rapidfire


Humility Lesson Retirement Living


S


uccessful investing looks easy during long-term bull markets, when almost any strategy based


on buying stocks produces profits. Chances of suffering a permanent loss seem remote, especially when stock prices quickly recover from corrections, and “buy the dip” strategies produce im- pressive short-term gains. But what seems smart today can all too quickly turn out to be dead wrong. Consider investors who choose mu- tual funds based solely on recent market performance. It appears logical to focus only on winners, and decision-making is made easy. But market trends don’t last forever, and the longer a trend contin- ues, the more investor confidence grows — as do hidden risks. Eventually investor confidence, stock prices, and investment risk simultaneously reach their peaks,


and the strategy that once produced the biggest profits begins generating the biggest losses. Investors should be skeptical about popular investment trends and continu- ally ask, “What are the risks?” This isn’t easy when a money-making strategy triggers the public’s hunger for quick profits and doubters are mocked as party poopers. As the trend persists, early adopters are seen as geniuses while any remaining skeptics learn to keep quiet. When reality finally sets in after sober- ing losses, stunned investors wonder what just happened. You reach the point of maximum risk


when you feel certain you have everything figured out. This is normally followed by an expensive lesson in humility.


— Capt. Kent M. Grealish, USN (Ret), CFP® AIF®


1) Download the


Veterans Call app from Apple’s app store or Google Play. 2) Select MMFI as


your charity of choice. 3) Select a $5 or $10 monthly donation. 4) Enter your phone


number, accept the terms, and submit. The program adds your do- nation to your monthly


cellphone bill. Note: If Verizon or Android system users receive an error mess- age, open Google Play, select “Settings,” and then select “Never re- quire authentication for purchases.”


24 MILITARY OFFICER DECEMBER 2016 IMAGES: LEFT, TIN SALAMUNIC; ABOVE, VETERANS CALL


MOAA JOINS FORCES WITH VETERANS CALL The MOAA Military Family Initiative (MMFI) is one of 12 U.S. chari- ties selected to partner with Veterans Call, a new mobile application that allows supporters to make microdonations to the charity of their choice without a credit card. Making a donation is easy and takes less than two minutes:


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