Everything that has occurred since this COVID thing started has a lot of people scratching their heads and asking a lot of questions. I don’t want to speculate or add any fuel to the fire. It is what it is, and we need to move on from here. But I would like to provide some perspective as it pertains to investments.
These times have caused me to reflect on what I learned from my father, G.G. Robinson, who would have been 100 years old last December. He is the one responsible for getting me started in the financial services industry over forty years ago. He grew up in the Great Depression, survived World War II, witnessed many things during his life, and went through times both good and bad.
I, honestly, took some things for granted over the years as I observed his way of explaining things. Now that I’m older, I have become more appreciative of his wisdom and his way of keeping things simple. I remember when he would meet with a new client to discuss investing he would ask questions like:
Do you like having a place to live?
Do you like having a vehicle to drive?
Do you like having food to eat?
Do you like having clothes to wear?
Of course, the answer to all of those questions was “Yes”. Then he would proceed by explaining that many different companies had to exist to provide the places where we live, the vehicles we drive, the food we eat, and the clothes we wear.
I would like to piggyback on what I learned from him and give my own two cents.
First and foremost, we can’t live in fear. We have to keep living. We can choose to live in the hope, faith, and confidence of a better future.
Second, since the dawn of time every generation has faced adversity.
Third, I would like to fast-forward to where we are today and ask the same questions I heard from my dad:
Do you like having a place to live?
Do you like having a vehicle to drive?
Do you like having food to eat?
Do you like having clothes to wear?
Of course, the answer to all of those questions is still “Yes”. In our times, I could add to that list by asking if you like having the internet, computer, smart phone, etc.
The bottom line is, even though everything has changed a lot from my dad’s generation and what they experienced, his wisdom still holds true when it comes to investing. Many different companies have to exist to provide the goods and services we all need or want.
Now, some of those companies will fail…others will survive…some will thrive…and new ones will be created due to innovation. I don’t have the crystal ball. I wish I did. That is why it is extremely important to have a well-diversified portfolio.
There is one thing I do know and am confident in. When times get tough, Americans are resilient and always pull together. As I write this, it reminds me of a quote one of my employees came up with a few months ago:
Life is an amazing journey. “Worry” was not part of God’s original plan. It solves nothing and makes the experience less enjoyable.