Being Smart with $$ - Part of You Wants to Sell & Part of You Wants to Buy

The Stock Market!  Admit it.  Part of you wants to sell all your stocks because you think the markets might crash more and you’ll be a genius if you buy back at the lower levels.  And part of you wants to buy more stocks because this could be a dip that is a classic buying opportunity.  But the truth is, we have no idea which of the two scenarios is ahead of us in the short term.  Market timing has victimized so many before you and that includes many professional traders.  Keep your eye on the prize and invest for your long-term needs rather than guessing and gambling on the short term. 

- Larry Pike, CFA, Client Priority Financial Advisors LLC

- www.clientpriority.com 

Being Smart with $$ -- Buy? SELL? Maybe Turn Off the Business Channel

BUY! No…SELL! No wait, BUY!  That’s the message you may get if you watch the business channels long enough.  Well-respected analyst Jim Paulsen was recently on CNBC saying the market is significantly overvalued and may fall 15%.  Yet, Ed Yardeni, who is equally highly regarded, believes the market will be 9% higher by year end.  These statements were in two different articles side-by-side on CNBC.com.  Who will be right? Time will tell.  But a proper investment plan doesn’t bet on where the market is going in the next months.  I know too many investors who believed the doom and gloom story and missed the last couple of years of huge investment returns.  Maybe Paulsen will be right about a correction and they’ll get another chance to buy low.  But they’re missing the point.  It’s not about where the market will be a year from now; it’s about where it will be in 10 years or 20 years or whenever it is that you are retiring.  Waiting for a crash that puts stocks below 2016 levels may keep you on the sidelines for the rest of your life.  If you believe the market will be higher in 2028 then worry less about 2018 and turn off those business channels!  Instead, consult an hourly, fee-based advisor who can help you reach your goals.

- Larry Pike, CFA, Client Priority Financial Advisors LLC

- www.clientpriority.com