"No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change." – Barbara de Angelis
Last week, we were all reeling a little from the S&P downgrade and all of the other chaos flying around the "body politic" (and economic, to boot).
After the cool light of a week’s news has passed, businesses and families seem to be adjusting to a new normal. Consumer confidence is at its lowest in decades and the political future seems murky — will these serious budgetary problems be addressed with any kind of certainty?
It remains to be seen.
But, I’ll blush a little to say that my advice from last week seems to have proven wise. I’ll rehash it here with a few expanded comments:
Paredes’s Key Reminder #1: The only thing certain about the stock market is that it’s volatile. I believe you saw the truth in this statement? Even today, as I write, we’re north of 100 points higher … and that’s after a wild roller-coaster ride of down, and up, and down, and now up and up. Hold fast — sure, the short-termers may have profited from any of these gyrations, but what’s most important, for your family’s financial future, is that you keep the loooong view. Which, of course, leads me to my second reminder…
Paredes’s Key Reminder #2: What you choose to "ingest" over these next few days will greatly impact your state-of-mind. If you chose to ignore this advice, it’s likely your blood pressure felt the consequences. Truly — the "mass" media do better (financially) when there is chaos, so there is a very real, monetary at least, incentive for them to highlight turmoil. If you’re wise, you steer clear. I’m not suggesting that you stick your head in the sand, just … use a strong filter.
Paredes’s Key Reminder #3: The only thing you can truly control is yourself. With every passing week, I see the growing truth of this statement. The economy, your job situation, your retirement — it’s all out of your hands, in a very real sense.
That said, we met with families and clients last week who were taking positive action. With our advice, just a few small tweaks can realize six figures of true savings over the course of years.
Which is why I’m giving you one more chance on what I suggested last week:
Call my office this week: (818)435-2321 and request one of our limited Tax Planning Saver Sessions. During this session, we will analyze your current situation and identify clear action steps for the last quarter of 2011 — designed to save your bottom line hundreds (or even thousands).
You CAN control your tax strategy … and we can help.
To You and Your Family’s Peace of Mind!