From the Archives of TGIF 2 Minutes comes one of the “Top 5 most read of all time” editions – updated for 2026.
Have you asked yourself lately…
The words of Pope Francis often had very down-to-earth meaning. Here are excerpts from an encouraging reflection, merely two months ago, on “old age” from the late Pontiff*:
“Yes, we must not be afraid of old age, we must not fear embracing becoming old, because life is life, and sugarcoating reality means betraying the truth of things. …Restoring pride to a term [“old age”] too often considered unhealthy is a gesture for which we should be grateful…
As the saying goes, it has been a year! It is time for an early Thanksgiving message.
Amidst the challenges near and far surrounding us today, I would like to express gratitude to several amazing groups of people:
Based on the lives of my clients, colleagues, friends, and family I am hopeful for continued achievement of short-, intermediate- and long-term goals.
Finally, I would be remiss not to thank God for Fridays and for the many blessings we enjoy all year long.
Thank you for reading, an early Happy Thanksgiving and TGIF!
This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied upon for, tax, legal or accounting advice.
*Please see footnote below for a CORRECTION to last week’s edition, TGIF 2 Minutes – Tax & 401k Infor for ALL Ages. Thank you to my astute readers!
On to this week’s edition:
So far, 2023 has been a decent year, even slightly better than decent, for the stock market and the short-term end of the bond market (total return).
When times are mostly good it becomes easier to feel comfortable spending more money or making major purchases. BUT –
currently it makes sense to thoroughly think through – and take more time (perhaps a couple of years) – making major spending decisions.
In a year that has been difficult in the markets and anything but predictable, there are still lots of bright spots and things for which to be thankful. In that vein it may make sense – before the Thanksgiving holiday – to dedicate extra time to giving ourselves credit for:
From the Archives of TGIF 2 Minutes… with an addition on hopefulness.
Bottom line: Being Thankful, Grateful and Hopeful are all positive things.
Simply saying “Thank you” out loud is hard to do without smiling either inwardly or outwardly. Try it! Then say, “I am grateful for X” and it likely brings an even deeper feeling. Perhaps that is why gratitude is central to the science of happiness –yes, there is a whole branch of science around happiness. The newer science around hope is equally, if not more, powerful!
One of the most critical factors of long-term personal financial success is… guess:
And the answer is… SPENDING. This fact is why a truly competent financial planner will spend the most time on discussing spending, both today and future projected, along with GOALS (Goals are what people spend money on).
“Retirement” is so yesterday.
How about PCL instead? PCL = Post Career Lifestyle. It may turn out to be the way to go for a number of reasons.
After talking with a number of clients and friends in the past couple of weeks it became apparent that a breakdown of YTD stock market performance would be informative. There are major pronounced differences currently in the various stock categories. An explanation of these differences could illuminate why certain portfolios have gone up (or down) more than others.
Please note that this discussion is not meant to minimize the importance of performance. Performance is critical; however, the time frame of performance evaluation and the concept of progress toward achieving goals are even more critical to successful investing.
Lifestyle, goals and spending are what drive a successful investor’s attitude in volatile markets.
Whew! What a stretch in the markets. During record-breaking volatility both UP and DOWN I have been on the phone continuously with clients and friends for 2-3 weeks. The BEST part is that 99% of the phone calls have been positive in confirming:
Continue reading “Three Factors at Work in the Financial Market”
