Nobody has to be convinced that distracted driving is a bad idea. In 2014, 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers1. Most of the time, we think about people being distracted by phones or something they’re eating, but you can just as easily be distracted by something in your rearview mirror. Whenever your eyes get stuck on something that isn’t the road ahead, you’re distracted.
The same principle holds true in investing. So often people receive a statement or a performance report and they get stuck. Instead of using that information as a quick check of how they’re doing, they start making decisions for their future with their eyes squarely focused in the rearview.
Worse than an individual investor making this mistake is an advisor doing it. If you get together with your advisor and all you talk about is the past, you aren’t going to end up in the place you want to be.
You don’t need an advisor to just read your statement to you.
You need an advisor who helps you:
- Find your financial focus by evaluating where you are right now
- Understand where you want to be
- Develops a plan to get there
- Stays by your side as you go
[minti_pullquote align="right"]“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” – Mother Teresa[/minti_pullquote]The rearview mirror is an important tool for driving, but it isn’t the place you should focus your eyes; that’s the windshield. You want a broad, clear view of what’s coming up. Your financial advisor should ask you questions about where you are in your life right now to make sure your windshield is as wide and clear as it can be. They should also help you set real goals that are measurable and realistic so that you can chart your course. Finally, the best advisors stay by your side, checking in regularly and providing guidance for important decisions.
Finding your financial focus is made simple when you have an advisor who keeps mapping, planning and guiding in the forefront of their minds. Using all of the tools available, like historical performance, accurate reporting and mapping, they can help keep you on the right course.
[minti_button link="https://www.atlaswealthadvisors.com/contact-atlas/" size="small" target="_self" lightbox="false" color="color-1" icon=""]Find your financial focus today.[/minti_button]
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1 http://www.distraction.gov/stats-research-laws/facts-and-statistics.html
