How To Deal With Investing Blind Spots

Eagle Wealth Management |

 

 


 

Psst . . . We’ve got a secret.

We need to warn you — this secret is going to seem incredibly obvious.  You may even wonder why we’re going to tell you about it at all.

The secret comes in two parts:

1 - We all have blind spots.

2 - By definition, we can’t see them.

That’s it . . . that’s the secret. See what we mean about being obvious?

They’re called blind spots for a reason . . . it’s because you can’t see them.  But here’s the real tragedy — we’re often totally uncoachable when it comes to dealing with them.  Not only can we not see them, but when somebody points them out, we don’t believe they exist!

The solution is to be coachable.  We need to find, and then listen to, other people who can see our blind spots.

A retired investment banker did just that himself.  This guy knew his way around money and definitely knew how to invest.  But he was looking for help with his money.  He understood that when it came to his own money, he had a blind spot.  And he recognized the value in having someone else help him see the mistakes he might make.

This is one of those cases where the solution is simple but not easy.

You don’t hire a coach — whether to help you with money, business, creativity, or sports — because you’re stupid.

You hire a coach because they’re not you.

Other people can often see things you cannot see.

Your job is twofold:

1 - Don’t run away from the feedback of people who can see your blind spots.

2 - Listen to feedback when you get it.  Treat it like gold when it shows up, and try not to be defensive.

If you can do that, you may learn to see what you were previously blind to.  And that can be incredibly helpful, not just in investing, but in relationships or life in general.

In partnership,

Your Eagle Wealth Team

 

 

Eat This, Not That:  Easy Food Swaps Anyone Can Do

Eating healthier doesn’t have to be hard.  You might not have to make any significant changes to your current diet.  You can cut the bad stuff by swapping out unhealthy options for healthier picks and still enjoy your meal.  Here are some of our favorite food swaps:

•  Mustard instead of mayonnaise (0 calories vs. 90 calories)
•  Scrambled eggs with green onions instead of cheese (170 calories vs. 275 calories)
•  Sparkling water instead of soda (0 calories vs. 140 calories)
•  Fresh fruit instead of dried fruit (69 calories vs. 325 calories)
•  Greek yogurt instead of sour cream (28 calories vs. 60 calories)
•  Olive oil spray instead of a tablespoon of olive oil (5 calories vs. 120 calories)
•  Corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas (100 calories vs. 280 calories)
•  All-bran cereal instead of granola (80 calories vs. 200 calories)
•  Goat cheese instead of Brie cheese (70 calories vs. 100 calories)

Healthy swaps like these can help reduce your caloric intake, consume less sugar, and make it easy to create a more balanced meal.


Tip adapted from EatThis.com8

 


The Week On Wall Street

Better-than-expected updates last week on consumer and wholesale price inflation buoyed investor sentiment, driving stocks higher and lower bond yields. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.29%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 increased 2.42%. The Nasdaq Composite index advanced 3.32% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, gained 4.67%.1,2,3

Inflation Sparks Stocks

Back-to-back positive inflation reports emboldened investors, sending stocks to their highest levels since April 2022. Lower-than-forecast inflation on both consumer prices and producer prices sparked investor optimism that inflation may be able to fall further without tipping the economy into recession and provide the basis for the Fed to moderate its more hawkish rate hike stance.4

After four straight days of increases, investor attention turned to the kick-off of a new earnings season on Friday. Despite some positive earnings surprises from several big banks and a major healthcare provider, stocks closed out a good week with a slight decline. 

Inflation Cools

Inflation continued its downward trend last month, falling at its slowest pace in over two years. Consumer prices rose 0.2% in June and 3.0% from a year ago. Both were below economists’ consensus forecast. Core inflation (excludes food and energy), which has been more stubborn, fell to 4.8% year-over-year–its lowest level since October 2021.5

The positive disinflationary story continued the following day with a lighter-than-forecast increase in producer prices. Wholesale prices increased 0.1% in June, which was lower than the consensus forecast of 0.2%. The increase from a year ago was also 0.1%, representing the smallest gain in nearly three years. Core producer price rose 2.6% year-over-year.6

THE WEEK AHEAD


KEY ECONOMIC DATA

Tuesday:  Retail Sales. Industrial Production
Wednesday:  Housing Starts
Thursday:  Existing Home Sales, Index of Leading Economic Indicators. Jobless Claims
 

Source: Econoday, July 14, 2023
The Econoday economic calendar lists upcoming U.S. economic data releases (including key economic indicators), Federal Reserve policy meetings, and speaking engagements of Federal Reserve officials. The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The forecasts or forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and may not materialize. The forecasts also are subject to revision.


 COMPANIES REPORTING EARNINGS

Tuesday:  Bank of America Corporation (BAC), Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT), Morgan Stanley (MS), The Charles Schwab Corporation (SCHW), The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (PNC), Prologis, Inc. (PLD)
Wednesday:  Netflix, Inc. (NFLX), Tesla, Inc. (TSLA), International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS)
Thursday:  Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Blackstone, Inc. (BX), Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG), Abbott Laboratories (ABT), American Airlines Group, Inc. (AAL), CSX Corporation (CSX), Freeport-McMoRan, Inc. (FCX), United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL), Capital One Financial Corporation (COF)
Friday: American Express Company (AXP)


Source: Zacks, July 14, 2023
Companies mentioned are for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of the securities. Investing involves risks, and investment decisions should be based on your own goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk. The return and principal value of investments will fluctuate as market conditions change. When sold, investments may be worth more or less than their original cost. Companies may reschedule when they report earnings without notice.

 

 

Any companies mentioned are for informational purposes only, and this should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of their securities. Any investment should be consistent with your objectives, time frame, and risk tolerance

 

1. The Wall Street Journal, July 14, 2023

2. The Wall Street Journal, July 14, 2023

3. The Wall Street Journal, July 14, 2023

4. The Wall Street Journal, July 13, 2023

5. The Wall Street Journal, July 12, 2023

6. The Wall Street Journal, July 13, 2023


Investing involves risks, and investment decisions should be based on your own goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk. The return and principal value of investments will fluctuate as market conditions change. When sold, investments may be worth more or less than their original cost.

The forecasts or forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, may not materialize, and are subject to revision without notice.

The market indexes discussed are unmanaged, and generally, considered representative of their respective markets. Index performance is not indicative of the past performance of a particular investment. Indexes do not incur management fees, costs, and expenses. Individuals cannot directly invest in unmanaged indexes. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is an unmanaged index that is generally considered representative of large-capitalization companies on the U.S. stock market. Nasdaq Composite is an index of the common stocks and similar securities listed on the NASDAQ stock market and is considered a broad indicator of the performance of technology and growth companies. The MSCI EAFE Index was created by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) and serves as a benchmark of the performance of major international equity markets, as represented by 21 major MSCI indexes from Europe, Australia, and Southeast Asia. The S&P 500 Composite Index is an unmanaged group of securities that are considered to be representative of the stock market in general.

U.S. Treasury Notes are guaranteed by the federal government as to the timely payment of principal and interest. However, if you sell a Treasury Note prior to maturity, it may be worth more or less than the original price paid. Fixed income investments are subject to various risks including changes in interest rates, credit quality, inflation risk, market valuations, prepayments, corporate events, tax ramifications and other factors.

International investments carry additional risks, which include differences in financial reporting standards, currency exchange rates, political risks unique to a specific country, foreign taxes and regulations, and the potential for illiquid markets. These factors may result in greater share price volatility.

Please consult your financial professional for additional information.

This content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. This material was developed and produced by FMG Suite to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. FMG is not affiliated with the named representative, financial professional, Registered Investment Advisor, Broker-Dealer, nor state- or SEC-registered investment advisory firm. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information, and they should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security.  Copyright 2022 FMG Suite.