Stephen Spicer - Stop Investing Like They Tell You: Discover and Overcome the 16 Mainstream Myths Keeping You from True Financial Freedom

Stop Investing Like They Tell You

(Expanded Edition)

STOP

INVESTING

LIKE THEY TELL YOU

DISCOVER AND OVERCOME
THE 16 MAINSTREAM MYTHS
KEEPING YOU FROM TRUE FINANCIAL FREEDOM

STEPHEN SPICER, CFP

NEW YORK

LONDONNASHVILLEMELBOURNEVANCOUVER

Stop Investing Like They Tell You (Expanded Edition)

Discover and Overcome the 16 Myths

2022 Stephen Spicer, CFP

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in New York, New York, by Morgan James Publishing. Morgan James is a trademark of Morgan James, LLC. www.MorganJamesPublishing.com

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the author has used his best efforts in preparing this book, he makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult a professional where appropriate. The author shall not be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. This book contains the authors opinions.

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For Jessica
&
Grey, Lyle, Cass, and Rosie

Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.

Voltaire

I am not a doomsayer. Although it may sound this way at first, I have no wish to be alarmist.

I am merely an advocate for prudent asset stewardship. More than a decade in the investment and financial planning industry has left me concerned for the investments of my family, friends, and fellow humansIm talking about the vast majority of investors and billions of dollars in the market.

See, I told you Id come off as an extremist doomsayer but bear with me, and youll see Im not.

First, you must know its not your fault that you and your investment dollars are at risk; its the poor advice youve received. Its the poor advice everyone receives: the investment paradigms commonly taught in schools and preached over the airwaves, and whose proponents include more than one Nobel laureate.

See? Not your fault. Its hard to argue with such a compelling force. Who would be crazy enough to question the dogmas preached by such highly esteemed authorities?

My name is Stephen Spicer. I have dedicated my career to helping people understand this potentially ruinous reality. And, after realizing that merely spotlighting all the flaws wasnt enough, I became obsessed with finding the absolute best solutions.

Why am I putting up such a fuss? It cant actually be that bad can it?

Its tempting to think that. I wanted to think that; it would make my life substantially easier. I could follow the cookie-cutter solutions to which most people subscribe, continue to market my services in the same way as other advisors, and do very well for myself and my family. In fact, I was on that path and making good money. Proceeding with that course would have been much less stressful.

There was just one problem (at least, it started as one problem): I kept discovering issues with the traditional investment paradigmpotentially devastating flaws in the logic. As I made these discoveries, I adjusted the investments I managed, only to find another flaw.

After years of searching for better solutions to each of these problems, I reached a point where I felt my investments could better withstand the unpredictable yet inevitable market chaos and stress without compromising the growth of a traditional portfolio.

I sighed a breath of relief

and then looked around and realized almost nobody else had adapted. Nobody else was dedicating any time to challenging the traditional investment paradigms. They all just continued to argue about the same old inconsequential issues: which stocks will perform better tomorrow, the exact implication of a particular word uttered by the Fed Chair, or the residual repercussions of Donald Trumps most recent tweetstorm.

In the early 17th century, the majority of educated people subscribed to the Aristotelian view that the Earth was the center of the universe. Galileo Galileis research suggested otherwise. His writings on the subject of heliocentrismthe astronomical model where the Earth and planets revolve around the Sunwas met with harsh criticism from other scholars (read: experts) of the time.

In 1615, Galileos views on this issue were submitted to the Roman Inquisition, which officially declared the theory to be foolish and absurd. Ultimately, it was Galileos pursuit of truth on this matter that led to him being sentenced to house arrest for the final decade of his life.

Challenging prevailing wisdom is no easy task. And, although I think an understanding of the movement of heavenly bodies is important, the concepts I am speaking out against will play a much more meaningful role in the quality of life of tens of millions.

At the same time, you wont need a grasp of astrophysics (or complex financial topics, for that matter) to understandjust an ability to consider things logically and with an open mind.

Understanding the resistance faced by Galileo, and the many others who have challenged a traditional way of doing things, will help provide you with context for some of the feelings you may experience throughout this book.

The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of a doubt, what is laid before him.

Leo Tolstoy

Ive spoken with many people for whom this book gave life to concerns they were suppressing. For them, this study has been the beginning of a financial planning journey that has resulted in a much happier, lower stress, financial life.

There are also those who vehemently disagreethey stick to their academic-endorsed guns. Thats totally okay and to be expected (think: Galileo and the Roman Inquisitionthere was a strong authoritative opposition even when, as we now know, Galileo was entirely correct). For those who cant see it any other way and find fault in my research and logic, I welcome a healthy debate. I know that through civil discourse I will continue to put myself in an ever-improving position to find the absolute truth and couple it with the absolute best solutions.