What If I'm Wrong?

by Bill Parrott on
Categories

During my final semester of college, I discovered the stock market through an investment class. The professor opened my eyes to the possibility of creating wealth by owning great American companies. In the Fall of 1987, I experienced Black Monday in my college classroom; I didn't lose money because...

A Tale of Two Trees

by Bill Parrott on
Categories

During my morning walk, I noticed two trees. One tree touched the sky with giant limbs, dark green leaves, and rich fruit. The other tree was short and lifeless, and I was curious why they were radically different.

My curiosity led me to the homeowner of the healthy tree. I knocked on her door...

Six Reasons to Sell Stocks

by Bill Parrott on
Categories

Markets are reeling, and there are few places to hide. Investors are scared of inflation, rising interest rates, and the Ukraine war. This year, the S&P 500 is down 16%, and the NASDAQ is fairing much worse. Long-term bonds are down 22%, while real estate holdings have dropped 17%. Investors are...

Cut In Half

by Bill Parrott on
Categories

Please do me a favor. Add up all your financial assets – retirement accounts, investment accounts, checking, savings, etc. After calculating your asset amount, divide it in half. How do you feel? Could you survive financially? Do you need to adjust your lifestyle? The answer to your question will...

5 Things Worse Than A Stock Market Crash

by Bill Parrott on
Categories

Stocks are tumbling, led by the Nasdaq. The tech-heavy index is down more than 25 percent this year. Numerous stocks have fallen more than 50 percent as investors sell speculative growth stocks, including Peleton, Teledoc, Palantir, Roblox, Redfin, Shopify, and Coinbase. Giant companies like Amazon...

What Is Safe?

by Bill Parrott on
Categories

When I started my investment career more than thirty years ago, a Wall Street veteran said investing in stocks is not for the faint of heart. He added it takes courage, stamina, and faith to remain invested during the difficult years. He knew what he was talking about because he started his career...

Invest Like a Stoic

by Bill Parrott on
Categories

Stoics would have made great investors because they focused on issues they could control. Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca would probably have much to say about today's markets or, more importantly, investors' reactions to the performance of stocks and bonds.

Stocks and bonds face strong...

Do You Suffer from Occupational Burnout?

by Bill Parrott on
Categories

People are fried. After two years of COVID, the Ukraine War, unaffordable homes, and a stock market correction, people are sick and tired of being sick and tired. I'm a financial planner, not a therapist, but sometimes I feel more like Frasier Crane than Peter Lynch.

Talking to a financial...

Gambling and Investing

by Bill Parrott on
Categories

Will Rogers said, “Don’t gamble; take all your savings and buy some good stock and hold it till it goes up, then sell it. If it don’t go up, don’t buy it.” Sound advice.

Over the past decade, the Nasdaq composite index has risen 347%, averaging 16.15% per year. A $100,000 investment is now worth...

Can You Lose All Your Money?

by Bill Parrott on

Stocks and bonds continue to plummet, and there appears to be no end to the misery. The S&P 500 is down 9.6%; bonds have dropped 9.8%. As bad news mounts, can you lose all your money from stocks or bonds? The odds are pretty low if you diversify your assets across classes, sectors, and countries.

...

Should You Sell Your Losers?

by Bill Parrott on

Bill Ackman, founder, and CEO of Pershing Square, recently realized a $400 million loss after liquidating the firm’s Netflix position, which he purchased in January.[1] After Netflix reported earnings, the stock fell 35%. It currently trades for $218.24 per share, down 68% from its peak.

Chart, line chart

Description automatically generated

Per...

My Investment Shopping Cart

by Bill Parrott on
Categories

Peter Lynch, the legendary portfolio manager of the Fidelity Magellan Fund,  said, “Buy what you know.” As a result, I created my shopping cart investment portfolio consisting of twenty companies my family and I use often. And, like a regular shopping experience, I substituted some products because...