Caddies Making the Cut

Isn’t irony interesting? One of the most beautiful times of year is being underscored by one of the ugliest in the market. Wilmington, for the last several weeks, has been covered in a blanket of yellow. Over the same period, the market has been covered in significant amounts of red. When the pollen falls, beautiful flowers result. When the market falls, opportunity awaits. When the first ball is hit on Thursday at the Masters, extreme challenges begin – water, sand, extreme undulation, immense pressure, mental and physical fatigue. One man will emerge champion and be rewarded a highly coveted green jacket. Of course, those who make the cut will be on the receiving end of handsome monetary compensation, too.

Sharp verbiage in news headlines, both written and oral, hasn’t done much to tell an unbiased story surrounding the market. Remember, journalists and news outlets have an agenda – sell news. Just like Scottie Scheffler (favorite to win the Masters tournament this week) is exceptionally good at the game of golf, journalists and major media outlets are exceptionally good at selling fear. Caddies (those who make the cut) are exceptional at putting blinders and earplugs on their players. They study the greens, fairways, bunkers, water hazards, yardage books, weather, and rules of the game…these become mission critical. Caddies keep their players focused on the facts and do everything possible to assist with maneuvering around the golf course, especially the difficult stretches.

My educational background is in Business and Economics. Though market selloffs are scary, uncertainty is uncomfortable, and red is unpleasant when associated with portfolios, there are bigger clouds looming. Major news outlets and journalists tend to become less abrasive or opinionated when conversations about our national debt surface. The market is easy to talk about, $36 trillion in debt – not so much. Most people can’t comprehend $1 billion, let alone $1 trillion.

To put this in perspective, if you took Elon Musk’s estimated $342 billion net worth (the world’s richest person) and divided it by our country’s $36 trillion debt, it doesn’t even scratch the surface. Musk’s net worth is less than 1% of our country’s total debt. As the US attempts to tackle this MASSIVE problem, why is it that so many people are angry? If you have dislocated a bone, you understand pretty significant pain. If you’ve had a bone put back into place, you understand extreme pain. You also know the relief that awaits. The US has a lot of dislocated bones, particularly our debt that grows larger every year. I’m not a doctor, but I come from a family full of them…dislocated bones cause swelling. The fix is going to be painful, but relief waits on the other side. How long are you willing to walk around with a dislocated bone? Long enough that it ultimately affects your children and your grandchildren? Long enough that it potentially threatens your freedom or your way of life? I hope not.

Similar to caddies, adept financial advisors should be well-practiced in putting blinders and ear plugs on their clients. We live in a world of illusions and noise – both disorienting and misleading. Sometimes, it is our job to remove the blinders and the ear plugs. In other words, help people wake up and smell the roses (or azaleas) – look at the big picture. While this is not the cheeriest of messages, fear not. Augusta National presents one of the greatest challenges to the most practiced golfers. Though golf is an individual sport, alongside the men and women holding clubs are caddies. Alongside clients at OmniStar, a team of practiced professionals who are incentivized to grow your wealth. We have experienced extreme volatility in the market, managed through crashes, had tough conversations, and positioned our clients for success. It is our job to take on sleepless nights, so you don’t have to. Sometimes the ball gets hit in the water or the sand (the market falls), but it is our job to pull the right club from the bag and get you into position A.

We are honored to be on your bag, just as it is an honor for caddies to be on the grounds of Augusta National. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, contact your caddie.

Enjoy the Masters, we’ll take care of things here.

Be well,

Spell Carr