Welcome to the May Edition of The Ultimate Guide For the Successful Steward, Fourth Dimension Financial Group’s newsletter.
It’s about preparing, not predicting.
The pundits’ rallying cry is getting louder: “The market is set to crash within the next 18 months!”
… It’s on the news, so it must be true, right? …
Maybe, maybe not. You may or may not be aware, but I contacted almost everyone I could think of back in November of 2007 and said, with a lump in my throat: “The market is going to crash. I hope I’m wrong but I don’t think I am. I think we should prepare.”
I share this NOT to stake my claim as the market prognosticator, predictor of all things financial. Instead, I want to point out that the news was emphatically not saying the market was going to crash. In fact, the news media was eerily quiet on the subject. How did I know when the financial news networks did not? I was studying unbiased, paid-for research. The research was based on fundamentals and technical indicators, not headline hyperbole.
Here’s the real problem: the market could very well crash in the next 18 months. Or it may not. Are you prepared either way?
This month we’ll spend some time on the fundamentals of investing as a retiree. We’ll focus on why and how to consider your investment portfolio right now, before a major correction occurs in the market (or not). The fact of the matter is, not everyone lost their shirt in 2008. There are ways to avoid membership in the “everybody lost a ton of money club.” Their membership dues are very high and the meetings are depressing. I think you will like what we have to say.
On another note, we are shining a spotlight on Dave Bensch this month. Dave has an incredible story that you should be aware of. I think you’ll enjoy learning a bit more about him.
Finally, as you read through this piece, I really hope you enjoy the new digital Steward! I want to extend many thanks to Haley Wilkins of WingedDesign: She has been working with me for many years as a graphic and web designer and her work is quite simply exceptional. If you have feedback on the new Steward, please let us know. It means a lot to us.
In closing I want to thank you again for the opportunity to serve you in your planning and your financial education. I hope that you’ll share this newsletter and the story of what we’re building together here at Fourth Dimension Financial Group. It’s a humbling experience for me and I very much appreciate each of you who take the time to read this and share what you know with others.
Carie completed her second marathon and her mom, Cheryl, surprised her by waiting at the finish line.
To your success,
Adam Cufr, RICP®
P.S. If you happen to stop into the office or have a meeting scheduled in the near future, please forgive us for the mess and noise. We’re making some changes to our lobby to make it more inviting and that requires a bit of discomfort in the short term.
