Here we are coming up on the start of a new College Football season. As many of you know I am a diehard North Carolina State Wolfpack fan. Go Pack! I’m planning to travel to see the Wolfpack play their first game of the College Football Season. While I am excited about the return of College Football and traveling to the game with friends and family, I am also a bit apprehensive. I am bit afraid of splurging to attend the game and then seeing the Wolfpack play poorly. This would get me down and then I would be in a bad mood for the remainder of the Labor Day weekend.
This feeling of apprehension is not just contained to Wolfpack or College Football fans, but it also relates to many everyday people with regards to investing. Many people get overwhelmed by the downside potential they see in the stock market. To battle this reluctance to invest (notice I did not say speculate) in the stock market, they just decide to stay on the sidelines by keep their money only in cash savings accounts or other ultra conservative investments.
This is not to say you should never have conservative investments in your portfolio, but if you are in your early 30s and could have 30+ years left in your working career and 30+ years to live in retirement, you will need growth. If this is the case, you should have a percentage of your funds in the stock market, so your funds will be working just as hard for you as you did to originally obtain them. To do this, you need to have your funds in the proper asset allocation (Equities (both Domestic and International), Fixed Income, Real Estate and etc.) for your risk tolerance and time horizon. If you have these things in place you should be able to invest with confidence and sleep soundly through the night without countless worries.
Now I hope the Wolfpack has the right allocation of Offense, Defense, and Special Teams to win the first game and kickoff the College Football season off to a great beginning for me.
Until next time, and remember you do not have to have a fortune to start creating one!
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Author
Isaac is a Fee-Only (no products sold) Certified Financial Planner® Practitioner. Isaac founded Stalwart Financial Planning with offices in Fayetteville NC and Durham NC. Isaac provides comprehensive planning and investment management services to individuals from all walks of life. Isaac can be reached by phone at 910-867-8464, or by email (iallen@StalwartPlanning.com). Visit him at Stawart Financial Planning www.StalwartPlanning.com.