Balance 2020: Investing and Exercise – Endurance Events

As most of you may or may not know, I was a collegiate swimmer for the University of Arkansas, mostly mid to long distance events.  After college, I continued to swim pre-kids, and now I work out at Orange Theory Fitness.  Slowly but surely, I am turning into a very slow, long distance runner.  I’m sure that my swimmer friends all remember my notoriously slow running ability.  I promise you that I can almost swim faster than I can run, but that’s a topic for another time.

As I have aged, I have learned somethings about exercising for the long-haul and can’t help but see the similarities between exercising and investing.  Exercising and investing are endurance events.  Both require vision, stamina, and discipline.  For investing, this is especially true when the market is at or near an all-time high.

First, for both, you need to have a long-term vision.  A goal.  What are you hoping to achieve?  Where are you now?  Where do you want to be?  What are you willing to risk or give up to get there?  Develop a plan.  Pursue help from a trainer, facility, and/or financial advisor to help you get from here to there.

Second, exercising and investing for the long-haul requires stamina.  There will be ups and downs.  There will be set backs.  There will be injuries.  There are things you can control, and there are things that you cannot control.  Setbacks are inevitable.  Long-term investing requires stamina. A balanced approach to exercise and investing wins the race in the end.  Slow and steady.  It takes time.  It takes effort.

Finally, it takes discipline.  If exercising were easy, everyone would do it.  If investing during times of change (interest rates, Fed policy cycle, political environment, natural disasters) were easy, everyone would do it too.

Whether you are working to be physically fit or financially fit, the process is the same.  You are training for an endurance event.  Every day presents a new challenge.  You have to stick to your vision, see your goal, weather the storms, and march on.  Have a plan.  Be consistent.  Stay the course and know that, if you do, you can reach your goals in the end.

The information provided here is for general information only and should not be considered an individualized recommendation or personalized investment advice. The investment strategies mentioned here may not be suitable for everyone. All investing involves risk including loss of principal. No strategy assures success or protects against loss. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. There can be no guarantee that strategies promoted will be successful and no guarantee of positive results.