“Buy mutual funds. Purchase stocks. Invest in the market. Stuff your 401 (k) with as much money as you can.” It is not surprising that the majority of people who are saving for retirement are doing just that — it is the only message that you ever hear.

Can I ask you a question? What if you were going to sail the whole Atlantic Ocean in a small boat and could request a guarantee of the type of seas that you would meet, what would you ask for? Would you want sunny skies and calm water, or violent storms and huge, crashing waves? Of course, unless we have a death wish we’d all choose sunny and smooth sailing.

So then why is it that most people — your father, your brother, your neighbor, your co-worker, (maybe even you) continue to choose the roller coaster waves of stock market losses and the tsunami of volatility that wipes out your financial future? It’s a rough ride with an uncertain destination. One minute you’re sitting on a decent wave of gains, able to see your retirement on the horizon, and the next minute you’re plunging into a dark hole of fear and dread as your account racks up a series of devastating losses like we have experienced in the last twelve years. This storm threatens to rob you of a thriving, secure, and peaceful retirement.

Over my next several blog posts I will share some of the reason too many people continue to choose the unpredictable, stormy seas and give you some information to make choices that you feel good about now and in the future.