Over the years, we’ve all heard the doom and gloom from all sorts of so-called market experts. Here’s a very short list of some of what you might have heard:
- The Stock Market is Overvalued
- Heated Tension Between the U.S. & China (Russia, North Korea, etc., pick any other country)
- The Economy is Headed for a Recession
- Inflation is on the rise
- Deflation
- Trade War is Looming
- Gridlock in Congress
- The Deficit
- The Unemployment Rate is Rising or set to Rise
- If So and So gets Elected the Market is Headed for a Disaster
- Housing Market is Soft
- War is Eminent
- Oil Prices are going Up
- Oil Prices are going Down
- Commercial Real Estate is Struggling
- Volatility is on the Rise
- Interest Rates
- I Heard (_________) is Going to Happen
- (Insert Anything Fearful Here)
Doom and gloom sound bites make headlines, help sell complex expensive investment products and fit nicely in the 240 character limit on Twitter. But other than that, most of the time they aren’t good for much, except for creating fear.
There is volatility in the stock market, there is no denying that. And there always will be. Period.
In fact, any market where people are involved there will be volatility, but taking a well thought out approach to investing and financial plannning has proven to do very well over time. Volatility and not having absolute certainty about the future is a feature of investing, not a bug. The sooner you get used to it, the better off you’ll be.
There is always a reason not to invest…do it anyway. Your older wealthier self will thank you.