Home of The Crash Proof Principle

This week’s principle is fundamental and translates across many spectrums of life. It is most famously conveyed through the age-old tale of The Tortoise and the Hare. This story has been passed on for generations and provides a very sound lesson on taking direction in life. When asked why the tortoise won the race, those familiar with the tale will likely respond “because he was slow and steady.”

Although slow and steady did prove valuable for the tortoise, as it represents his focus and drive, it is a common misconception to attribute this to the tortoise’s victory. When attempting to reach a major goal like establishing a comfortable retirement, moving slowly and steadily will get you nowhere if you’re not moving in the right direction.

Constantly moving in the direction of his destination is what truly allowed the tortoise to prevail over the speedy, yet distracted hare. The hare got caught up in chasing glory, which often took him off his path to his destination. The tortoise stayed focused and took each step towards his end goal.

The same story applies to retirees, who want to achieve comfort throughout retirement. If you follow the path of the hare and take on risk in pursuit of high returns you will be taken off track in the event of any market downturns. Especially during a market crash, you will find that one step forward can be followed by several steps back.

As you get closer to retirement age, you simply cannot afford to lose the hard earned gains you have made over a lifetime. That’s why it is especially important to take the direction of the tortoise and keep moving forward, away from the high risk and fees that come with securities investing, and closer to a secure retirement.

A Crash Proof Retirement® abides by this principle and protects you from setbacks, while guaranteeing your retirement savings only moves in one direction: towards your destination.

It almost sounds too simple, but the best way to make money is not to lose it to begin with. And the best way to meet your retirement goals is to make sure the money you have spent a lifetime accumulating can only move forward. Prevent your life’s savings from ever taking a step back, and ensure that you’re always moving safely through your retirement – which then becomes the recess of your life.

Have you ever looked back on your life and said, “I wish I knew then what I know now?” Everyone has; it’s only natural to wish you could go back in time and tell yourself everything you learned in your journey through life.  This concept can be used to illustrate an important philosophy in retirement preparation.

Working exclusively with those in or near retirement for nearly four decades, I have gained an incredible appreciation for making the best of every moment while we still have them.

I have asked consumers who lost more than half of their nest egg from market crashes what they would do differently looking back. They always reply, “I would have taken more time to learn about my investments and do things differently.”

We all know retirement is coming, and most of us have some idea of what we need to do to get there, but most don’t take the time to learn how to get through retirement once we’re there.

The problem is most of us don’t take our own advice. So when you’re thinking about retirement, imagine yourself twenty years from now.  What would you want to tell yourself about retirement?

You can prepare for the future, all it takes is education.  Learn everything you can about retirement, the sooner the better. Educating yourself now is like taking a glimpse into the future, and it will ensure that you’re not Looking Back with regret.

When you get properly educated you might identify some steps you can take now to be better prepared for the future.

The Look Back Principle is allowing yourself to take what you have learned from your past, apply it to the present and avoid regret in the future.

Every type of investment is like a tool; each has a specific and unique purpose.  Consider a master craftsman working on a blue print of his new project. With his end goal in mind, he knows exactly which tools are needed to complete the job. If your end goal is a safe and comfortable retirement, do you know which tools you need to build that masterpiece?

It is vital that you educate yourself on the designed purpose of investments before you employ them to bring you to your end goal. Let’s break down some common investments used today, and the designed purpose of each.

Stocks were invented to grow companies, not to grow your money.  That’s why they are so risky for people in or near retirement.  The same can be said for mutual funds, because they are usually made up of different stocks.  When you invest in stocks, you’re giving money to a company hoping it will grow and then give you a return on your investment. If the company fails to grow, or the stock market crashes and takes all stocks along with it, your nest egg pays the price.  You must remember that stocks were never intended to grow your money, and they absolutely were not designed to protect it from losses, which you simply cannot afford in retirement.

Bank accounts are a good place to temporarily hold your money and protect it, however, they’re not designed to grow your money.  Because they’re FDIC insured, savings accounts and CDs can provide some safety for your money while you decide what to do with it.  If you’re placing your money in a bank account until you are ready to live off of it in retirement, you’re using it the wrong way.  You won’t keep up with inflation and you certainly won’t be getting the kind of growth you need to build and maintain a nest egg.

Bonds have a completely different purpose: they’re intended to give you an income stream.  They weren’t designed to grow your money or protect it from losses.  Bonds carry a lot of risk and do not guarantee growth. If you’re using bonds to grow your money while protecting it from losses, you’re using the wrong tool for the job.

When you are finished working and accumulating money, you can’t just settle for getting to retirement; you need to make sure you can get through retirement as well.  The tools you need for this job are investment vehicles that have earned the Crash Proof™ seal of approval.

Crash Proof Retirement vehicles are investments designed to both grow and protect your retirement assets. When you’re in or near retirement, you can’t afford to take the risks associated with stocks and bonds, and you also can’t afford to let your money erode in a bank account.  You need to select the tool that’s going to build the retirement you deserve.

Crash Proof Retirement investments offer the best of both worlds—they provide steady growth and prevent your accounts from taking a step backwards.  Investments used in a Crash Proof Retirement™ are carefully selected by their designed purpose, to ensure that you’re picking the right tool for the job and your retirement years will be safe, secure and comfortable.