Decisiveness can be a rewarding trait when making decisions, especially of the life-altering kind. Unknowingly, it can also be a hindrance.
Sometimes we are so set on a path, that we don’t consider other factors that we should.
Where you live while doing something different (retirement) is one of them. My husband and I always have had a mental list of those future, trendy places we would like to live from having already lived or traveled there. Most of them have little to no snowfall. Some of them we have given up due to other factors but replaced those with different locations.
I’ve been readily decisive with the snowfall criteria but had never taken the time to consider what summer was actually like in these destinations. So, this year I added them to my WeatherBug locations and have been following the local forecasts and it isn’t good, for us that is. Both of us dislike very hot, humid weather and love cool nights.
My decision was based on only one aspect, winter. I’ve also mentioned the high property taxes we currently pay but I started calculating how much more we would have to pay for a comparable house, yard and amenities in these locations, thousands if not a million more. An additional $15k – 20k per year for 25 years is less cumbersome than a large outlay of cash for a new house or even one that’s much less expensive but requires significant renovations.
Decisiveness is a hindrance when you only consider one aspect.
So often, we end up focusing on only a single facet and get blindsided by something we never even considered. I scrolled the internet and came up with things to consider when we invest.
You only lose if you sell.
No one can see the future.
It’s not (“877-CASH-NOW”).
People who don’t know fundamentals.
People who don’t invest.
People with money who ignore the future.
Sitting on the sidelines.
Falling in love with a company, idea, place.
Waiting to get even.
Making it worse by over-diversifying.
Inflation adjusted returns.
Long-term consequences.
Shortsightedness of chasing headlines.
Fortuitous beneficiaries of trends.
Inevitable taxes.
Too scared to buy near the top.
Too vested to let go.
Never rebalancing.
Letting your emotions make the decisions.
Letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.
These can be applied to a host of other things.
The probability of us moving again has waned but not to say never. While my husband really enjoys the four seasons, I can deal with the two snowiest months of the year better than 90+ degrees for three straight months. There are always trips to the no-snow zones.
A focused decisiveness is great for everyday decisions but not for the invested ones. There will always be things we don’t consider but if we assess enough perspective the value (reward) will follow.