180 | Perpetually Uncommitted

The holy grail in investing is a level of commitment that can see beyond benchmarks, novel products, and market forecasts.

A basic understanding and set of beliefs that underpin the way you've decided to invest that slowly reduces your desire to evaluate or even acknowledge alternatives.

Not like an ostrich with its head in the sand, but more like a spouse that stops evaluating candidates for marriage once they've said, "I do."

There's a freedom that comes from commitment.

And an anxious prison that comes from the endless search for something else.

Seeing a headline about the highest performing stock of the year - an invitation to de-commit.

Catching a bad market cycle in your first year with an advisor - an invitation to de-commit.

Presuming that someone's elevated lifestyle choices are a direct result of their investment savviness - an invitation to de-commit.

Seeing your account lag a benchmark, a friend, or a faulty expectation - an invitation to de-commit.

Just like a relationship, once we commit, there is peace of mind, freedom from second-guessing, grace for mishaps and disappointment, and compounding that begins to surpass all expectations.

That sounds like a good outcome.