“If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people” – Confucius
The 2nd quarter of 2017 is over, and it was a good one.
Practically every non-managed stock market index was up, in almost every sector. The markets perform in one of three ways — up, down, and sideways. After a few years of a sideways market, since the election we’ve seen a fairly steady and consistent up market, reaching new highs almost daily.
Periodically I hear “the market is at highs and it can’t possibly go any higher”. Hmmm, I’ve heard that every year for the past 26 years, so let’s step back and think about it.
If you believe that long term the market will go up (and you must, otherwise why have money invested in it) then market highs are a good thing and something to celebrate. Even if the market only made 1% per year (hypothetically for discussion purposes), then every year it has reached a new high. So new highs are normal, and a good thing. If you’re trying to wait for it to fall and then invest, you could be waiting a long time and miss the upward in the meantime.
Anyway, watch my video above.
In my 2nd quarter review, I include my anecdotal “5 traits of successful clients”, and you’ll find they all have to do with behavior.
It’s my belief that an investor’s mental attitude (discipline, control of emotions, etc.) trumps almost everything else. Because of these “soft” but simple traits, it leads to making the right decisions at the right time.
Check out my video above. It’s my favorite one I’ve done since my last video. 🙂
Read more from the 2017 Second Quarter Review Newsletter