Our Island Adventure and Lessons for Life
This summer, we embarked on what we thought would be the perfect island adventure to the Beach. The plan was simple—relax, create memories, and enjoy some much-needed family time. But, as life often reminds us, the best journeys rarely go as planned.
It all started before the sun came up, with four very grumpy kids—Daegen (17), Kinsley (8), Brooks (4), and little Everly (9 months). Waking up early is never their favorite thing, and that morning was no exception. The excitement we had for the trip was matched only by the challenge of getting everyone out the door on time. But that was just the beginning.
We arrived at the airport, and things took a turn for the worse when we encountered a major complication with our passport information. No matter where we turned or how desperately we tried, we couldn’t get the help we needed. Time was ticking, and it felt like our long-awaited trip was slipping through our fingers.
Managing four kids in the chaos was its own adventure, and for a while, it really seemed like we were going to miss out on our dream vacation. But by the grace of God, and with just minutes to spare, everything finally fell into place, and we were on our way.
Arriving at our beautiful island resort felt like a dream come true, but the challenges weren’t quite over. One of our sweet babies came down with an illness, and for the first few days, we were juggling fevers and crankiness instead of swimming and sandcastles. It was not the start we envisioned. Yet, looking back now, even those tough moments were just tiny bumps on the road to what became one of the most memorable trips of our lives.
Despite the early hurdles, the setbacks melted away into laughter, love, and incredible experiences. We went on to have an amazing family vacation. We laughed, played, explored the island, and soaked in every precious moment together. The “crises” that seemed so huge at the time now seem like nothing. What we really remember is the joy, the adventures, and the love we shared.
This vacation experience reminds me so much of my two and a half decades as an investor. Just like the ups and downs we faced on this trip, the market goes through its own bumps—dips, corrections, bear markets, and recessions. These can feel overwhelming at the time, especially with negative headlines screaming about the entire world coming to an end. But just as our trip turned out to be one of our best, those market setbacks have always been just temporary pauses on the way to long-term success.
So, what exactly are these market “bumps”? Let’s define them:
- Stock Market Dip: A short-term drop in the market, usually around 5%. These happen frequently, around 3 times a year, and are often just noise in the grand scheme of things.
- Stock Market Correction: A market decline of around 10%. On average, a correction occurs about once a year.
- Stock Market Bear Market: A drop of 20% or more. These are less common, occurring roughly every 3-4 years. While they can be unnerving, they are a normal part of market cycles.
- Recession: The United States, on average, has experienced a recession about once every 5 years since the end of World War II. By definition, a recession in the economy is a significant decline in economic activity that lasts for an extended period, typically recognized as two consecutive quarters (six months) of negative growth in a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Despite the dips, corrections, bear markets, and recessions, the stock market has averaged an approximate annualized return of over 10% over the last roughly 50 years. By staying disciplined and continuing to invest in quality, we have been able to weather the storms and come out stronger on the other side. It’s the same mindset we used to navigate the ups and downs of our family vacation—keeping our eyes on the bigger picture.
If you have quality investments, I want to encourage you to stay disciplined. That way you can be in a position to take more family vacations, creating even more memories of fun, adventure, love, and laughter. And isn’t that what life is all about? Being able to spend more time doing what we love with the people we love.
My passion is to help you learn how to use money as a tool to enhance and protect what is most important to you. I hope this little lesson on the market helps you create a life filled with wealth and happiness—so you can keep making beautiful memories with your loved ones, no matter what challenges come your way.
Here’s to creating wealth, happiness, and more moments with the ones you love! God Bless.
