For The Next Four
We will soon have a new president. What should you do now? I know the temptation is to meet strong emotions with some kind of action, but hold on.
Although I used to play a political commentator many years ago on the radio, it’s not my area of expertise. So, I will leave the gory details of the post-election autopsy to others. What I do know is investing. That's why I feel very confident telling you exactly what you should be doing with your money for the next four years.
Just keep doing what I’ve been telling you to do for years!. Remember, the global economy is bigger than any political office. The President of the United States does not have the power to destroy something as massive as the total production of goods and services of almost 6 billion people around the globe.
To enjoy a better future - particularly retirement - you MUST invest, and the way to do that is by owning a global portfolio of stocks and high-quality bonds allocated appropriately based on your needs and risk tolerance. To help you determine that, I invite you to take the new Vestory RisQuiz.
Remember, US presidents have come and gone and, no matter what, the global economy has grown steadily and dramatically - despite the occasional downturns. You cannot know what President Trump - okay, that sounds a bit weird right now - will do, so you must continue to expect that what has happened will continue.
In the meantime, consider these words by Warren Buffett, from his 2012 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders:
“America has faced the unknown since 1776. It’s just that sometimes people focus on the myriad of uncertainties that always exist while at other times they ignore them (usually because the recent past has been uneventful). American business will do fine over time. And stocks will do well just as certainly, since their fate is tied to business performance. Periodic setbacks will occur, yes, but investors and managers are in a game that is heavily stacked in their favor. … The risks of being out of the game are huge compared to the risks of being in it.”
Buffett published these sentiments on March 1, 2013, shortly after the last presidential election cycle. If you review the volume of his writings, you’ll find that he has expressed similar viewpoints on many occasions and through many markets, fair and foul.
To quote Vanguard founder, John Bogle:
“Don’t just do something, sit there.”
If you are a real investor, just keep investing and let the markets do what they do; grow over time.