‘Your Greatest Investment’

If you are active in the stock market you might find the following investment illustration interesting. First you realize you probably won’t see highly significant returns for many years. Initially, like most investments the returns are not great; they are in fact negative. Initially you pay into it for 10+ years and for the bulk of that time you only get a negative return because the cost of maintaining the stock was well above its value. However, because you know the long-term lifetime potential return it made sense. 

During the second 10 years you would occasionally see way above market returns but it would be so volatile that on more than one occasion you questioned your sanity about even having the stock, but the hope for eventual ridiculously high returns made it worth holding on to. During much of this time you become highly conflicted because you see the tremendous returns that other investors have gotten who rode the 25-year wave well. Conversely, you also see the poor returns of those who did not. You decide to make it your highest priority, which includes some personal and financial sacrifices. 

Finally, year 25 comes along and you begin to clearly see the rich, priceless, abundant returns you had hoped for. Better still for the rest of your life you rest in the knowledge that even after you are gone on to eternity these rich returns will continue ….. through Grandchildren. 

As you may have figured out by now what I have just described to you is ‘ Fathering’.  

When our children are young in most ways they simply consume. They take our time, resources and perhaps temporarily our dreams. As they grow there are occasional moments where they do add to our emotional and spiritual joy but there are also times when they add to our emotional and spiritual stress. However, in the end when they are properly launched and have been properly invested in, they are a source of pride and joy far beyond any sacrifice or cost. Focus this month on your most important portfolio.