Have you asked this question? Be honest. It’s ok. You probably have. I think most people have asked this question and it only makes sense because you’ve been conditioned to ask it.

First, no one knows what the market is going to do. THEY JUST DON’T. Not the broker who works at a bank, but wont use the name of the bank on his business card, not your Brother in law, not even your independent financial planner. The reality is we are faced with either a Clinton Administration or a Trump Administration. And the market will go up and down just like it always does. But specifically how will the stock market react to these politicians??? We just don’t know.

But that’s not stopping many financial people out there from trying to get you to act on their knowledge. They promise you they know the future because they have a secret formula. And we want to believe them. Our brains are wired to believe them. For most people any “rush” produces Dopamine in the brain. Exercise, sex, food, even gambling…all produces a feeling that is attributed to the release of Dopamine in our brain. The stock market is advertised like a casino. That isn’t by accident. Go look at some websites out there that let you trade stocks. Then type in “online casino” and notice the similarities. Free money for your first bet or your first trade. The colors, the words even, it’s like the same people created the sites.

So if you find yourself asking questions like, “What will the market do in light of Brexit, the election, the Chinese market halt, the hurricane, etc, etc.” Then, you are chasing that dopamine rush. Wouldn’t it feel great if you knew for sure what the next Blackjack card would be? You’d be RICH! And wouldn’t it be great if you knew what the market would do? You’d be RICH! Some of you right now are saying, “I don’t like to gamble”. Ok. But you will gladly listen to investment newsletters and people on the Internet or the radio who are literally asking you to believe them as they speculate about the future. That’s called GAMBLING.

Are you ready to stop the bad behavior that will rob you of your family’s wealth? Do you even know if you are participating in that gambling? “Joe, my guy doesn’t pick stocks or market time”…really??? Then why is your brokerage account packed full of mutual funds that have 80% of it’s portfolio turned over every year? If that isn’t speculation I don’t know what is.

Scared yet? You should be. Casinos are set up to separate you from your money based on the premise that you might walk out rich if only you take risk. Same deal with speculating on the stock market. There is a better way.

What now? Ask yourself these questions:

• Am I finally ready to admit that no one knows what the market will do next?

• Am I ready to discover how to build a stock portfolio that relies on math rather than speculation?

• Am I ready to give up the “rush” of beating the market?

• Am I ready to admit that I have behavioral problems as it relates to how I handle my money?

If so then you need to:

• Share this article with your best friend. You can only really break the bad habit of speculation when you learn WITH someone.

• Find an adviser who is 100% committed to helping you with your behavior and NOT trying to pick the right stocks or the right funds.

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