Good afternoon,
I think it’s official, Zoom meetings have jumped the shark. I just got an invitation to a Zoom meeting with the subject line “How to combat Zoom meeting fatigue.” I wish I was kidding, but I really did get invited to a Zoom meeting to learn how to better tolerate Zoom meetings. Yay.
It may also be official that we’re on the back end of the lockdown thing. 1.49 million travelers went through TSA screening at US airports last Thursday 4/15/21, up from just 95,085 screened passengers on 4/15/20 but still down from 2.62 million screened passengers on 4/15/19 (source: Transportation Security Administration). Not exactly back to pre-lockdown numbers, but definitely improving. Which is both good and bad. I’ve only traveled a couple of times during lockdown and I must admit, I kinda liked it. Airports weren’t crowded, planes were spotless and passengers well spaced apart and aside from the full time mask, it was a pleasant travelling experience.
Continuing my ongoing Everything is Different, but Nothing has Changed programming. I have had several conversations over the past week that are almost like déjà vu all over again. It seems like some of the old favorite topics are reemerging. And that’s a good thing. Back to investing basics, which are the cornerstone of a good plan. For example, one discussion started with the question, “my company suspended their retirement plan for this year, what else can I do?” Great question. Which led to a discussion about IRAs, Roth IRAs, annuities and various other supplemental retirement planning. Where, as in what kind of account, you position your assets is an important consideration.
Another discussion started with, “What have you got to provide some income in addition to my social security?” Also a great question. Which led to the a chat about retirement income. Social security, while meaningful, will not be nearly enough to live on during retirement, so where will the rest of the money come from? There are only a few options, work during retirement (which in itself contradicts the definition of retirement), pension (does anyone still have one?), or accumulated savings (assuming you have some.) Oh yeah, and that income needs to increase every year because inflation will cause everything you buy to cost more each year. Oh yeah part two, social security will be around for you.
And yet another back to basics conversation began with “the markets seem awfully high, do you think we’ll get a pullback soon?” Great question. Yes, they have been making new highs in the last few months. I have no idea whether we’ll be subject to any sort of pause and/or pullback in the near future. We will certainly have one at some point down the road, but I don’t know when it will happen or how long it will last or how low things could go. And nobody else knows either. To put things in perspective, the markets have been making new highs at various times throughout my 3 decades in the financial services industry. Not without some dips along the way, but it’s impossible to time the markets, so don’t try.
But I’m not only having conversations about the basics, I’m also studying and talking about new ideas. Like crypto and blockchain and cannabis and NFTs and DeFi. That’s one of the cool things about my business, there is always something new to learn, which is great because I’m generally a curious person. Another cool thing is that I get to talk to a lot of different people who do a lot of different things in a lot of different places in a lot of different ways. That’s fun too.
This wasn’t too much fun.
In the too much information category, I had a short bout with an ongoing intestinal issue that I’ve combatted for many years. Nothing too serious, but occasionally I get a flare up which causes some pain in my lower abdomen. When that happens, my digestive system essentially shuts down as it tries to repair itself. While this is under way, I can’t eat anything. Literally a water only fast for a few days as the problem sorts itself out, which it always does. “But, don’t you get hungry?” Well, yes, a little. The first day is challenging, but after that you don’t really notice it. And because there is some ongoing stomach pain, you don’t really feel like eating anyway. Turns out that #fastingworks as I lost about 6 pounds in 4 days. The human body is capable of going without food for extended periods of time and begins to burn stored fat for energy, this is called ketosis. Another fasting benefit is that your cells kind of reset themselves, almost like when you reboot your computer. This is called autophagy. The moral of the story, a short fast can do a body good. The body cannot go without water for more than a few days however, so don’t try that. Disclaimer – I’m not a doc and the WMR doesn’t offer medical advice, just anecdotal stories of our own experiences. So check with your personal medical or healthcare professional before trying any new diets or procedures.
“Am I in your WMR this week?” Asked my daughter.
Not yet. Did you do or say something worthy of including?
“I’m really funny pretty much all the time.”
You are?
“Yes.”
Well, that’s a judgement call, but I’ll mention it.
This week’s chuckle is 30 seconds of a baby eating ice cream, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ClrpO-r-LM
Because babies like ice cream. Safe for work.
LF27 – “Like our stomachs, our minds are hurt more often by overeating than by hunger.” – Petrarch
Have a great week and stay healthy.
The opinions expressed are those of Michael Acho and not necessarily those of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. CRN-3561173-042221
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Michael J. Acho, MBA, CFP®
Private Wealth Advisor
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