Month: May 2021

Make Your Best Friends Better
photo shows two people helping each other climb a mountain slope with a blue sea in the background

We are tethered to those around us. It’s not just an economic thing. It’s not necessarily a karma thing. But the things that happen in our tightest circles have consequences—for everyone involved.

Studies have shown that “your chances of becoming happy, depressed or obese in the future, as well as the likelihood that you would give up smoking, were all strongly correlated with similar changes in your closest friend,” as reported in the new book Friends: Understanding the Power of Our Most Important Relationships.

And you thought your BFF was special before!

Those studies have found that, like a team of mountain climbers, our close friend group can create a virtuous cycle. As one ascends, everyone else follows. When any of you improves, you all do.

  • Point your friends to resources they might be able to use. Making connections is one of those habits that’s practically free to practice and could be invaluable to the other party. (As an aside, this is why we love being able to offer free guides on our website… Never know who may be able to use them!)
  • Connect your resources to your values, and recognize others when you notice them doing the same. When folks live in an aligned way—and are conscious of it—it creates a positive feedback loop. As an example, we’ve been working with a few clients recently who’ve helped challenge our thinking about some of our holdings and examining the big picture in fresh ways. We’re all better for the process.
  • Celebrate together, hang in there together. Okay, this has us thinking about you, our clients. We love cheering on your milestones, those moments where you realize you’ve got what you need to do something in your real life… and we’re here to navigate the rest with you. Ups and downs, highs and lows. Part of the joy we share in the good times is the community we forge in the not-so-good ones.

The takeaways seem pretty clear to us (and for our friends!). Want to reach new summits? Build and invest in a team that will help make that happen. We know it’s been a good approach in our shop.

Clients, write or call when you’re ready to talk about your next goals, challenges, or anything else.

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Play the audio version of this post below:

Make Your Best Friends Better – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services

This text is available at https://www.228Main.com/.

A Certain Set of Skills
photo shows a baseball sitting on a striped jersey

When designing a portfolio, one might think about it like a baseball team. Obviously we want to build a winning team, but we know it won’t likely be an undefeated team. The strength of the team is in the versatility of the lineup.

Each player brings a skillset. There’s the base-stealer, the defensive replacement, the slugger, the all-star… We’re thinking about how some of these spots play a role in portfolios.

  • The Veteran Player. This is an older company that pays a nice dividend. It provides value even if it doesn’t perform as well as the others.
  • The Utility Player. This is a durable company providing steady, unexciting performances.
  • The Streaky Player. This is a company that has stretches of greatness followed by mediocrity—but it’s bound to turn it around. The potential is there, and the broader patterns suggest patience.
  • The Slugger. This company can carry a portfolio some days, strike out other days. It’s getting after it.
  • The All-Star. This company is the face of the portfolio: everyone knows it for its all-around performance. It’s a big presence.

No portfolio can be made from just one type of player. A portfolio consisting of only all-stars would be too expensive (and we like a bargain). A team of streaky players would be good during the good times—and tough to watch when they’re all struggling in sync.

A balanced lineup is what we desire. No guarantees on any particular outcome, but we think there are plenty of strengths that come in handy. Clients, when you have questions, please write or call.

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Play the audio version of this post below:

A Certain Set of Skills – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services

This text is available at https://www.228Main.com/.