I hope you are having an amazing summer and getting to do bucket list items with those you love. I want to share with you anecdotally what I have been hearing lately: “I am nervous about the future.” OR “Should we do something different?”
Fear & Greed
Did you know that there is an index called the Fear & Greed Index? You can follow the CNN-monitored index by clicking the link below.
https://www.cnn.com/markets/fear-and-greed
As I write to you today, the index is in the “Extreme Greed” category. An 81 out of 100. For perspective, a year ago the score was 35 in the “Fear” category.
The well-respected investment management firm Franklin Templeton has an Anatomy of a Recession Dashboard that you can follow in the link below.
https://www.franklintempletonme.com/our-funds/themes/anatomy-of-recession
The overall signal has been “Recession” since September 30, 2022.
There is ALWAYS compelling research to NOT invest or stay invested.
The S&P 500 was at 3485.62 on September 30th, 2022, … today (7/18/2023) the S&P 500 resides at 4,530.29.
Up 30%!
I wholeheartedly believe that the economy cannot be consistently forecast nor can the market be consistently timed.
Honestly, I have no idea what the stock and bond markets will do in the short term. Please run from anyone who does.
Returns in the short-term are at best … random.
Over the long term, the greatest predictor of where the stock market will go is earnings.
This provides me with great comfort.
Collectively, leaders in publicly traded companies are stewarding capital toward profitable endeavors.
After all, many of these leaders are incentivized by the performance of their own company stock.
7 Reasons to Stay Invested
1/ Because it is just as possible that the market could go up from here.
2/ I believe the only way to get a return close to the overall market is to stay invested in good times and in bad.
3/ I will continue to receive dividends from a diversified portfolio (note: dividends are not guaranteed) that I can use as supplemental income or reinvest to purchase additional shares of companies.
4/ The growth of dividends and earnings has far outpaced inflation.
5/ I know that the market will go down 20%+ many times during my investment lifetime.
6/ I do not have money invested in the stock market that I need in the next 5 years.
7/ I have an emergency fund that I can access that is safe and liquid.
If any of your friends or family have financial questions, I am happy to be a sounding board for them. If they are important to you, they are important to me.–Nic
EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT
Due to the fact we are growing, we needed help!
I am very excited to announce that Know My Plan is welcoming Will Miller to the team as a Lead Advisor.
Will graduated from Wilkes University in 2017 where he played collegiate tennis.
In addition, Will received his master’s degree in Finance from the University of Scranton.
Will is currently studying for the CFP Exam.
I will let Will introduce himself.
Hi everyone – Will Miller here. I can’t tell you how excited I am to join the Know My Plan team.
I love being a financial planner because of what it allows me to do!
- I get to talk with the best people in the world
- Work with them on achieving their goals
- Being more than just their “advisor”. We become partners.
My favorite part of the job is getting the phone call saying “We were able to do …” or “ I’m so glad you said to …” In my free time, I enjoy going to the shore, playing pickleball, and just being outside. My fiancé, Taylor and I live right outside of Philly with our 3 cats and dog.
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Thanks for reading! If you are looking for my financial advice and expertise, view our blog here!
How We Built Our Financial Advisory Business – Know My Plan
