Well, what a week that was..

Well, the past week has been rather interesting hasn’t it?

This time last week I was counting down the last working week until my holiday, due to start on Saturday. Today, I’m planning my one daily trip out to get exercise and actually see that other people actually exist!

Luckily, I live by the river so at least on my one trip out I get to be in nature and can easily physically distant.

Over the past week, we’ve even had a number of positive days on the stock market. In fact, on one day the Dow Jones Index (a US stock market index) had its biggest single daily increase since 1933.

So, what does this tell us?

It tells us the stock market goes up and down and we have no way of knowing what will happen from one day to the next. This fully shows why it’s impossible to time the market, and why I’m not suggesting any changes to your portfolio based on what’s happening.

I fully understand how unsettling it is when the value of your investments fall, so I’m not in any way trying to minimise what’s happening or disregard any discomfort you might be feeling. We’re human beings and have emotions and therefore its not at all surprising we worry when our investments drop in value.

In fact, in the same way I run a portfolio report for my clients in advance of our meetings, my assistant also runs mine regularly so I can review what’s happening. My initial thought when she sent mine to me was that there’d been an error, because I was shocked by how much it had fallen. Sadly, there was no error.

Over the next few days, I will update again about various past disasters in the stock market, and how long it took to sort. I’ve got no idea how long this will take. But the aim is to show that big falls have happened in the past, and the stock market has recovered.

I’ll be contacting my clients more often than normal over the next few weeks. The aim is to show that I’m here, I’m still working, and I’m monitoring what’s happening on a regular basis. Hopefully, this will provide comfort to all my clients. I have some free time to talk to some others too if you have quereis.

If you have queries, concerns or want to talk things through please email me at mary@wealthforwomen.biz. We can arrange to talk.

So, I’m here if you’ve got concerns and queries.

Mary Waring is a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Financial Planner and Money Mindset Coach, helping women transform their relationship with money so that they can become free and powerful. She is also the bestselling author of "The Wealthy Woman: A Man is Not a Financial Plan."

Read More

If you enjoyed this post, we recommend the following as additional reading. 

Jargon Buster: What on earth is an annuity?

If you’re not sure what the Queen Mother has to do with annuities, then please read on. It will all become crystal clear! An annuity is a means whereby a capital sum is turned into income for your lifetime. You will often have heard the term in relation to pensions. What happens is that the capital…

Read More about Jargon Buster: What on earth is an annuity?

No, I don’t want to have a meeting with you!

As an independent financial adviser specialising in advice to women, I am often telephoned by a female who asks “Can we have a meeting?” “Can you help me with my finances?” The short answer that I give is “no”. But before you think I’m horribly rude…. there’s as a longer answer. The longer answer is…

Read More about No, I don’t want to have a meeting with you!

How will a financial adviser charge?

If you’re looking to instruct a financial adviser, the cost of that advice will be something you will need to understand. There are a number of different ways an adviser may charge: A fixed fee An hourly fee As a percentage of your funds Or a mixture of the above Ensure you get full details…

Read More about How will a financial adviser charge?