The neighbors have a shiny new sport utility vehicle to tow their travel trailer. They take a two-week tropical vacation every winter. Their family room is equipped with the latest large screen TV and surround sound stereo system. Many people believe this is a sign of wealth. In fact, this is usually a sign of consumption.
More often than not, the above lifestyle is funded with huge amounts of debt.
Many investors are very focused on annual returns and others worry about losing money if the economy goes into a recession. The reality is that how to approach or react to different scenarios really depends on what type of investor you are. In other words, context and your financial plan are everything!
The point of the headline is to distinguish what kind of investor you are. Do you follow storylines as described in the media headlines, or do you rely upon numbers and data to build your wealth and achieve financial independence?
The goal of financial planning is to build enough assets, by the time you retire, that the income earned from investments (including pensions etc.) will provide you with your desired lifestyle, without the need to get out of bed and go to work.
Simple, right? All other discussions relate to the strategies you can use to build your wealth to the point of Financial Independence or beyond. For true wealth, think about acquiring capital or assets beyond supporting your standard of living.
As some provinces head into a second COVID-19 lockdown, some people are asking the question: Why bother investing for the long term? For many, especially Millennials, the task of building financial wealth and security looks increasingly hopeless. Even the most prudent small business owners were caught short during the lock down in the spring and many are now facing the prospect of permanently closing their companies.
Many commentators are expecting increased inflation in the coming months as Central Banks globally have ramped up their money creation efforts in response to the increased market volatility last March. There are different types of inflation, but most people have experienced price inflation, whereby excess demand is met by rising prices. The next round of anticipated inflation could be different than what most people are familiar with.
Money has long been the number one stressor for many Canadians, and there's no doubt that COVID has magnified this reality. It has upended jobs, security, health and financial stability for people across the country. Millions of Canadians are struggling to cover their bills. In March of 2020, 49% of Canadians were just $200 from financial insolvency1.
The focus here is on you as an investor! What do you bring to the table in terms of investment experience and personal temperament (emotions) that impacts your investment returns and satisfaction while building your nest egg?
When their investment savings plummeted in the 2001 stock market crash, Adam and Sonya were concerned, but not panicked. Retirement was a long way out, so they had plenty of time to recover. The couple decided to try their hand at 'timing the market' (buying and selling stocks based on expected market fluctuations) to recover their losses. "We thought that if we stayed on top things and could chart when the market would go up and down, we could make our money back," says Adam.
