Winning is impossible if you beat yourself.
The New York Football Giants are living proof of this statement. Due to losing 14 of their last 15 games, some fans are clamoring for the FBI to label them as Domestic Terrorists for hijacking their emotions each Sunday.
Their game against the Dallas Cowboys provided a new low to a miserable decade of Football.
The Giants were flagged 14 times for an unfathomable 160 yards of penalties- a franchise record.
During this self-implosion, on one drive, their Left Tackle, James Hudson III, committed four separate penalties by himself! After being benched, he added a cherry to the cake by attacking some of his teammates on the sidelines. At least his response to this debacle was priceless. Either Hudson has a terrific sense of humor or is clinically delusional.
On one defensive series, the Giants committed a personal foul and pass interference, and had 12 men on the field during one play! Amazingly, these penalties were offset by Dallas Receiver CeeDee Lamb’s unsportsmanlike conduct infraction, proving the Cowboys are second to the Giants regarding the quest for the lowest football IQ.
The only title the Giants are contending for is the role of the NFL’s chief Court Jester. The Jets are their prime competition, but that’s a story for another day.
Ultimately, the Giants lost this shit show 40-37 in overtime. While many fans were upset over the outcome, it seems a minor miracle that they only lost by three points, considering their prime talent is the propensity to shoot themselves in the foot.
Adding to their reputation, one of the many reasons they lost this week’s contest to the Chiefs was their lack of a replacement place kicker. Despite their kicker Graham Gano being 38 years old and injury-prone and losing a game against the Redskins in the same manner last year, there was no viable plan when Gano somehow got himself injured during player pregame introductions. (No, I am not making this up. If you’ve been watching the Giants long enough, one becomes habituated to this stuff.
Good NFL teams don’t lose due to self-inflicted gaffes. The same goes for investing. The markets provide a multitude of unseen variables that potentially could sack carefully constructed retirement plans. Adding unnecessary self-sabotaging behavior only adds tinder to potential financial wildfires.
Reacting instead of preparing leads to the destruction of retirement hopes and dreams.
The first step is to jump off the emotional rollercoaster of fear and greed. Panic selling during market turmoil and the inverse of chasing rallies lead to the ultimate losing strategy in an investor’s playbook: Buying High and Selling Low.
Overconfidence is one of the worst traits an investor can possess. The belief you can beat the market is not only delusional but destructive, leading to high fees, poor timing, and underperformance.
The NY Giants are an undisciplined mob, not a team acting in unison. Their lack of structure has led to a 0-3 record thus far, and things could worsen.
The same applies to investors without an investment policy statement (IPS) or a clear cash-flow plan. A portfolio mismatched to life goals that forces you to sell during market downturns is the equivalent of a last-place finish in the real-world game of retirement investing.
Hopefully, the Giants will institute a management structure that leads to sustainable long-term success. Though it seems like a pipe dream, it’s a possibility.
A retirement plan vaporized by self-sabotage is irreparable.
Unlike the NFL, firing the GM and Coach of your portfolio won’t recreate permanently lost capital.
Relying on a Hail Mary pass to salvage your finances is a risk no investor should take.
