Our thoughts
and perspective
on life and money
For most of us, financial progress happens gradually. You work hard, earn a little more, and slowly become capable of living life more comfortably. Maybe that means paying off debt, buying a home, raising a family, funding college, or simply saving for whatever comes next. Most of the time, we’re working toward something.
People work hard. Over time, they grind out hours, days, months and ultimately decades in jobs and careers that they may or may not enjoy. Many get to a point where their income surpasses their daily living needs, leaving them with excess cash flow. At some point, they realize that if they can invest some of this excess cash, it could take some pressure off their need to work indefinitely.
Momentum is a powerful force and once it starts, it’s incredibly hard to stop. Think of a snowball turning into an avalanche. A social media trend going viral. Steph Curry hitting his first three… then another… and another… now he can’t miss. When momentum is on your side, the wins come easier and success can start to feel inevitable.
Today, the individual investor has more access to information and the ability to trade on that information than ever before. Company products, business models, profit margins, leadership teams, and supply chains can all be learned from a laptop. Compared to other moments in history, this seems an ideal time to pick stocks and achieve long-term wealth. So why not give it a shot?
Over the course of the last 12 months, the current President of the United States and his administration have made it clear that they would like Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to step down from his role, a role this same President appointed him to during his first term in office. The chief complaint is that Chairman Powell has been too hesitant to lower interest rates at the behest of the administration.
When Warren Buffett speaks, people listen. He has a one of a kind ability to filter out the noise, stay patient when everyone else panics, and distill decades worth of wisdom into timeless lessons that will be repeated for generations. Recently, in classic Buffett fashion, he announced he’s ‘going quiet’ and is accelerating the pace of his charitable giving.
When our clients or prospects consider our services, they often gravitate toward one aspect of what we do for them. In some cases, they may see us as portfolio managers, balancing their needs with uncertain markets and shifting economic times. Many will see us as adept financial planners who know how to make sense of their varying financial goals. Others will see us as trusted advisors who provide the necessary guidance to address their complex financial lives when it comes to tax needs or estate planning concerns.
Life moves quickly. Between work, family, friends, and staying on top of our daily responsibilities we usually focus on what’s right in front of us. It’s hard to find the time, space, and energy to think about the future when we’re juggling so much.
At Bear Mountain Capital, we take pride in working closely with a network of trusted professional partners who help our clients navigate important life decisions with confidence and clarity. One of those invaluable partners is Kjersti Stroup, a thoughtful and highly experienced estate planning attorney based in Seattle.
The beginning of a stock market selloff feels terrible—there’s a palpable tenseness and nervousness in the air. Intuitively, we know that selloffs happen, but our emotions and fear don’t care about market history, context, or what the data tells us. What if this time is different? What if we’re on the verge of something catastrophic? After all, every market downturn, whether a correction, pullback, or full-blown bear market, had to start somewhere.