By Douglas Goldstein , CFP®

When I participated in Maslulim’s advanced driving course (www.maslulim.co.il), the first thing I noticed was their slogan hanging on the wall: “Changing the driving culture in Israel to personal responsibility and cooperation.” Maslulim teaches that every driver must focus not only on his own situation, but must work together with others around him. I realized that the same motto could be hanging in my office. As a financial planner and investment adviser, I often direct clients to take control of their money, and to combine forces with their family and advisers in order to have a safe financial journey.

Look over there!
In order to allow drivers to respond better to an emergency, Maslulim’s trainers insist on drivers looking further ahead than they are accustomed. When walking, individuals often pay attention to only five meters ahead them. Unfortunately, when driving, they also only look a few meters ahead. However, when sitting behind the wheel, people have to look way into the distance to help them anticipate what might happen. This increases their response time. In fact, one study showed that the vast majority of accidents could be avoided if drivers had reacted one second earlier. In heavy traffic, you can even look through the windshield of the car in front of you in order to know what to expect.

Like average drivers, most folks focus on the short term in planning their investments. They think so much about paying the next bill that they don’t look further down the line to see what they’ll need next year, in five years, or in twenty years. Then, when those points come near, they have no time to plan and end up failing. If investors spent more time now thinking, they might be able to avoid the accidents that occur with last-second decisions.

If you want to have a successful financial future, you must take responsibility for your own situation, and work in cooperation with your family and professional team. And, if you really want to make an improvement in your life, be sure to take the advanced driving course at Maslulim. Drive and invest safely!

Douglas Goldstein, CFP®, is the director of Profile Investment Services. He is a licensed financial professional both in the U.S. and Israel. He offers securities through Portfolio Resources Group, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB, NFA, SIFMA. Accounts carried by National Financial Services LLC. Member NYSE/SIPC, a Fidelity Investments company. His book is available in bookstores, on the web, or can be ordered at: www.profile-financial.com (02) 624-2788 or (03) 524-0942.