INDEPENDENT FIDUCIARY | INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT | Comprehensive Financial Planning

It was HOT! My head was swimming, and my mouth took in massive lungs full of air. I had two walking sticks and a lot of water on my back. My 50+ out-of-shape body had pushed through a whopping four miles of straight uphill rocky terrain. My ultra-marathon runner 20-something son waited patiently for me, not even breathing heavily, and encouragingly said, Dad, just another mile to go, and it is all downhill from here! (I begged to differ with him on this analysis because we had to go back.) He also suggested that it was hard for him; he was just “used to it.” I tried to point out that when he was little and we were on a trail like this, I would pick him up and carry him o my back. It seems only fair that he would do the same for me now! He did not think that was a good idea.   

Have you ever read stories about professional athletes?

I recently watched a video series about one. These stories fascinate me, even though they all have three things in common. They all practice, watch historical tapes and have multiple coaches in specific areas of their craft. (a throwing coach, a strength coach, an endurance coach, a physical therapist, a dietician, and the list goes on).  

Have you ever been in a situation where you know something is wrong but need a professional to tell you just how bad it is? ‘So, Mr. Mechanic, how bad is it? So Doc, how bad is it?   

One of my sons recently called with a car issue, and from 1,800 miles away, he said to me so how bad do you think it is? Just from having him describe the issue, my best guess was a $1,500 to $2,000 repair, but I am far from the actual problem, so who knows?  
Last month we talked about the long-awaited recession being here. This month let’s talk about how deep and wide this is likely to get, why, and what you can do about it.    

How bad is it?
What actions can you take now to mitigate the damage
What are the potential opportunities 

What matters is what will happen, not what is happening right now, yet that is where most people focus. I am teaching my daughter (the last one of six I get to teach.) how to drive, and we talk about keeping her focus further out because if she doesn’t, she is constantly correcting and going way over to one side of the lane or the other. Investing can be a lot like that. Keep your focus out in front. Sure, glance in the rearview mirror, be aware of what is happening around you, but keep your focus far forward!  

The long-awaited recession is here . . . . . so what?
The three most important things for investors to be aware of in today’s markets
What are the choices?