By: Liz Hand, CFP®
Recently my son participated in The Lion King with his school. My expectations were low because this is a K-6th production of the whole play. And boy was I wrong! That opening African savannah scene with the “The Circle of Life” got me. Tears welling at the moment a stuffed animal Simba was raised on the stairs that were wrapped with crumpled gray “rock-like” paper.
It’s a great opening song that has that emotional crescendo.
I was HOOKED. I felt the feels.
That was intentional. Elton John was a musical master. It captivated and wrapped me into the story. I was ready to lean in to the play.
________________________________
Here’s the deal.
Right now in the market, the negative news is mounting into an emotional crescendo.
It is really loud and it’s striking a chord within you that makes you want to lean in and pay attention. To act.
Sell, hide, protect.
It is a compelling force.
_________________________________
Yet.
When you step out of the emotional crescendo…
… you know not to “sell low”.
… you know the market bounces back.
So.
Can you just take a moment and allow yourself to recognize that you’re in a crescendo moment that creates feelings?
Totally normal.
And.
You can let the feelings pass through you.
Shake it off, turn off the TV, go for a walk.
Don’t limit your retirement spending by making abrupt changes while you’re in an emotional crescendo that *we all feel*
(Side note – Advisors have their own crescendo, it just moves muuuuch slower. We’re human beings, after all)
__________________________
Here’s what I know.
When you do the good work at the beginning of the investment process and get it invested considering all the variables, you don’t make big changes even when the NASDAQ is down 28%. You don’t make changes even when it is officially announced “We are in a Bear Market.”
SO LET’S GET CLEAR.
- Is this the emotional crescendo talking and you just need this gentle reminder to take a walk and shake it off?
- Or is this a pit of the stomach feeling because you buried your head in the sand for a while?
If it’s the former: turn off the TV and go find a trail to take a walk on. Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin.
If it’s the latter: reach out. It’s time to have a conversation. Schedule an intro call here: https://calendly.com/lizhand/introductory-call.
