Enjoy the Moment!
My youngest son Parker and I had an opportunity recently to go to Nashville and enjoy a weekend together. We were meeting some friends to go skiing and Parker’s dad did something really stupid. I somehow dropped my cell phone (along with my driver’s license, cash, and debit card) 16ft to the bottom of the Cumberland River. Thank goodness for a good friend that made sure we were fed and taken care of.
What started as a helpless and very stressful situation turned into a blessing. Parker and I were able to go to a concert that night and just enjoy being together. We had a great time with no distraction of emails, phone calls, text messages, etc. We got to enjoy the moment together. I was reminded of the importance and blessing of being fully present. It is my hope that you had time over the July 4th holiday weekend to “enjoy the moment” with your loved ones.
I always like to start the midyear letter with a brief rundown of our guiding principles.
The Ideas That Guide Us
· We are long-term, goal-focused, planning-driven owners of broadly diversified portfolios of very successful companies. We act continuously on our plan, as opposed to reacting to current events and conditions.
· We are convinced that the economy cannot be consistently forecast, nor consistently timed. The best chance to capture something close to the full long-term return of stocks is to ride out their frequent, sometimes significant (last year), but historically always temporary declines.
· These will continue to be the bedrock convictions that inform our investment policy, as we pursue your most cherished financial goals together.
After declining sharply for most of 2022, the S&P 500 ended the year at 3,840. The first half of 2023 brought with it continued “uncertainties” about our economy and markets: a wave of bank failures that seemed to threaten the banking system itself, a renewed outbreak of fear surrounding the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency, and talks of U.S. Debt default. After enduring the relentless onslaught of crises (both real and imagined), the S&P 500 closed out the first half of 2023 at 4,450.
Peter Lynch said it best, “The real key to making money in stocks is not to get scared out of them.”
Amid the universal pessimism on the news and around the country, we didn’t get “scared out”. Instead, we stayed focused on our long-term plan. The great companies all over the world (that we own) had management teams continually seeking out new and potentially greater opportunities.
In summary, what mattered was that together we chose not to react. Is it possible that a lifetime of patient, disciplined investment success is just that simple? I certainly believe it can be, and I sincerely hope you do too.
Thank you, as always, for being our clients. It is a privilege to serve you.
Sincerely,
Bain Nickels, CFP®,CKA®
***LPL has heard the message loud and clear about, “Too much paperwork!”. The default statement delivery going forward is quarterly as opposed to monthly. If you prefer to continue receiving monthly statements, please let our office know and we will get you swapped back to monthly. Additionally, for those that want to opt out of paper statements all together, our office can set you up for online access with e-delivery.
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results. All indices are unmanaged and may not be invested into directly.
Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advice offered through Householder Group Estate and Retirement Specialist, LLC DBA. L.H. Nickels Wealth Management, a registered investment advisor. Householder Group Estate and Retirement Specialist, LLC and L.H. Nickels Wealth Management are separate entities from LPL Financial.
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