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Dear Megan,
We all fear loss. We are hard-wired for this as humans. We don’t like loss, change or unusual events.
The news cycle does not help ease our fears. The media knows that we are drawn to stories about crisis, uncertainty and risk. Even if it is what we should be hearing daily, an article with a long-term view, for example, “By investing monthly and keeping a cool head, you can successfully save for retirement” is not going to get much traction in the news cycle.
Our individual perspective causes us to see the world as one either of danger or one of opportunity and beauty. I just finished Frank Bruni’s memoir, The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found. He writes about how having a stroke and losing his sight in one eye changed his expectations for the future and for his life. It is a beautiful book about resilience and loss. Bruni is neither preachy nor unrealistic. Here are some of my takeaways from his book:
- Bruni writes about how the human mind can grow and change right up until death. It was a reassuring piece for those of us marching forward from middle age. We all will experience losses, but how we deal with them is our choice.
- One of Bruni's ideas is to store up good memories and experiences so we can review these during difficult times. We encourage this in our practice. We talk to clients about travel and encourage investing in experiences when you have time and health on your side.
- Bruni interviews others who have experienced health challenges. For many of them, their afflictions increased their kindness and empathy. We all suffer, but we don't always see the suffering around us. As Americans we like to be stoic, or even boastful about how great life is going for us. We hide our suffering, our disabilities, and our challenges. This is also true in investing. You are much more likely to hear the success stories than you are about the investments that didn't do well.
- Bruni also suggests that as we face what is in front of us we should get honest about what is important and what we can change. It is a balance of knowing when to push forward and when to accept the challenges we have now.
Bleckley, Megan and I feel like we are functioning at our best when we are helping our clients align their finances in a way that promotes resilience, peace and, yes, fun in their lives. Please do not hesitate to let us know if we can dive more deeply into this with you.
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