I work out at my local gym twice per week, mostly to lift weights. The amount I lift today is a fraction of what I used to lift while playing football in college, but it keeps me in shape.
My gym is a cross-section of men, women, young, old, fit, and almost fit. During the football offseason, members of the local high school team use our gym to supplement their school workouts. These young men are full of energy and bravado, and they have no coordinated plan for their workout regime. They lift, look in the mirror, look at their phone, talk to their friends, and repeat this process until they leave. They also say “bro” – a lot! I was probably that way in high school, too, except I didn’t have a cell phone. I know if they followed a routine, they’d see better results.
While playing football at the University of San Diego, we had two weightlifting coaches, one a former Navy Seal. They joined our program after my sophomore year and put our team on a weightlifting schedule for the entire year, including football season. I noticed a substantial improvement in my strength and endurance while following their plan.
Now that I’m older and, hopefully, wiser, I still follow their plan because it works. The formula is simple and easy to follow. It was because of their strategy and coaching that allowed me to experience better results.
A plan makes all the difference in the world for almost everything, notably investing. A financial plan can help investors improve their results by giving them a guide on how to achieve their goals. It addresses several issues, including investments, insurance, education, retirement, budgets, debt management, Social Security analysis, to name a few.
Like weightlifting, you won’t see results in a day from your financial plan. It may take months or years before your plan starts to bear fruit. And, like exercise, there will be up days followed by down days requiring you to be patient. During the down days or setbacks, it’s imperative to keep moving forward, regardless of your short-term results. If you completed your plan in October 2007, you were met with a wicked bear market where stocks fell more than 50%. I’m sure you didn’t expect to lose half your investment value within a few months, but if you followed your plan and stayed committed to it, you were able to enjoy a substantial rebound in the stock market from the lows of the Great Recession.
Exercising and investing require regular check-ups to measure your progress. Weightlifters constantly adjust their workouts depending on several factors, investors should do the same. Reviewing your strategy often is recommended based on your circumstances. At our firm, we offer quarterly reviews for our clients to make sure their plan and investments are meeting their needs. I also encourage clients to contact us during a life change – marriage, death, the birth of a child, a job promotion, retirement, etc. It’s easier to tweak your portfolio periodically than it is to do a significant restructuring.
Your plan desires action. If I have a written program for lifting weights, but I don’t follow it, I’m never going to get in shape. After you finish your written financial plan, you need to follow through with the recommendations of your advisor, don’t put it on your shelf to collect dust. Several years ago, I was working with a client who finished setting up a living trust for his family, but he didn’t transfer any assets into the trust. I told him he needed to follow through on his attorney’s recommendations to re-title his assets. He assumed, incorrectly, that since he finished the trust document, he did not need to do anything else. He needed to act on the plan.
Exercising is a lifelong pursuit, as is investing. A consistent, well thought out plan will deliver reliable results over time. Write down your goals, follow your dreams, work with a professional, and good things can happen.
What makes a weightlifting program successful? Your hard work and dedication. ~ Greg Everett
January 28, 2020
Bill Parrott, CFP® is the President and CEO of Parrott Wealth Management located in Austin, Texas. Parrott Wealth Management is a fee-only, fiduciary, registered investment advisor firm. Our goal is to remove complexity, confusion, and worry from the investment and financial planning process so our clients can pursue a life of purpose. Our firm does not have an asset or fee minimum, and we work with anybody who needs financial help regardless of age, income, or asset level. PWM’s custodian is TD Ameritrade, and our annual fee starts at .5% of your assets and drops depending on the level of your assets.
Note: Investments are not guaranteed and do involve risk. Your returns may differ from those posted in this blog. PWM is not a tax advisor, nor do we give tax advice. Please consult your tax advisor for items that are specific to your situation. Options involve risk and aren’t suitable for every investor.
