to get in the market again.

Their thought process went something like this: the market just crashed, it could crash more and I’ve lost a lot, therefore I will wait until the market rebounds some more before I invest.

In either case, fear ruled the person’s decision. One was scared to invest at the perceived top, and the other was scared to invest while near the perceived bottom.

So, when should you get in the market? Trying to time the market is nearly impossible, and trying to time it in a way to capitalize off of it is even more difficult.

The big secret of investing is that it is ridiculously easy. Really, it is. As I’ve shared in previous posts, academic research has been done already to show how to build a portfolio and also how to maintain it for a lifetime. The returns on an optimized portfolio are more than enough for anyone to live on well into retirement.

The best time to be in the market is now. The best time to optimize your portfolio is right now. Why? Because 20 or 30 years of having an optimized portfolio is better than 19 or 29 years.

It is not about trying to time when to get in the market. It is about how much time you have IN the market.

Has your experience as an investor been one that could be described as intentional, patient, deliberate, and disciplined? Or, has your experience been one that could be described as reactionary, shooting in the dark, hodge-podge, and sporadic?

I help people discover their personal risk tolerance and then we build an optimized portfolio for them. Then, I help them stay disciplined the rest of their life so they can stay on track to capture the market’s returns. This enables them to live out their hopes and dreams for their future.

If you want to have this experience as an investor - one with peace of mind, knowing you’re in the best position possible - come to my next workshop. Or, you can contact me through this website. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

What Is Your True Purpose For Money?

There have been studies done that show that at some point having more money does not equate to more happiness. For some the dollar amount is higher than others, but at some point just having more money will not pay off in having more happiness.

Intellectually, we can grasp this. Even if we think having an annual income in the millions of dollars may finally be enough. But there has to be more to it than just more cash in the bank.

Unless you’re Scrooge, just having more money for the sake of having more money just isn’t enough. In my experience, most people have a deeper need than money.

For some, it is how they express love. For others, it is about leaving a legacy behind. For still others, it is to give generously. Some want to provide the needs of their family and perhaps beyond to foreign lands and causes.

Whatever the intent, there has to be something that is worth more to you than money. Otherwise, why are you doing what you are doing with your investments?

It is important to discover your true purpose for your money. Maybe you want to buy a yacht, but why do you want a yacht? To create memories with your family on holiday weekends? To set off on an adventure at sea? The money is just the means to accomplishing your true, deeper purpose in life.

Why is this so important to know? This is supposed to be a blog about coaching investors. It is. And part of my job as a coach is to help people discover their true purpose for their money.

Why? Because it marrys together their money with their deepest longing on this earth. You could even say that it helps them identify why they are here and what their mission is. This in turn helps lead them to have a more fulfilled life.

This also helps them understand how to best invest their money. They can articulate the purpose of the money, and therefore the risk tolerance. It can also help them realize what other planning steps may be needed for their hopes and dreams to become reality.

When you have a clear purpose in life and discover your true purpose for money, you can become laser-focused on what you are doing and why. It makes decision-making easier.

Have you discovered your true purpose for money? If not, I can help you discover it.

If so, are your current actions with regards to your money in line with your purpose? If not, I can help get you on track.

You can reach out to me through this website. You can also come to my next workshop.

I would love to help you discover your true purpose for your money and then align your actions to that purpose.

Living And Investing With No Regrets

As we head into the end of 2017, many of us will think ahead to 2018 and make resolutions, update our life goals, or decide on a new or different path to head down in life.

Oftentimes, this also means that we look back at the previous year and ask questions like:

• “Am I getting what I want out of life?”

• “Did I do everything I wanted to do this year?”

• “What did I regret doing this year that I don’t want to repeat?”

• “Did I grow/change in the way I wanted to this year?”

• “Am I better person than I was a year ago?”

One area that can easily get overlooked is our finances.

In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we choose not to look at our credit card statements or bank accounts because we know it’s bad. We choose to put off dealing with it until later.

Investors will receive statements and simply place them on a stack of bills or other documents to be filed later and not look at them.

Here is a question you should consider: “Are you doing everything possible to be in the best financial position possible for you and your family?”

Do you have a budget? Do you follow it?

Do you have a life-long game plan for your financial spending habits?

Do you know if you are on track to reach the goals you have for your life?

Is your investment portfolio designed to capture the best possible return the market will provide?

As the fanfare of the holidays wind down and you pick up your bank statements and investment statements, won’t you take a moment to answer the questions above?

Have you ever had someone help you get on track, or get back on track, towards realizing the hopes and dreams you have for your family? Would you like to?

This is what I am here to do. I am here to help families like yours get on track to realize the dreams they have for the future. I help families create and keep budgets, optimize their investment portfolios, and I give them a lifetime of education and coaching so they can actually do what they want to do in the future.

If you are looking for someone to help you, please contact us or attend one of our upcoming workshops to begin the process. I look forward to seeing you in 2018!