
The last major downturn in the markets was in 2008. Before that it was 2001/2002. If we repeat the 6-7 year cycle once again, could we be possibly in for another major market correction soon based on recent history? I hope not.
Tactical Management
Tactical management seeks to participate in the different markets (Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds, ETF’s) when they are rising while avoiding them when they are declining.
While tactical management does not completely guarantee against a portfolio downturn it does seek to minimize losses as much as possible in a downward trend, while at the same time taking advantage of strong upward trends in the markets.
Its Scary Out There!
We have made a huge effort to ensure as many of our clients are as “tactical” as they can be. I am still amazed at the amount of friends and family members of our clients I speak to, who still have a “buy and hold” or as I like to call it – “buy and hope” portfolio. I call it that because when the markets have a major correction, they “hope” the markets will return to where they were before the correction, especially before they need to withdraw from their portfolio.
Complacency?
Someone asked me at the Retirement Strategies workshop I hosted in June “Bob, why isn’t everyone using tactical management for their investments?” My answer – “Because people are still stuck in the old mentality of “buy and hold/hope”. Do you have family or friends who are not using a tactical strategy for their investments? Or maybe you haven’t let us implement tactical management for your portfolio. It is very easy to be complacent when the markets have been so good for 4-5 years and a “buy and hold/hope” portfolio has returned back to where it was. But, why settle in complacency? Do you know for sure that in the next major correction you will not need to take any money from your portfolio while it is possibly way down? After 30 years of being in the investment business, I’ve come to conclude that the #1 reason for financial failure is procrastination. Don’t procrastinate, or let your family and friends procrastinate too long. Because based on history, we could be in for another major correction! But I hope not, for all our sakes. Please call me for information on tactical management options if you currently have a “buy and hold/hope” portfolio.