One of my favorite places on earth is St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Megan and I had a trip planned for mid-February that we rescheduled to mid-March.
As we were packing on a sunny Sunday afternoon, a blizzard rolled into town and canceled our flight. We couldn’t get rebooked until Tuesday, so—thinking we could outsmart the situation—we booked a flight out of St. Louis for Monday and drove four hours across Missouri. Mid-drive, that flight got canceled too. Not ideal.
We tried again Monday with a different airline, but a delay out of St. Louis caused us to miss our connection in Atlanta. After an overnight there, we finally made it to St. John on Tuesday afternoon.
The next few days were great—scuba diving, three books for Megan, and tacos at a floating Mexican restaurant. Getting home, however, had one last twist.
We arrived at the airport five hours early, only to sit through delays while the airline tried to find a plane and crew. When a plane finally arrived, the runway lights went out during its approach, forcing it to divert to Puerto Rico. Eventually, it made it back, and just after midnight we were on our way to Miami—where we missed our connection.
Rather than wait another day, we booked a third airline, made it to St. Louis by 7:30 a.m., and were back in Kansas City (and in bed) by late morning.
After a short nap, I couldn’t help but think about how this felt like something out of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. At every turn, we tried to outsmart the situation—and at every turn, something unexpected happened.
Sometimes we take that same approach with our investments. The market drops, and we feel like we should sell—but when do we buy back in? Or a certain sector is surging, and we feel the urge to chase it—only to watch it fall. These reactions are completely normal, but they can leave you stuck or worse off.
Having a plan and staying diversified is your best strategy—no matter what the market or headlines are doing. My advice: stay calm and stay the course. This too shall pass.
Advisory products and services offered by Investment Adviser Representatives through Prime Capital Investment Advisors, LLC (“PCIA”), a federally registered investment adviser. Tax planning and preparation services are offered through Prime Capital Tax Advisory. PCIA: 6201 College Blvd., Suite 150, Overland Park, KS 66211. PCIA doing business as Prime Capital Financial | Wealth | Retirement | Wellness | Family Office | Tax Advisory.
