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Lessons Learned | From the desk of Matthew Haertzen

As I was preparing to write this article, I reflected on the different habits my wife and I have developed in the past year. We put on a mask before entering any public building or store and use hand sanitizer immediately after leaving. We shop online for things that we used to purchase in person. Eating out means driving through or taking out and eating in the car or at home. We chat briefly and keep our distance from neighbors we meet on the street. We keep tabs on the world through reading and listening and watching from home. We keep tabs on loved ones through phone calls and video chats. We wait, hopeful that the vaccine will soon provide a way for us to be able to gather again in-person. This has certainly been a challenging time for all of us, but we have learned from it.

As a financial advisor, I also think we can learn some important financial lessons from this past year as well. Following are four lessons that I have always advised, but that I think are even more relevant today.

  • Emergencies happen. In an August 2019 article, I recommended saving 3-6 months of expenses for emergencies. At the time, I don't think anyone anticipated the pandemic that forced so many people to rely on their emergency funds. Emergencies are difficult because they happen unexpectedly by preparing, we can ensure that we will at least be able to handle the unexpected financially.

  • Remember the long-term. I speak with my clients regularly about their long-term investment strategy. Staying invested in the market is essential to those plans. Market fluctuations happen and it's tempting to think, "This time is different." "I'll just go to cash and reinvest at a ‘safer' time." I have seen many people make this mistake and end up regretting it. Keep your long-term goals and strategies in mind by staying invested.

  • Expect the unexpected. We all want to have a say in what happens to our assets after we pass away. If you don't have a will, take the time to write one. And, if you do have one, take the time to review and update it regularly. Also, be sure to update your beneficiary designations, particularly if you have experienced a birth, death, marriage, or divorce recently. Review your health and life insurance policies. If you have a high-deductible health plan, can you cover the deductible? If you haven't already read the article, The Best Holiday Gift, I wrote earlier this year on organizing your personal financial information and records, that may be helpful as well.

  • Things change. Humans have a tendency to expect things that have recently happened to continue happening. Known as recency bias, this causes us to put more emphasis on recent events over historical ones. For example, if the market is rising, we expect it to keep rising. In 2008, as housing prices hit all-time highs, people continued to pay inflated prices for homes thinking the prices would climb even higher. When it comes to investing, we avoid any bias by investing in diversified portfolios with a risk tolerance that works for you regardless of what is happening in the economy or in the markets. Things won't stay bad, or good, forever and sound investing principles will help you weather any changes.
Nobody wants to be dealing with the challenges of a pandemic, but we can learn lessons from it that will make us more prepared for what may come tomorrow. The good news is that I am here and happy to help you with all four of the lessons above. I typically address each of these items in our regularly scheduled reviews, but I am also happy to discuss them with you sooner if you would like.

If you have questions or if you would like to discuss retirement planning with me, you can e-mail me at mhaertzen@wtwealthmanagement.com or call (520) 204-1058.

Sincerely,

Matt Haertzen
Matt Haertzen, CFA, CFP


References:

15 Personal-Finance Lessons We Can All Learn From the Year of Covid-19.
The Wall Street Journal. January 24, 2021.



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