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In the 21st Century, investors have been subjected to a roller coaster ride. From the dot com crash to the housing bubble, the financial crisis, and the Trump Bump, the market has proven volatile.
Be wary of these violent market swings. It is easy to become complacent in bull markets, but if recent bear markets are any guide, that complacency is dangerous.
More than anything else, to beat that danger you need a consistent approach. I wrote in February 2010:
Consistency through cash flow—that is the goal at our family investment management company and that is my primary goal for you in these strategy reports. Clients of our family management company are most often soon-to-be-retired and retired investors or conservative small business owners saving for a secure retirement. And it is just such a conservative group I write to monthly. As most of you know, I grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, during the Paul Brown/Otto Graham Cleveland Browns era. I learned about consistency from Graham and Brown. Over their 10 years together, the duo racked up a .854 winning percentage. This consistency has never been matched by another coach and QB. Over Graham’s 10 pro seasons, Graham and Brown never once failed to win a division title and play for the championship.
A full 55 years later [64 years later now in 2019], I have not forgotten the lesson of consistency I learned from Paul Brown and Otto Graham. Our family investment company office at 500 Fifth Ave. in the heart of Old Town Naples, Florida, is dedicated to Paul Brown, Otto Graham, and the Cleveland Browns of their era [Our office now located at 5150 Tamiami Trail North, Suite 400, Naples, Florida 34103].
Over the four and one-half decades [five and half now] I have been advising investors, my emphasis on consistency through cash flow and the miracle of compound interest has never changed. When you lose 50% on an investment, you have to make 100% the next time out just to get even. And that is with a zero return. When you focus laser-like on investments that pay you cash in the form of dividends or interest, you mute portfolio volatility and the propensity for debilitating loss.
In my many years in the investment industry, one problem stands above all others in affecting performance—inconsistency.
Investors have a hard time sticking to a plan. They often make irrational choices that sabotage their stated goals. Sometimes that can happen because they didn’t work with an experienced advisor to build their plan in the first place. Or, they are led astray by the circus-like scare tactics of financial television. Sometimes emotionalism simply defeats their good judgment.
If you want to build your investment future with a consistent plan based on dividends and interest for your portfolio, fill out the form below. You will be contacted by a seasoned member of the investment team at my family-run investment counsel firm, Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. They will give you a free, no-obligation portfolio review and explain our investment philosophy.
With the right help and a consistent approach, you can beat the dangers of investing. Start today.
Originally posted on Young’s World Money Forecast.