4 Things Your Investment Plan and <i>The Walking Dead</i> Have In Common

So not that Season 5 ofis in full swing, I thought it was time to revisit my favorite TV show and tie it to investing.
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This image released by AMC shows Andrew Lincoln as Sheriff Rick Grimes in a scene from the season three premiere episode of "The Walking Dead," premiering Sunday at 9p.m. EST on AMC. (AP Photo/AMC, Gene Page)
This image released by AMC shows Andrew Lincoln as Sheriff Rick Grimes in a scene from the season three premiere episode of "The Walking Dead," premiering Sunday at 9p.m. EST on AMC. (AP Photo/AMC, Gene Page)

Imagine waking up in a hospital bed. You have no idea how you got there.

You look around confused and start pulling off wires. You push the little nurse button again and again. No one responds.

There are no sounds either. So you muster up your strength and stagger outside your room.
Only to find everything a mess... a bloody mess. Blood on the walls, dismembered bodies on the floor and lights flickering. Not a soul in sight. You're all alone. At the end of the hall are two doors chained shut.

On the doors is scrawled: Don't Open Dead Inside.

That's one of the first scenes of The Walking Dead Season 1. Rick Grimes wakes up after being shot on the job. He's a Georgia sheriff and is one of the main characters. (Actually, in the comic, he's from Cynthia, Kentucky!)

The Walking Dead is probably my favorite TV show ever. Describing the show to people who have never tuned in is pretty cool. I try to explain that it's not just about the zombies and the terror. There's so much more to it. I guess it's my modern-day soap opera with zombies!

So not that Season 5 of The Walking Dead is in full swing, I thought it was time to revisit my favorite TV show and tie it to investing!

So here's what your investment and financial plan have in common with The Walking Dead:

It evolves.
Just as the show evolves and chronicles the journey of a handful of survivors of the zombie apocalypse, so does your financial and investment plans. Investing and planning are not stagnant. They will change. You cannot expect to pick investments or do planning and never change it. Your life and your goals will change over time. That means your investments and plan will too.

It's not about the zombies.
Just as The Walking Dead is not about the zombies, your investments and financial plan are not about all the news and headlines. That stuff is just noise. It's about how you react when the world seems to be spinning out of control. You must stick to your plan and ignore media, friends and your own emotions. Those are the zombies of planning and investing.

It's unpredictable.
In The Walking Dead every corner you turn is unpredictable. You never know what could hurt you. It's the same with investing. No one can predict what will happen in the future. Anyone that claims to have the ability to predict the future of the stock market is just not telling the truth. So you must plan for the unpredictable. How? Using diversification and asset allocation strategies. By having an up to date financial plan, you'll always know how unpredictable events affect you and your goals.

It has great characters.
The Walking Dead is about the characters. Not the zombies. You find different human characteristics in each one. Some good and some bad. Your life is the same. All of the planning and investments are just a means to an end. It's about your relationships. You create plans because someone is important to you. Whether that is college for your children, a dream vacation with family or retirement with your spouse. The "characters" in your life are important, not all the rest.

Investments and plans change. Ignore the noise and plan for the unpredictable. On a side note, I also recently found out that I went to high school with Melissa McBride, who plays Carol! She was a senior and I was a sophomore. If you liked my article, you can subscribe here for free!

No zombies were harmed in the writing of this article.

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