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When investing in stocks, it is certainly important to focus on what companies to purchase, but just as important is knowing when to sell. We call this having a good “sell discipline.” Taylor Swift tells us to “shake it off” in her catchy song about not sweating the small stuff.

A few months ago, I realized that I needed some help. Between my husband and I working full time and trying to keep our three little girls safe, fed, and entertained, housework kept falling through the cracks. We were losing a battle to the “stuff” that was just piling up. 

I purchased my first piece of real art (i.e., not an art poster from a shop in the West Village) as a housewarming and anniversary present for my husband years ago. It is a silkscreen print of firecrackers from a local artist (Clay Huffman, now deceased) who had a studio at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town, Alexandria.

With continued advancements in the digital world, individuals have inevitably seen an increase in cybercrime.  According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, financial losses due to investment schemes rose more than 300% to $10.3 billion in 2022, compared to the previous high of $3.3 billion in 2021.

To quote Dr. Seuss, "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." Growing up, teachers and parents always stressed the importance of an education. But what happens when formal schooling is over? Lifelong learning is defined as the self-motivated practice of continuing to learn throughout one’s entire life, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills, and competencies.

I LOVE that I had the childhood that I did – playing outside for hours on end with little to no supervision, climbing on metal playground equipment, Saturday morning cartoons (Scooby Doo, Where Are You?) reading Nancy Drew books, and listening to Casey Kasem’s Top 40 countdown on the radio. I also had the benefit of growing up on a farm, so caring for the horses was among many things that I did to earn my allowance.

In the world of investing, uncertainties abound and, as investors, we are confronted with pivotal questions. “Have interest rates peaked? Will the U.S. have a recession this year? Will the U.S. default on its debt?” While it's valuable to have an informed opinion, making large portfolio decisions based solely on these macro events can be extremely challenging.

My husband likes to tell me not to anthropomorphize our dog by giving him human feelings and emotions. But the reality is that humans have done such a good job at breeding and domesticating dogs that they can reflect human emotions and have some big feelings of their own. So, what's a person supposed to do if their best friend is displaying signs of depression or anxiety or "reactivity?"

As a financial planner, I often hear clients comment that their teenage, or even young adult children, have a limited understanding of savings and investments. Usually, our advice is to sit down and talk to them about the basics of financial responsibility, or we may recommend a book or two. However, the best advice is to start long before your children are teenagers or college age. I’ll share with you what I have done with my own family, maybe you can relate to it.  

The Rolling Stones’ originally released their single “Time Is On My Side” in the U.S. in September 1964. It became their first U.S. top ten hit, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in December 1964. The Rolling Stones would go on to deliver a total of 23 top ten hits and the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.