Listening and Learning…

Notes from The Financial Shepherd: Why Dollars + Change = Sense

There are some people who just get it right. They read, study, listen, and learn everything they can about finances and then put that knowledge to work and allow the money they save and the power of compound interest to work wonders for them. 

One client in particular comes to mind. He is single and has saved on his own for years. He earns approximately $150,000 per year and saves 50 percent of his income. At age 40, he had already amassed more than $1 million. He invested most of his money on his own by reading various books about the “buy and hold” strategy and diversification. However, when the market dropped in October 2008, he sold at the market’s lowest point and didn’t get back in the game. When we met to discuss his finances, he shared with me that he knew that he should not have sold, but emotionally he could not stomach that level of risk. Fortunately, he gave me permission to take over his investments, since I had no personal or emotional attachments to his money. 

In March 2009, we noticed that the market was beginning to turn around, so we bought several investments on his behalf. When he received the online statement, he immediately called me to confirm that the information was accurate. It was. Six months later his entire portfolio had increased by 400 percent. While this clearly doesn’t happen everyday, listening and learning from others can certainly help. When you build your financial future on a solid foundation, the potential is unlimited.