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On The Banks Of Vickery Creek

IMG_0946.JPGFor our family, the day after Thanksgiving is a day of adventure. Mommy spent the day with her three sisters, leaving the four men free to roam the wild, uninhabited regions of north Atlanta. Since there are no such places, we opted for the Old Mill Park on the banks of Vickery Creek in historic Roswell. Founded in 1839, the Roswell Manufacturing Company used the mill to produce cotton and woolen supplies for the Confederate army. In 1864, Union soldiers destroyed the mill during the Atlanta campaign of the Civil War. Remnants of the mill have been preserved and surrounded by a wonderful outdoor nature center with hiking trails, covered bridges, and a man-made waterfall used to supply power to the mill. So, with the backdrop of Civil War history, I turn the boys loose.

This exploration began as most of ours do – with a spitting contest off a pedestrian bridge. Callahan took first prize with an effort leaving him just inches from the targeted brown trout. (Charles Henry’s attempt never made it past the railing and is likely still there.) As is often the case, the boys sought the path less traveled and left the pedestrian bridge for the banks of Vickery Creek. We walked over rock and limb, meandering our way to the base of the waterfall, where our “path” abruptly ended.

Our options were few.
Go back the way we came, or cross a network of pipes traversing the creek.

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(The above is the view whence we came.)

Before I could address the pros and cons of our options, they opted for the pipe. Having had my share of adventure, I was fine with retracing our steps and finding the nearest bench. In the face overwhelming odds, I offered:

“If we turnaround, maybe we could search for some Civil War relics, huh?

They would have none of it. Onward and upward.

William (12) first, followed by Nicholas (17), Callahan (9), me (old enough to know better), and Charles Henry (7) holding, no, strangling my hand from behind. Like a cat, William made the 25-yard crossing in no time. In between his hops, skips and jumps, Nicholas was filming the trek  with his phone and took great pleasure in stopping at various points, forcing the rest of us to pause and maintain balance. Walking being too easy, Callahan preferred bear-crawling for a touch of panache in the face of peril. Charles Henry and I were less enthused and were moving into survival mode with every step. We were only half-way across.

As an Advisor, one of my responsibilities is to ensure that my clients understand the relationship between risk and return. With 2015’s  fascination with volatility, you may have seen the effects on your retirement account. What’s that? You’ve not looked at it in a while? You’re not alone. Many opt for the “set it and forget it” approach. While that may work for some – depending on the allocation and the years in question – I don’t recommend it as a de facto approach to investment management. Nor would I recommend going to the doctor, checking it off your list, and not going back. You wouldn’t do that with your health, so why do it with what could be the single largest asset you’ll ever have? Talk with your advisor. Don’t have one? Find one.

Call us. We can help.

All five of us, thankfully, made it across the river that day. No one fell into the water or onto the rocks below. Interesting to note, the oldest (me) and the youngest (Charles Henry) seemed to have the greatest appreciation for the risks taken that day. Charles Henry, because he has no experience with such ramifications, and me, because I do.

Here’s the investor’s take away from our “walk in the park”:

  • Don’t just charge into risk blindly and at full speed. Do your homework and seek wise counsel.
  • If you’re going to take risks, do pay attention and monitor your progress along the way rather than worrying about someone else’s. They have their own journey.
  • Respect the amount of risk you’re taking and be aware of the consequences.
  • Don’t just go along with it and assume the risk because some old guy takes your hand and tells you to – figuratively speaking, of course.

Despite the above indictment, I consider myself a pretty good dad. But I guess there’s something in all of us that longs for risk, even if for a little, and even if we know better. More reason to surround yourself with wise counsel – which we would have had had she not already been out with her sisters. Nevertheless, on this day after Thanksgiving, we remained unscathed with our bellies full of adventure.

And thankful for both, we are.

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