I am writing this on Wednesday right after the election. I don’t know much. If you read my stuff you know that is normally the way I write. Anyway, things may have changed by the time you read this.

This is my opinion. I am not a political fan. I don’t like politics. I believe politicians will say almost anything to get elected. And, many are somewhat less than honest. This applies to both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats.

If I were king, the maximum sentence they should serve is eight years.

My old basketball coach Bob Knight used to set curfew rules. “Gentlemen, if you can’t get it done by midnight, then it’s probably not going to happen.” OK, enough of my rapier-like wit.

I would not want to be the next president.

We owe taxpayers trillions of dollars. The next president is going to have to deal with that.

As the next president you also have to deal with the stock market and all these senior citizens that are going to retire in the short term and going forward. You cannot have policies that negatively impact their retirement investments.

I’ve said before that the people in power normally do not matter to the markets. They do what they do. President Barack Obama was arguably the biggest anti-business president to ever come along and the markets did just fine while he was in office.

If the final tally indicates that the Democrats win, then they must be careful to not make decisions to affect changes in our pension practices. I’ve heard rumblings that contributions could be limited and then some sort of penalty taxation implemented. I am not picking on the Democrats; this is common knowledge.

How about those Republicans? Sometimes their decisions seem to come from Mars. Not the city, the planet.

I am a conservative and sometimes I just shake my head. Republicans can be in power, and they will find some way to mess things up. I don’t even want to get into the financial decisions they helped draft this year. Their MRD, minimum required distributions, changes from Individual Retirement Accounts was disastrous, in my view.

When politicians start making decisions about your financial health you’d better start running. Most of them do not have a clue.

I never profess to have any idea about what the stock markets are going to do. Because of what is going on right now, I really have no clue. NO ONE DOES.

If you are worried about what the markets are going to do in the next days, weeks, or months than you likely should not be an investor. Investors are courageous.

You have to hear all the negatives and ignore them. It’s tough to do that.

I believe, without knowing, that the markets will be higher in five years. I try to make decisions based on that belief. Once again, it is tough, but you have to have a plan.

Having a plan — most investors don’t — is key. Investing is almost a science. Discipline and prudence are key to success.

Unfortunately, you may have to make some changes when the election is finalized.

You may have planned on the Trumpster being in power and continuation of his wide-open economic policies. If the Democrats are victorious, you do need to consider that.

Taxation of all types would be my concern. Again, I am trying to be fair and just call it as it is.

Democrats are not horrible human beings. They just look at things differently than conservatives. A redistribution of wealth is on their minds.

I like it when people earn their own wealth. This is America. Almost anything is possible if you work hard, save your money and invest.

I don’t like big government. I want to take care of myself. That is not an opinion shared by all.

So, Howie, from an investment side, what should I do?

If you have been practicing my three rules from above, continue doing what you have been doing. If you have not been working toward financial independence, then my view is that you should.

Politicians should not be allowed to destroy your plan. Do not rely on them to make the right decisions. Good luck.

Howie Pentony is a Portersville client portfolio manager.