The Woodward Financial Advisors Blog

As a Financial Advisor, I cannot help but see the significant parallels between the consistent habits we need to maintain (or achieve) good health and those that help us be more successful in the pursuit of our various financial goals. We all seem to know what to do at a high level: save more, spend less, invest smartly, eat healthier foods, work out. What I find isn't always recognized is the relationship between the time and intensity of these actions.

The word “inflation” carries with it a negative connotation, and we’ve certainly been hearing about it more and more this year. After last year’s economic shocks and the shutting down of large swaths of the global economy, it’s not surprising to see prices for most goods and services rebounding.

As investors, we want to have our cake and eat it, too: we ideally only want gains and would like to avoid all decreases in value. How great it would be to have a portfolio that could simultaneously accomplish both things? Sadly, we know that’s impossible. A better tactic would be to spend some time trying to find our own personal FOMO-JOMO nexus point.

Descriptions of the long-term behavior of the stock market can seem a lot like shampoo instructions: the market goes up, followed by a drop, then it goes back up again. Wash, rinse, repeat.

I’ve come to understand that in the newfangled parlance, people are now making New Year’s intentions rather than resolutions. The distinction is lost on me, but in a nod to the modern age, I’ve put together my 2019 New Year’s intentions.

Along with millions of other Americans, our office held a small pool for the NCAA basketball tournament this past March. We filled out our brackets and let the games play out. Well, I won, despite spending less than 7 minutes constructing my bracket (possibly to the annoyance of some at the firm).