After almost 45 years as a financial advisor, one realizes that there’s truth behind the phrase, “Reality is made up of circles, but we see straight lines.” Market cycles, crises, and investor behavior are all echoes of things we’ve seen in the past and will likely experience again in the future. No doubt the COVID-19 crisis impacts us all, and while it may feel like something completely new, it really isn’t.

Just 30 days ago, on Feb. 18th, markets were at all-time highs. Today, fear grips the market and recession is at the top of every financial pundits’ mind. Benjamin Graham, said to be one of the best investors of all time, and a mentor to Warren Buffett reminds us: Control what you can control: yourself, your emotions and your response (or behavior) to those emotions.

Cold winter weather means it is soup season here in Colorado, and none feel more familiar than Campbell’s Tomato Soup. Campbell’s tomato soup is an excellent benchmark for understanding the impact of the persistent enemy of all investors: inflation. For more than 100 years, the size hasn’t changed, but the price sure has. About 45 years ago, in 1974, the soup cost about $0.12 per can. Today, it retails for about $0.87 per can. That points to an average inflation rate of 4.3 percent. Forty-five years may sound like a long time, but that’s about the length of a typical retirement.

Do you ever feel “the curse” of investing at precisely the wrong point? Like you invested too late, at the wrong time, or maybe you’re just unlucky? Let me introduce you to Bob – the World’s Worst Market Timer.

This last week has been a roller coaster for investors with large, swift swings in the broad market indices. It began with an announcement from the Federal Reserve on interest rates and the White House levying additional tariffs against China, which was then followed by a tit-for-tat spat between the two countries. A devaluation of the Yuan, the U.S. labeling China a currency manipulator, and a drop in the bond market yields all served as reasons for the corresponding drops. All that to say, a lot has happened in the span of a few days.