2022 has been a unique year across the board. There has been a great deal of news headlines that have impacted the mental, physical, and financial health of everyone in numerous ways. To recap a few:
- Rising interest rates
- Rising mortgage rates
- Housing shortages and price increases
- Russia/Ukraine
- Supply chain pressures
- Covid lockdowns in China
- European energy challenges
- A recalibrating market
- Quiet quitting
- Job changes
- Record low unemployment
- Etc. Etc.
As we head into year end, we wish to focus on our mental, physical, and financial health, and that requires an emphasis on that which we can control. The holidays, spending time with family, taking time to relax, traveling, and enjoying wonderful holiday meals, will bring about much needed “me time”/down time near year-end. Before we wrap up 2022, let’s get a step ahead to begin 2023.
We cannot control markets, what goes on in Europe and Asia, or most of the items above. What we can control is:
- Knowing what goals are most important to us
- Personally and/or professionally
- We can build a sound financial balance in life
- A down market is not a time to put our heads in the sand, but rather a time to enhance our financial plan
- Markets will ebb and flow, and we know that will happen over time
- As the saying goes: it is going to rain in Ohio. That does not mean that we will not get wet sometimes. We can either plan for the rain to come one day and have an umbrella on hand to protect ourselves, or we can do nothing and get caught in the rain.
- Inflation has risen this year, as have interest rates
- What is our plan to build and enhance our retirement readiness?
- Create a comprehensive financial plan
- A written plan is a guidepost to reference to measure the long-term track that you are on:
- This encompasses your goals, and what is most important to you
- This allows us to navigate up and down markets
- This allows us to focus on what we can control
- The articles in this newsletter are assets in jumpstarting our planning moving forward
- A written plan is a guidepost to reference to measure the long-term track that you are on:
There will be world events, there will be endless news headlines to consume, but if we focus on that which we can control, then our mental, physical, and financial health will stay on a strong long-term track and help lead us onto a future that is most aligned with what is important to us! This builds sounds financial health and retirement readiness.
Written by: Justin Hamlin, CFP®
These are the opinions of Justin Hamlin and not necessarily those of Cambridge, are for information purposes only, and should not be construed or acted upon as individualized investment advice. Investing involves risk. Depending on the types of investments, there may be varying degrees of risk. Investors should be prepared to bear loss, including total loss of principal. The strategies discussed herein are not designed based on the individual needs of any one specific client or investor. In other words, it is not a customized strategy designed on the specific financial circumstances of the client. However, prior to opening an account, Cambridge will consult with you to determine if your financial objectives are appropriate for investing in the model. You are also provided the opportunity to place reasonable restrictions on the securities held in your account.