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What the Packers Taught Me (Again) About Financial Planning Thumbnail

What the Packers Taught Me (Again) About Financial Planning

Investment Managing Your Finances

The Super Bowl has come and gone (was it truly the most boring ever?) and the Packers didn’t make it past the Wild Card Round (again). With that in mind, football is on my mind. Since there isn’t much to talk about in regard to the Packers’ football ability, let’s talk about what they can teach us about financial planning.

Past Performance is not Indicative of Future Results.

At the end of the 3rd quarter of the Bears game, I was feeling pretty good. The Pack was up 21-to-6 with 45 minutes of football in the books and only 15 to go. We all know how it ended. The Bears scored 25 points in the 4th quarter and won the game. While I’m not a gambler, based on the Packers’ performance I would have bet on them because, “They’ve done really well for me in the past.”

I hear the same sentiment a fair bit when it comes to investments in funds. “This fund has done really well for me in the past; I think I’d like to keep it.” Does that mean it will in the future? Let’s look at an example. In 2023 and 2024, US Large-Cap stocks outperformed International Equity (Developed and Emerging Markets) by a fair bit. In 2025, the table flipped and International Equity out-performed US Large-Cap significantly. In fact, Emerging Markets returns were almost double US Large-Cap.

I pulled this data from the Callan Periodic Table of Investment Results. It is an interesting visualization. Of note, in the past 20 years an asset class has provided the best return two years in a row, exactly one time.

Better to build a widely diversified portfolio so that you don’t miss the winners.

It Isn’t Necessarily a Good Idea to Look for Superstars

The big news prior to the regular season was about the Packers signing Micah Parsons. He was a huge part of their winning season…until he wasn’t. Same thing with Tucker Kraft. He was a lethal weapon…until he wasn’t.

While I won’t say that a football team shouldn’t look for stars to beef up its line-up, I will say that you shouldn’t look for superstars to beef up your portfolio.

Silver has been a superstar…until 30 Jan when it lost close to 30%. In. One. Day.

The TSP I Fund has been a superstar lately. According to the TSP website it’s one-year return (as of 31 Jan 26) is 35.33%. I saw a post on a TSP group on Facebook, that read something like, “I just changed my TSP to 100% I Fund.” Sounds like he is looking for a superstar (also see past performance section above). We’ll see how it works out for him, but I think I know.

Have I mentioned diversification before? Better to own a lot of different asset classes for when one of them has a Pro Bowl Season.

Don’t Blow the Simple Stuff

Part of the Packers demise in the game against the Bears was due to blowing simple stuff.

  • In the fourth quarter of the game, the Packers were flagged for delay of game coming out of a time out (?).
  • In the fourth quarter the Packers had to burn a timeout (while on defense) because they only had 10 players on the field.
  •  A false start with about 19 seconds to go pretty much ended the game for the Packers.

Same thing with your plan

  • Are you paying tax penalties for owing too much when you file? Adjust your withholding.
  • If you’re 63 or older, are you paying attention to how your income will affect your IRMAA? You should be.
  • Do you have bond funds in taxable accounts or Roth IRAs instead of a pre-tax account? How is that affecting your tax bill?
  • What is the expense ratio on your mutual funds and/or ETFs? Are you getting the value you’re paying for?
  • Do you still have a life insurance policy you know longer need? We hope at some point no one will be dependent on your earned and/or full pension income. If that is the case, you might be able to drop the insurance policy

The Pack is Still My Team

I’m not thrilled about the end of the season. I lived through the 70’s as a Packer fan. I’m still with my team even if they don’t win the Super Bowl every year. Especially if they can provide me with some lessons to help with my (and your) finances.

Military Finances are Different

There are a lot of universal truths when it comes to financial planning. There are a lot of variations when you factor in Military and Veteran benefits. That is why we think you should work with a financial planner or advisor that deals with those nuances each and every day. If you'd like to find out how we work with Active and Retired Senior Military Officers and NCOs, use the button below to schedule a free, initial consultation.

If you found this article useful, you might like the following blog posts:

Retired Military Finances 201: Test Run Your Ultimate Retirement this Summer


Military Finances 101: Focus on What You Can Control


So, You Want to Be a Military Landlord



Disclaimer
Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended or undertaken by C.L. Sheldon & Company, LLC ), or any non-investment related content, made reference to directly or indirectly in this blog will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions or positions. C.L. Sheldon & Company, LLC does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to C.L. Sheldon & Company, LLC website or incorporated herein, and C.L. Sheldon & Company, LLC takes no responsibility therefore. All such information is provided solely for convenience, educational, and informational purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly. Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information contained in this blog serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from C.L. Sheldon & Company, LLC . To the extent that a reader has any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issue discussed above to his/her individual situation, he/she is encouraged to consult with the professional advisor of his/her choosing. C.L. Sheldon & Company, LLC is neither a law firm nor a certified public accounting firm and no portion of the blog content should be construed as legal or accounting advice. A copy of the C.L. Sheldon & Company, LLC ’s current written disclosure statement discussing our advisory services and fees is available for review upon request. DISCLAIMER OF TAX ADVICE: Any discussion contained herein cannot be considered to be tax advice. Actual tax advice would require a detailed and careful analysis of the facts and applicable law, which we expect would be time consuming and costly. We have not made and have not been asked to make that type of analysis in connection with any advice given in this blog post. As a result, we are required to advise you that any Federal tax advice rendered in this blog is not intended or written to be used and cannot be used for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by the IRS. In the event you would like us to perform the type of analysis that is necessary for us to provide an opinion, that does not require the above disclaimer, as always, please feel free to contact us.