What’s the Point of Goals Right Now?

By Jessica L. Gibbs, CFP® | Mar 12, 2021 | Weekly Market Commentary

It’s been one year since the country shut down because of the pandemic. 

Look back at the camera roll on your phone and find the last pictures you took before you went into lockdown. It’s wild to see yourself with friends and loved ones, out-and-about in the world, at businesses that may or may not exist today, maybe cautiously knowing or blissfully unknowing what was to come. 

Optimistically, we may be rounding a corner in this country. I am grateful that some of the most important people in my life have been able get a vaccine. And yet, personally, I’m still feeling deflated. A “return to normal” just doesn’t feel possible yet. 

My job as a financial planner is to help clients think about, plan for, and accomplish their goals. It’s a word I say a lot during the workday—honestly, I wish there was a tally for how many times I’ve said “goals” over the course of my career because I think I’m into the millions now. 

But how do you look ahead when you don’t know when “normal” will return? Can we plan right now if all we see when we look out on the horizon is uncertainty? Is a goal worth having if you don’t know when you can accomplish it? What’s the point of having a goal at all?

Yes, that is pessimistic. And I’m fully aware the general premise of thinking about the future is a luxury to many right now. 

But for those who have the luxury, I want to remind you that life is still going on even if it is more cooped up than usual. There is no “going back” to the way things were, but there is “going forward.” 

So, let us go forward with purpose. In the absence of clarity on when we’ll be able to accomplish some of those goals we set before 2020, when life seemed so different than it does now, let us instead make it our goal to identify our purpose—whether it be new or old, big or small—and to use that as the proverbial North Star to guide us. 

I urge you to think about this quote from Kurt Vonnegut’s book A Man Without a Country:

“But I had a good uncle, my late Uncle Alex. He was my father’s kid brother, a childless graduate of Harvard who was an honest life-insurance salesman in Indianapolis. He was well-read and wise. And his principal complaint about other human beings was that they so seldom noticed it when they were happy. So when we were drinking lemonade under an apple tree in the summer, say, and talking lazily about this and that, almost buzzing like honeybees, Uncle Alex would suddenly interrupt the agreeable blather to exclaim, “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”

 

So I do the same now, and so do my kids and grandkids. And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”

Be grateful for the ones you love. Be mindful of the things that bring you joy even in these tough times. Your behavior determines your success. And at Monument, we believe that if you can keep looking not just up, but out at what’s ahead—instead of down (at your phone, at the market, etc.)—and trust the path you’re on, you will get where you need to go.

A good reminder even to myself to keep putting one foot in front of another and to do so with purpose. Better days are ahead.  

—Jessica

 

What’s Next?  

Learn ways to optimize your taxes on our blog, or reach out to our Team for personalized advice on your tax situation.

 

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION

Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results.  Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended or undertaken by Monument Capital Management, LLC [“Monument”]), or any non-investment related content, made reference to directly or indirectly in this blog will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful.  Due to various factors, including changing market conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions or positions.  Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information contained in this blog serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Monument.

Please remember that if you are a Monument client, it remains your responsibility to advise Monument, in writing, if there are any changes in your personal/financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising our previous recommendations and/or services, or if you would like to impose, add, or to modify any reasonable restrictions to our investment advisory services. Unless, and until, you notify us, in writing, to the contrary, we shall continue to provide services as we do currently. To the extent that a reader has any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issue discussed above to his/her individual situation, he/she is encouraged to consult with the professional advisor of his/her choosing. Monument is neither a law firm nor a certified public accounting firm and no portion of the blog content should be construed as legal or accounting advice. A copy of Monument’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available for review upon request or at https://monumentwealthmanagement.com/disclosures/. Please Note: IF you are a Monument client, please advise us if you have not been receiving account statements (at least quarterly) from the account custodian.

Please Note: Monument does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to Monument’s web site or blog or incorporated herein, and takes no responsibility for any such content. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly.

Historical performance results for investment indices, benchmarks, and/or categories have been provided for general informational/comparison purposes only, and generally do not reflect the deduction of transaction and/or custodial charges, the deduction of an investment management fee, nor the impact of taxes, the incurrence of which would have the effect of decreasing historical performance results.  It should not be assumed that your Monument account holdings correspond directly to any comparative indices or categories. Please Also Note: (1) performance results do not reflect the impact of taxes; (2) comparative benchmarks/indices may be more or less volatile than your Monument accounts; and, (3) a description of each comparative benchmark/index is available upon request.