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My Favorite Things (in Investing) | From the desk of Matthew Haertzen

My wife claims that our dog likes me more and cites multiple examples to prove her point. Rudy will run past her to greet me first in the morning. Occasionally, he refuses to come when she calls him but will do it if I call him. He usually curls up on my lap in the evening and not hers. I tell her she is imagining things, but she insists that I am Rudy's favorite. She says that if Rudy could speak, he would call me "Dad" and she would be "NotDad." I suppose we all have favorites, whether we openly admit them or not. Based on previous feedback, some of your favorite articles from me are the ones that include pictures of Rudy, so here is another:



I also started thinking about my favorites when it comes to investing and thought I would share some of them with you.

  • Favorite Investing Book: Heads I Win, Tails I Win: Why Smart Investors Fail and How to Tilt the Odds in Your Favor by Spencer Jakab. If you have worked with me for very long, at some point I probably recommended you read this book. Sometimes investing books get overly technical and dry. This one is my favorite because it is easy to understand and holds your interest. If you ever feel like reading about investing, I highly recommend this book as a good place to start.

  • Favorite Investing Quote: – "Successful investing is about time in the markets not timing the market."
    This quote is not attributed to anyone in particular, but it simply and concisely addresses my fundamental approach to investing. This concept is discussed in more detail in previous articles I have written such as There Is No Crystal Ball and The Importance of the Long-Run.

  • Favorite Investing News Source: The Wall Street Journal
    I spend a lot of time reading each day. The first thing I read over my breakfast cereal is the comics (you have to start somewhere). After that, I read the news from various newspapers and my Apple News feed which includes stories from Bloomberg, Investor's Business Daily and Forbes, among others. I recommend reading more than one source, but the one periodical that I read cover to cover on a daily basis is The Wall Street Journal. I even have a paper copy delivered to my parents in Florida. They read it and then share it with several of their retired neighbors. If for some reason the paper doesn't arrive, there are many unhappy Florida retirees.

  • Favorite Investing Concept – Diversification is the only free lunch in investing. While investing inherently involves risk and return that go hand in hand, smart portfolio management also involves diversification which is intended to manage that risk. So, you can maximize your return for a given amount of risk or reduce your risk for a given return. And, I don't know about you, but I never turn down a free lunch.

  • Favorite Investing Podcast: The Ramsey Show
    I agree with about 90% of what Dave Ramsey says and in particular like his focus on paying down debt and not getting caught up in the consumer culture.
What about you? Do you have any investing favorites? Or, even non-investing favorites? Do you have a favorite brand of coffee, yoga pants, or golf club? Think about the things you love, the things that are your favorites. And, if you are willing, share one or more of your favorite things with us on Facebook using this link. We will randomly select five people who share their favorite things and mail a $5 Starbucks gift card to them. Rudy already communicated his favorite thing to me, but my wife says he doesn't get the gift card.

If you have questions or if you would like to discuss investing and retirement with me, you can e-mail me at mhaertzen@wtwealthmanagement.com or call (520) 204-1058.

Sincerely,

Matt Haertzen
Matt Haertzen, CFA, CFP



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