By Mike Gertsema, Senior Wealth Advisor
Now that the NFL season is coming to an end and the playoffs are here, I wonder how coaches motivate their teams that have a losing record of like 1-10 to play a team that’s 10-1. As a viewer of games, I question even watching the game because the odds of an upset are grim.
I guess the coaches of the 1 -10 team must start looking at the next season and see what needs to change to turn the team around and be a contender for next year. Some teams with losing records may have to make small changes to turn things around since they have lost their games by small margins.
I know it’s complicated, but the outcome of a football game usually comes down to five or 10 plays throughout the game that make the difference in the outcome of the game. Sometimes a 1 – 10 team is one or two players away from going 10 – 1 or they had some injuries in key positions that destroyed their season.
How about the coach of the 10 – 1 team? What’s the motivation for the team not to slack off and go in the game overconfident? Based on the record, they should have no problem winning the game, right? I think we’ve all seen football games where the underdog team upsets the projected winning team. The winning team coach knows he has a good team, but he also knows there’s room for improvement to win the championship.
There are benefits to a solid game plan.
I can see a lot of parallels with NFL football and financial planning. For example:
- Do you think you’re having a good season, everything is going as planned, you’re championship-bound, and there’s no room for improvement?
- Are you having a good season and think you’re in good shape, but not great because you’re missing a crucial part to your success by not having a key player to help you take advantage of current tax law or changes in the tax laws that may impact your retirement plans?
- Are you having a tough season and having trouble with your game plan or lack of a plan, throwing money at retirement and other financial goals hoping it all works out?
- Did you have some unexpected injuries or expenses that has you off track and need some advice to get you back on track?
- How’s your defense doing with the market volatility? Is there an investment strategy to play good defense in market corrections?
- How’s your offense doing, are you positioned to have sustainable drives on a consistent basis to score touchdowns and not field goals or just punting with your financial plan and staying on track with your game plan?
- What about special teams’ performance with tax and estate planning strategies avoiding fumbles and turnovers?
- Do you need to add or replace a key player on your team? Is your current adviser doing financial planning, giving you advice, and reviewing your income taxes on an annual basis?
Will replacing a key player change your season from 1 – 10 to 10 – 1?
At Gertsema Wealth Advisors, we have a great offensive team to advise you and help position your game plan for a winning season. We also have a great defensive game plan that can help protect in market volatility and corrections. Our special teams are trained to help with unique needs and situations. Our team is locally owned and operated, so we are ready and able to be put in the game at any time.
If you’d like to learn more about our team call 816-259-5060 or request an appointment.
