Greed, fear and everything in between. 2022 has been sobering in many aspects.
The fact that millions of lives have been affected because of another unnecessary war in the 21st century is mind bogglingly stupid. And the worse is, there seems to be no end in sight to this exercise in futility. The frenzy of Cryptocurrency investments has led to more “centralised exchanges” going bust than I ever thought was possible. It has led to severe erosion of wealth for most. More and more people put their hard-earned money into it because influencers and every other celebrity was endorsing it in some form and it seemed an easy path to financial independence!
While criticising governments all over the world, people were happily cashing the cheques received from them and using it to buy meme stocks and creating bubbles in the stock markets.
2022 has just seen so much turmoil on the financial front. And as we are coming to an end, let’s look back at some of the things this year taught us.
For me, as a financial advisor in Dubai, I can summarise 4 key lessons that 2022 taught me:-
1) Human beings aren’t rational:
Most people make investment decisions not based on rational thinking or because their financial advisor says so, but for bizarre reasons like Instagram ads and Twitter feeds, and of course supernormal returns in a short period without any rationale! Once someone promises 30% returns in less than 6 months people don’t care how that’s going to happen. Cryptocurrencies, space exploration funds, algorithm based easy forex strategies, next-gen technology start-ups and more. I have seen them all this year!
2) Trust your instincts more often:
If the financial advisor seems so smooth that he would get away with murder, RUN! If the investment feels wrong and too risky for your liking, don’t do it. If you are happy with a 8% returns, don’t aim for 15% because you have been offered on a platter. There are no free lunches so anyone offering you one is probably hiding something.
Read 5 Things To Consider When Choosing A Financial Advisor in UAE
3) Focus on life, not money:
Maybe it’s age, but I am starting to realize that we are all trying to make more money in our lifetimes than we will spend in our lifetimes. Why? Well, I have learnt to ask more of this question to myself than ever before.
When doing something, if you know the WHY, I think you will figure out the HOW.
Money is means to a better life, but don’t sacrifice your life trying to make more money. And I say this as a financial advisor where my business is managing money. But, there is so much more to it than that! My job as a financial advisor is to make people financially secure so they can actually focus on their lives and things that are important to them. For example, once I have secured your retirement and you know how much income you have on retirement, you can focus on what you want to do during that time, rather than constantly wondering about the future costs.
Read How To Set Your Financial Goals According To Your Income
4) Nobody can predict the future:
You may have already known that but still got tempted and swayed by the estimates of analysts, The US Federal Reserve and other knowledgeable people about the future of the stock markets, inflation etc. In the end no fund manager, bank or government told you that you should get out of the markets or brace for massive devaluation of your market linked investments. This clearly shows that trying to guess the future is pointless. I have learnt to think differently about investing and the markets over all. Its imperative to focus on the quality of your investments more and not be tempted by the dream of doubling your money overnight.
Money is an uncomfortable subject, and rarely people want to talk about it openly. Maybe it is the fear of the unknown or maybe because most people don’t understand it. People are putting it off with the hope that the problem will go away by itself, but it won’t.
There isn’t one way to secure your financial future. Each of us have our unique financial goals we need to simplify. Often times, I recommend people to actually do nothing with their money as they are already financially secure! Sometimes, less is more. And you can achieve that with a little guidance from the right financial advisor.
I am here to help you do that, that’s my WHY.
