“Who knows what is good and what is bad?” What an ancient parable has to teach us about getting a “luck-proof” approach to investing: a message from Caitie this week.
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perspective
Aiming for Progress, Not Perfection
What is your favorite part about the Olympics? Is it a specific event that always catches your eye, a striking outfit?
For us, it’s hard not to be blown away by the perfection among so many of those athletes.
Watching the events, we may forget how much time and effort these athletes put into their trades. We only see the polished, precise versions of the routines, or the absolute fastest times or highest heights!
We aren’t there to watch them struggle on their way to perfection. We don’t see how many hours the athletes trained, the things they had to sacrifice. Sometimes it’s good to remind ourselves that we aren’t going to get it right the first time. We are going to fall; it’s just a part of life.
The thing that sets us apart, though? What we do after we fail.
Olympic athletes don’t throw in the towel if they have a couple bad days at practice… and we shouldn’t either. We get back out there and try again!
Maybe some of us are not happy with the amount of money we have saved so far for retirement. Instead of giving up on the idea of saving all together, we can formulate a new plan. We can analyze the budget, start reallocating cash, take advantage of IRA contributions. We can take the time to invest in ourselves and our futures.
Maybe some of us have little ones at home and are starting to think about saving for their college education. We don’t have to save as much as we can, as fast as we can. There are investment options to help you contribute at your own pace, while putting the money to work to take advantage of that potential growth.
While the Olympics is a competition, saving for retirement or a life-changing event is not. We are all on different journeys, with different resources, at different points in our lives. There is not one perfect plan for all investors.
One thing we can learn from the Olympic athletes is their power of flexibility. (While of course they are physically flexible, we are talking about their mental flexibility.) If their practice routine isn’t working for them any longer, they will change it. We can do the same thing with our financial plan!
Setbacks in life are part of the journey. If we gave up when the going gets tough, we wouldn’t get to enjoy the fruits of our labor. We won’t sell out when the market is low, just like we won’t sell ourselves short when we don’t stick the performance every time.
We keep our eyes on the prize and keep moving forward.
If you are going through something right now and you didn’t get it right the first time, that’s okay. You can always try again next time. We aim for progress, not perfection. Progress—that’s how we truly go for the gold.
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Play the audio version of this post below:
Aiming for Progress, Not Perfection – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services
This text is available at https://228Main.com/.
Looking for Setups in the Setbacks
Time travel is a powerful way to reframe the present. The here and now will always bring its unique challenges and setbacks, but what will this moment mean to you down the road, looking back?
If you’re prone to stay mired in the moment, here’s a game of “I spy” for you: where are the setups among all these setbacks?
You’ve heard it from us before. There’s day-night, day-night. There’s up-down, up-down. Well here’s one for any challenging time: setback and setup.
Challenging times bring tradeoffs, big and small. In some moments, there is less time for work… but more time with the kids. Or less time with the gym buddies… but more time out in the sunshine. Tradeoffs.
In terms of business, our classic principles still apply during challenging times. We seek bargains. Economic activity is always shifting: some areas will slam on the brakes as demand falls off; some areas will be buzzing in a scramble to keep up with demand.
Just like the setbacks in our individual lives, the business setbacks exist alongside potential setups. Part of our job is to take a good look around to try to spot them. No guarantees, but we’re always wondering what future growth is being watered by the current storm.
We don’t ignore a storm. This approach, however, helps remind us of the bigger picture. It’s a more complete way to tell the story of a setback.
Clients, if you would like to talk about this or anything else, please email us or call.
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Play the audio version of this post below:
Setbacks and Setups – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services
This text can be found at https://www.228Main.com/.
Waiting for the Best View
“Getting in on the ground floor” may sound enticing. We like to be first, best, and on top of things. But just remember that the view is always better from higher up.
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A Luck-Proof Mindset
“Who knows what is good and what is bad?” What an ancient parable has to teach us about getting a “luck-proof” approach to investing: a message from Caitie this week.
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The View from Your Investments
“Getting in on the ground floor” may sound enticing. We like to be first, best, and on top of things. But just remember that the view is always better from higher up.
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Plenty To Be Thankful For
Won’t you join me? I’m getting in the spirit! A little personal reflection for this fine holiday week.
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Going for the Gold and Trying Again
What was your favorite part about the Olympics? Was it a specific event that caught your eye, a striking outfit? For us, it’s hard not to be blown away by the perfection among those gymnasts.
Watching the events, we may forget how much time and effort these athletes put into their trades. We only see the polished, precise versions of the routines, or the absolute fastest times or highest heights!
We aren’t there to watch them struggle on their way to perfection. We don’t see how many hours the athletes trained, the things they had to sacrifice. Sometimes it’s good to remind ourselves that we aren’t going to get it right the first time. We are going to fall down; it’s just a part of life.
The thing that sets us apart, though? What we do after we fail.
Olympic athletes don’t throw in the towel because they had a couple bad days at practice… and we shouldn’t either. We get back out there and try again!
Maybe some of us are not happy with the amount of money we have saved so far for retirement. Instead of giving up on the idea of saving all together, we can formulate a new plan. We can analyze the budget, start reallocating cash, take advantage of IRA contributions. We can take the time to invest in ourselves and our futures.
Maybe some of us have little ones at home and are starting to think about saving for their college education. We don’t have to save as much as we can, as fast as we can. There are investment options to help you contribute at your own pace, while putting the money to work to take advantage of that potential growth.
While the Olympics is a competition, saving for retirement or a life-changing event is not. We are all on different journeys, with different resources, at different points in our lives. There is not one perfect plan for all investors.
One thing we can learn from the Olympic gymnasts is their power of flexibility. (While of course they are physically flexible, we are talking about their mental flexibility.) If their practice or routine isn’t working for them any longer, they will change it. We can do the same thing with our financial plan!
Setbacks in life are part of the journey. If we gave up when the going gets tough, we wouldn’t get to enjoy the fruits of our labors. We won’t sell out when the market is low, just like we won’t sell ourselves short when we don’t stick the landing every time.
We keep our eyes on the prize and keep moving forward.
If you are going through something right now and you didn’t get it right the first time, that’s okay. You can always try again next time. We aim for progress, not perfection. Progress—that’s going for the gold.
Want content like this in your inbox each week? Leave your email here.
Play the audio version of this post below:
Going for the Gold and Trying Again – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services
This text is available at https://www.228Main.com/.
You Just Never Know
We’d like to think that with age comes wisdom. But it’s not just racking up the years. We try to learn from our experiences—and integrate those lessons into our thinking.
I can’t speak for anyone else on our 228 Main team, but I can say that I am still a little surprised I’m here.
And I mean that in every way. I didn’t know the turns my career would take, and yet the path I took here is still the one that made the most sense. It’s led to the best possible outcomes. I didn’t know my current neighborhood even existed until we found a place to live in it. I didn’t know the mental health struggles I would explore in my early 30s, but I wouldn’t be who I am today without them.
What’s it all mean? The lesson I take is this: I couldn’t have called any of this ahead of time, so, therefore, maybe there are more surprises ahead.
We’ve heard from a few of you about the unexpected turns in your lives. One of them was, “I never thought I’d own a yoga mat.”
Another one was, “I never thought I’d be living in a house again.”
Big stuff, small stuff—you just never know. It’s possible to feel like you’re in the driver’s seat and that the road will keep bringing us twists and turns. Sometimes we crest a hill in the sunshine, and it’s like our whole future is laid out before us.
And sometimes we can only see as far as the headlights reach.
Having a team to support us along the way can make such a difference. I wasn’t alone through any of my own twists and turns. My team included professionals and specialists, everyone from my primary care doc to a new accountant to help my household.
It included my loved ones, friends, and the people in my life I knew I could text any time, day or night.
Who’s on your team?
Let’s assume the twists and turns will continue to surprise us—and sometimes delight us! We’re here for all of it. You just never know.
And we’re glad to share it with you.
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Play the audio version of this post below:
You Just Never Know – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services
This text is available at https://www.228Main.com/.
Life Sentences
by Caitie Leibman, Director of Communications
Sometimes I marvel at my brain. I might wake up from a vivid dream or be surprised by a random thought that pops into my mind while I’m innocently doing the dishes, and I’ll wonder, “Where did that come from?”
It’s a gift to be able to notice when thoughts come and go. Sometimes, our thoughts can start to feel so familiar, we don’t notice them anymore. They turn into wallpaper: we can be surrounded by them all day and never notice. We take them for granted as fact.
Maybe you’ve heard some of these sentences before, swirling around in your own mind or coming out of someone else’s mouth:
“Never go into business with family.” (Ha!)
“I’m not good with money.”
“I can’t do something that risky.”
Are these sentences—or life sentences? Are you serving time in the name of a belief? It’s not “the big house” we get trapped in: it’s a small life.
Our words can become cages when we take them more seriously than we need to. But a thought can just be a thought. Like a cloud we watch in the sky, can we allow it to do its thing, and then go on its way?
We can’t stop those stories from popping up any more than we can keep clouds out of the sky. But maybe we can sprinkle in some more helpful sentences, ones that won’t hold us back.
“What if this works out?”
“What if there was a different way?”
“What if I could?”
In any case, we’re glad to be here with you—for whatever comes our way.
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Play the audio version of this post below:
Life Sentences – 228Main.com Presents: The Best of Leibman Financial Services
This text is available at https://www.228Main.com/.
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