In the financial world, someone may ask you, “What’s your number?” Odds are they aren’t trying to pick you up. Rather, they are referring to the amount of money in which you pursue financial independence (aka retire).

Defining such a number is essential in financial planning. It provides the basis for how much you need to save each year, what kind of investment returns you need to achieve and how many years until you can retire.

The Dangers of Numbers

Focusing too much on numbers has a downside. As an investor, is easy to get caught up in the numbers. Stocks are quoted in numbers. Investment performance is shown in numbers. The numbers representing our account values change often. We are so inundated with numbers that sometimes we forget what those numbers represent.

The Ego of Numbers

Sometimes, what starts as a genuine desire to provide for our family and retirement transforms into a quest to feed our unquenchable ego. We become focused on what we have versus someone else.

Investors routinely compare their portfolio values and performance with an arbitrary stock index; a stock index that has little to do with the goals and constraints of investors. This unfortunate practice is sometimes done on a daily basis.

Our moods are affected by the ego of numbers.

We can go from being giddy and kind one day to angry and bitter the next day. It’s so easy to get caught up in this. We need to constantly remind ourselves what those numbers represent.

The Representation of Your Number

What does “your number” represent for you?  What do you plan to do once you hit that number? We spend a good portion of our life working, saving and sacrificing. To what end? Ask yourself these important questions to develop a general range of your number.

The number represents the freedom to do what you value most. What is that? Write it down. Review it often. It’s not about your return or number on a given day. Investing is about doing those things that matter most to you.

By Anthony C. Williams, CWS, ChFC, MRFC, CLU | Investment Advisor Representative | President & Founding Partner of Mosaic Financial Associates & Orthopaedist Advisory Group | Securities and advisory services offered through Cetera Advisors LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC, a broker/dealer and a Registered Investment Advisor.  Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity.

©2019 Behavioral Finance Network. Used with permission.