Common Sen$e: Rocky Times Ahead. Call in the Experts

ART WOOD

So much has happened since my article last month. The stock market has been on a wild ride, gas is up over $4, Russia has invaded Ukraine, inflation is spiking, and the Fed is raising interest rates. WOW!! While all of this is going on, we must still manage our day job and home life. That feels like at least three full time jobs! I am not going to lie to you, the world is riddled with uncertainty right now, and I am not sure what things are going to look like next year, next week, or even tomorrow. In times like these, you need to turn to the experts, like financial planners. Providing value during uncertainty is where a good financial planner earns their paycheck. Anybody can be a financial planner when everything going up and to the right, but what about when the economy hits uncertain waters?

There is so much noise out there right now and it is hard to decipher what’s fact or what’s fiction. I was sitting with a financial planner friend of mine the other day, and he mentioned sitting “like a fly on the wall” while some acquaintances gave their financial advice about the market, NFTs, Bitcoin, etc. They were not financial advisors, and their advice was collected from the internet and social media. My buddy didn’t make a scene but told me that ALL of their ideas were horrible and unfounded. He explained that the general public wants to change everything when the market moves one way or the other, or when there is a bright new shiny thing to invest in. He continued to explain that just like sport, business, or life, you should have a plan, or a strategy, and just because there is a bump in the road, you don’t throw that plan or strategy out the window. You make some revisions to your plan, but still stick with the course.

For some reason, a lot of us think that we can do it ourselves. We think that all of the training and licensing that financial planners go through is not relevant. We trust doctors as professionals that will take care of our bodies, but don’t trust financial planners to take care of our money. I feel this way about a lot of professionals, like real estate agents, CPAs, lawyers, and mortgage lenders. Now is the time to consult the professionals. Let them advise you on the proper course of action that is going to line up with your plans. If you need a good referral to any of these professionals, please reach out to me and I will help connect you with the right one!

ART WOOD (NMLS #118234) is the branch manager of The Art Wood Mortgage Team of Goldwater Bank, located at 2341 Main Street in downtown Tucker. “Tucker’s Mortgage Guy” for sixteen years, he is a former Tucker Tiger (Class of ’92), and co-founder and organizer of Taste of Tucker. Family guy, community guy, and definitely not your typical mortgage guy - it’s all that he does that makes Art Wood who he is. Contact him at 678.534.5834 or art.wood@goldwaterbank.com.

Since 1998

MASSAGE ASSOCIATES

OF ATLANTA, LLC

GA License #MT000505

Therapeutic Massage

with limited appointment availability Thank you for your patience and support!

Welcome Gigi! Massage Therapist and Foot Reflexologist WEEKLY WELLNESS CLASSES

(Currently virtual only) YOGA for Every Body Monday & Thursday 11:00am

TAI CHI QI GONG For Life Balance Tuesday 1:00pm

5165 Lavista Rd., Tucker, GA 30084 ~ 770.493.8181 ~ massageassociates.net