The 500 Freestyle

Growing up, both of my parents were entrepreneurs. My mom ran a consulting business in the construction industry and my dad is an architect. Mom often kept very long hours; employing up to 20 Full-Time employees, traveling all over the United States and, at times, the World for projects. Dad, being Self-Employed, remained very busy as well, but was able to organize his time to make sure we had a hot breakfast every morning, got us to where we needed to be (mostly) on-time, and had dinner (always consisting of a protein, starch, and two vegetables) on the table every evening. This was while taking meetings during the day and drafting at night.

To make sure he was able to stay in-shape and blow off some steam from carting around 5 kids, he would take us to the YMCA almost every day. I joined the swim team, and he got a chance to work out. After some time, I got half decent and became a competitive swimmer. I competitively swam throughout Middle and High School and joined the Water Polo team, both of which I was Captain my Junior and Senior years.

In Highschool, I was never the fastest swimmer, but I could maintain a decent speed for longer periods, which made me the go-to distance swimmer. I did the 500-yard Freestyle at most meets.

Distance swimming took more planning than other events. You couldn’t just give it hell like a Neanderthal in the 50-yard free (no offense to the sprinters… I really wasn’t that fast). Generally, the goal was getting a quick first 100-yards (under one minute), maintain during the next 200 (this took a little over 2 minutes) and the final 200 yards, the pace would gradually pick up until you’re sprinting toward the end. Successful execution yielded a 5-ish minute 500-yard Freestyle: which, back in my day, would typically qualify for regional events. You couldn’t go out too hot or else there’d be nothing left “in the tank” for the final push. You also couldn’t wait until the end to give it your all because you would have fallen too far back.

I distinctly remember before events I would get extremely nervous. Nausea, upset stomach, and the like would torment me. As a younger swimmer, I didn’t want to get up on the block and dive in (I think on one occasion I was pushed in and forced to swim). As I got more experienced, it got easier and I used the nerves to help drive me, but there was always some level of anxiety.

Unknowingly, in many ways, distance swimming prepared me for life and my career. I work with clients day-in and day-out putting together plans for the future. We talk about short, medium, and long-term goals. Think about it like the first 100, middle 200, and final 200-yards.

In the pool, and in life, there are things we can control and plan for. The stroke cadence, breathing, heart rate, etc. We have control over how we build and maintain a portfolio and the design is integral in achieving your goals. Depending on how much risk you need to take and how much pain you’re willing to endure can determine success or failure. Anticipation of a certain level of pain is crucial in the planning stage. We know there will be good and bad times economically, and sometimes it takes embracing the harder times to endure to the end.

I cannot control what happens in the stock market. I don’t know what is going to happen to the price of ABC stock in the next week or months. Over the last few years, expecting the unexpected, to one degree or another, has become our mantra. But the basics of investing; diversification, asset allocation, prudence and intentionality have not!

Markets will ebb and flow. We know this. We’ve prepared for it. If history is any indicator, when markets go down, they will eventually come back up. That doesn’t make it any more fun when you’re standing on the block and not wanting to dive in. But remember, together we built a plan for the first 100-yards to the last 10. The worst time to deviate from that plan is mid-race when you’re afraid you’re falling behind. You may need to adjust a little, but you have to run, or in my case swim, your own race.

P.S. – A note about practice and endurance: when I was in Highschool I could swim the 500 yards in about 5 minutes. I only broke the 5:00 mark once, at regionals my Senior Year. That took over 12 years of dedicated training. In College and through my mid-20’s I played Water Polo, but not as competitively as in High School. A few years back, after a subsequent 12 years of not being in the pool, I had a “brilliant idea” to start swimming laps again. I don’t think I was able to finish 500 yards and I haven’t tried to swim laps since (plus no one wants to see a 40-year-old man in their High School Speedo).

Any opinions are those of Matthew S. Hackler/Collier & Hackler Financial and not necessarily those of Raymond James. The information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and does not constitute a recommendation. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Future investment performance cannot be guaranteed, investment yields will fluctuate with market conditions. Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected, including asset allocation and diversification. Prior to making an investment decision, please consult with your financial advisor about your individual situation.