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Investor's Corner NewsletterBy Will W. Woodard, III, CFP® Ahh, the life: mid-November, 75 degrees outside, watching a beautiful son grow up, close family thriving, business growing steadily, am surrounded by a growing circle of fun, thoughtful, intelligent, giving people, client portfolios solidly positive, catching speckled trout in the surf barefooted…They don't call it Thanksgiving for nothing! In this issue of Investor's Corner:
"With great power comes great responsibility." Peter Parker's Uncle Ben, from Spiderman-The Movie 1. Essay: A personal growth leap of faith. Making the personal commitment to work towards a more simple, meaningful, and profound life is a bit like bungee jumping: Having climbed to an uncomfortable height, you take direction from a professional guide…or a friend who's done it before…or maybe even just a voice inside your head, then secure a cord around your body, and MAKE A LEAP OF FAITH. It's a leap of faith because you don't know for sure that the cord is the right length, that it's going to stay attached to your body, and that it won't break when you're screaming towards the earth at what feels like 100 miles an hour. Initially reserved for foolhardy adrenaline junkie thrill seekers, bungee jumping has gone mainstream. Why? Maybe because it's a cheap thrill, (subject to your definition of the word "cheap") or we are one BORED human race (that would be a cynic's viewpoint, I guess). I'm going to go out on a limb, though, and say that the reason bungee jumping has risen to the level of popularity that it has is because ITS A NET POSITIVE ENDEAVOR-i.e., the gains outweigh the costs. My theory is that the first bungee jumpers got such a rush out of jumping that IT CHANGED THEIR LIVES…at least a little bit. They had more energy, they smiled more, they were more fun to be around. Perhaps the act of hurtling Earthward while staring down certain death--only to engage, then stretch--the cord, ever so slowly cease earthbound momentum, hang for a magnified second, then rebound skyward, rubber band-like, relieved and laughing, made their lives suddenly take on more meaning. Of course, envious friends and observers (we humans are an envious lot, aren't we?!) wanted some of the post-jump, je ne sais quoi spark that they were witness to. After that crucial psychological demand had been created, it was just a matter of getting more and more people to try it until a tipping point was reached--then the properties of scale took over. These days, bungee jumping is pretty much just another amusement park ride. People who have made conscious decisions to make their lives more profound are the bungee jumpers among us. Take a minute to survey the landscape of your friends, family, and associates. Who do you want to emulate? Is it the folks who have all the stuff but run around directionless and frazzled? Is it the folks who engage life at the absolute minimum and thus are nothing more than cardboard cutouts of themselves most of the time? My guess is that you've targeted the folks among your human capital network WHOSE LIFE APPEARS TO MEAN THE MOST. After all, if we're fantasizing, we aim high, right? Stop fantasizing-make the leap. 2. Commentary: Momentum traders strike again, by Tobin Smith Tobin Smith is president of Changewave Investing and is usually an interesting read. The below excerpt is from the November 19, 2003 Wavewire Email Letter.
3. Charts
4. Worthwhile links: CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Board of Standards - http://www.cfp.net/default.asp NAPFA, the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors - http://www.napfa.org/ The FPA's Hampton Roads chapter - http://www.fpahamptonroads.com/about.htm Dare Capital Management & Advisory home page - http://www.darecapital.com/ Well, that's enough for this issue. Feel free to call or write with questions or comments, or to inquire about my firm's services as they relate to your individual situation. And please say thank you as often as possible! Good investing, Will Woodard is president of Dare Capital Management & Advisory, a Registered Investment Advisor and fee-only financial planning firm based in Kill Devil Hills. Dare Capital is committed to providing independent, objective, and professional financial advice. Mr. Woodard, his firm, or his clients may own the investments mentioned herein. Contact Will at (252) 480-0156 or e-mail Will@darecapital.com The fine print: This newsletter can be reprinted or forwarded--however, it is requested that reprints of any material in this newsletter include credit to Dare Capital Management and Advisory (252)480-0156 and an email link to will@darecapital.com. Thanks for spreading the word! All of the foregoing is commentary for informational purposes only. All statements and expressions are the opinion of Will W. Woodard, III and Dare Capital Management and Advisory, and are not meant to be a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell, or hold securities. Mr. Woodard, his firm, or his clients may own the investments discussed in this newsletter. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. The information presented herein and the company's web site has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy is not guaranteed. Estimates, assumptions and other forward-looking information are subject to the limits of forecasting. Actual future results may vary for many reasons. Copyright 2003 Dare Capital Management and Advisory-all rights reserved. |
