What do you see?
Happy Suiyōbi!
(that's Japanese for Wednesday)
Check out this cool image I stumbled across online:
What do you see?
My first reaction was a group of dark colored horses.
But if you look more closely, you'll see that it's a bird's eye view of a group of zebras.
The dark figures are their shadows.
Note: the image is apparently the Nat Geo picture of the year according to several references online, but I haven't confirmed this.
While the image above provides a good reminder that perspective is everything, I'd argue the same about all things money related.
As the market has gotten more volatile in recent weeks, what do you see?
Do you see a coming recession (or worse), or do you see an opportunity to invest in some of the most innovative companies across the globe at lower prices?
Remember, it's buy low and sell high... not the other way around.
What about interest rates?
I've been telling my clients for years - yes, years - that interest rates will eventually go up, and now we've started to experience just that.
Who knows where rates go from here?
I certainly don't.
But do rising interest rates mean that bonds are now broken since bond prices and interest rates typically move in opposite directions?
Why do we own bonds?
But what do YOU see?
Political turmoil.
War between Russia and Ukraine.
Price of oil.
Pick your ̶c̶r̶i̶s̶i̶s̶ topic du jour.
And consider what you see...
Is it calamity or opportunity?
Is it fear?
While I consider myself an eternal optimist, I'm also a realist.
I don't assume everything will always turn our rainbows 🌈 and unicorns 🦄.
But having said that, I fully believe optimism is the better approach to apply to our daily lives.
And to our financial decisions.
So next time you find yourself caught up in the 24-hour news cycle or driving yourself nuts trying to figure out what's going to happen with all that's happening around the world these days, take a step back and ask yourself,
"What do I see?"
Is it a crisis or the start of something new? Something better?
Is it dark horses or zebra shadows?
Or consider the words of Warren Buffett who has time and again reminded us:
“Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.”
Easier said than done, certainly.
But while I go to great lengths to keep things simple, I never said it was going to be easy...
Links & Things
We're all living longer which means we need to consider and plan accordingly for more years in retirement. Or do we? I encourage you to read this Stanford Magazine article:
I've shared this one before, but it's been years ago... Consider it a reminder that when it comes to your money - and your life - there's a BIG difference between facts and feelings:
I was recently invited to join the Kris & Kristine podcast and we had a fun conversation about all things women and retirement:
Thank you, as always, for reading.
And if you have any questions or an idea for a future newsletter, blog post, or YouTube video, I'd love your input.
Just hit reply - I read (and appreciate) every email you send.
Until next Wednesday,
Russ