All that can’t be known
“The hard part about investing is that no one really knows what the difference between a cyclical and secular bull market is in real-time. Investors thought we were going into a depression when the 1987 Black Monday crash hit. No one could have known the bull market still had another dozen years or so to run at that time.… Returns will slow at some point. I just don’t know when and I don’t know why, which is why I diversify.”
– Ben Carlson, in a 6/23/24 post on his blog, A Wealth of Common Sense. Read more at bit.ly/3XATowo.
A bright future?
“Economists are likely to continue searching for easy rules to forecast whether a recession is nigh.... We’ll continue to look at the details behind the economic headlines. So far, that leads us to believe inflation will continue to moderate, the economy will continue to grow, and the “Roaring 2020s” are alive and well.”
– Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research in a 6/25/24 MarketWatch opinion piece. Read more at bit.ly/3zb9dzK.
Realistically optimistic
“Investors in equities win over the long-term by being optimistic, but that alone is not enough. We also need to be sufficiently realistic to understand that the long-term will include some torrid periods that will present the most exacting behavioral tests. If we don’t plan for those short-term challenges, we are unlikely to reach our long-run goals.”
– Joe Wiggins, in a 6/25/24 post on his Behavioral Investment blog. Read more at bit.ly/3L0m9uW.
Asking for help before it’s needed
“[P]lans should be put in place before cognitive decline begins. This is especially important considering...that older investors are often unaware of the decline in their cognitive skills and, thus, are more likely to be overconfident about their ability.”
– Larry Swedroe of Buckingham Wealth Partners, in a 6/18/24 article at WealthManagement.com. He said investors would be wise to plan for the day when they should not be managing their own portfolios. Read more at bit.ly/3XAhG9S.
No regrets
“Until the past few years, I’ve lived quite frugally, and yet I find myself with almost no regrets about that lifestyle. Yes, if my health allows, I’ll be ticking off some bucket-list items over the year ahead. But mostly what I feel is profound gratitude for the life I’ve had.”
– Jonathan Clements, in a 6/15/24 post on his Humble Dollar blog in which he announced his recent cancer diagnosis. Read more at bit.ly/3z5zwrg.
