Overcoming fear of stocks

By Dan Crimmins on April 4, 2018 in Behavioral Factors in Investing

Sometimes it doesn’t take much for one to overcome fear.

Many investors are still fearful of owning pieces of the great companies in U.S. and around the world known as stocks. Although the evidence is more than compelling that only a diversified portfolio invested for the long-term will supply investors with the appropriate returns necessary to meet their needs, many investors are still fearful of owning stocks.

We hope to help our clients overcome this fear of investing in the stock market. And sometimes it’s just getting people over the initial hurdle.

It reminds me of a personal story. When I was a 19-year-old college student playing football for Providence College which then had a Division III football program, I had an injury. What was first diagnosed as a groin pull turned out to be, in the words of my doctor, an “all American” hernia.

On my visit home to Tulsa Oklahoma, I ended up having an operation to repair the injury. The day after the operation, I was to begin rehab in the hospital. The first physical therapist arrived at my hospital bed to start the process of getting me fully recovered.

overcoming fear photo

Photo by Jeff Rowley Big Wave Surfer

After discussing the process, she had a simple request that I elevate my right leg. However, the fear of the pain to my surgically repaired right side blocked my ability to raise my leg at all. The physical therapist expressed her annoyance, but after the many futile attempts, she let me be. A few hours later another physical therapist attempted the same procedure of having me raise my leg but to no avail.

Then, later in the day a different physical therapist arrived to see if she could help me on my way to full recovery. She also went through the process of requesting that I raise my leg. This time when her request resulted in no movement of my leg due to my fear, she gently took her hand and helped me raise my leg.

To my surprise just having the slight touch and encouragement was a big difference in results. The pain that I had anticipated was nowhere near as great as I had feared. The expert guidance of the physical therapist helped me overcome the fear so that I could start the process of fully recovering from the operation.

I still remember today how the slight encouragement allowed me to overcome my perceived pain and fear.

We have seen countless times that prospects have fear of owning stocks or as we prefer to call them “ownership in the great companies in the US and overseas”. We hope that we can provide the same touch as that gifted physical therapist in allowing our clients to overcome their fear which will allow them to better prepare for the hopeful future.

Sometimes it doesn’t take much for one to overcome fear.

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The foregoing content reflects the opinions of Crimmins Wealth Management and is subject to change at any time without notice. Content provided herein is for informational purposes only and should not be used or construed as investment advice or a recommendation regarding the purchase or sale of any security. There is no guarantee that the statements, opinions or forecasts provided herein will prove to be correct. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. All investing involves risk, including the potential for loss of principal. There is no guarantee that any investment plan or strategy will be successful.