Businesses, Stock Markets & the Economy

10 Obstacles to Investing—and How to Overcome Them (David Booth, Executive Chairman and Founder, Dimensional)

“Investing in markets is an excellent plan for meeting long-term goals, like maximizing your retirement income. When you develop a deeper understanding of public markets, you can cultivate a sense of optimism about investing.

Two ideas are at the heart of embracing this approach:

First, markets provide a way for both sides to win. In order to trade, both buyer and seller have to agree on a price. If either side felt the price wasn’t meeting his or her needs, they wouldn’t trade. This is what we mean when we say market prices are fair.

Second, markets allow all of us to invest in human ingenuity—and get paid for it. We want to help as many people as possible access what markets offer in investment opportunities and wealth generation so they can live better lives.

Even though the investment principles we run on are simple, they aren’t always easy to understand and accept. Many people struggle with some of the basic concepts behind long-term, highly diversified investing—it’s a matter of human nature.

Here are some of the objections I’ve encountered. I think most of us can relate to at least one of them.”

Volatility Is Back (Michael Batnick)

“The stock market is up 17% year-to-date. Last year it was up 18%. The year before that it gained 31%.

If this is the beginning of the end, which I’m not saying it is, but if it is, I wanted to remind you that the market has done very well over the years. A pullback in the indices would be normal. The uninterrupted gains that we’ve grown accustomed to are an outlier.”

“Assuming you invest to fund your retirement and not your salary, you shouldn’t be bothered by stock market declines. And if you’re still contributing to your retirement accounts, then you should hope you get the opportunity to buy at lower prices. Stock market declines are the source of future stock market returns. Without risk, there can be no reward.”

Your Finances & other Wealth Management links

You Can Get Your Credit Score, but You May Have to Pay for It. “A new Consumer Reports analysis of five credit apps also found that the scores might differ from the ones a lender would use.” (The New York Times)

On risk tolerance and capacity: an excerpt from “Invest Your Way to Financial Freedom” by Ben Carlson and Robin Powell. (monevator.com)

The Environment & ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) Investing

8 Steps to a Sustainable Yard (EDIBLE JERSEY, CAROLLE HUBER)

Massively Reducing Food Waste Could Feed the World. “It would also greatly cut greenhouse gas emissions.” (Scientific American)

Your Physical & Mental Well-being

What to do if you test positive with an at-home antigen test. (nytimes.com)

Vaccinated individuals with Covid do not spread the virus as the same as the unvaccinated. (theatlantic.com)

The Week in Well (The New York Times):

“Here are some stories you don’t want to miss:

• Gretchen Reynolds shares why exercise is more important than weight loss.
• Jane Brody writes about broken bones.
• Christina Caron reports on how to fend off winter depression.“

This Week’s Serendipity  

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s latest, and likely last, ring-a-ding (npr.org)