Doing more than drinking margaritas

Just to let you know that besides committing myself to learning about the stock market, joining a boot camp (absolute madness but also extremely fun: BMF – you should try it), reading the classics, writing this blog, climbing mountains and understanding men, I am also going to learn how to take an excellent photograph. In fact, my course starts tonight and soon I shall be a famous photographer. I might also make some new friends and possibly meet the man of my dreams in the process.

This is all very exciting. I think I need a margarita to calm me down.

The Stock Market vs The Male Market

I have great news. I think that some of my shares may actually be making me a profit in the not too distant future. Yes, please don’t laugh, I know I should have been making a profit from the beginning but hey, I am still learning. And believe me, even if you read every financial market textbook there is, engage in technical/fundamental and value analysis, you will still get it wrong some of the time. Just like we do with relationships. Actually, as far as I can tell, the JSE and men* have a lot in common:

1.          They both have hidden costs: When buying shares on the JSE, you also incur brokerage fees, STRATE fees etc, which, if you are new to this, can take you by quite surprise! (Incidentally, this is why I have been incurring losses – due to not being able to trade with copious amounts of cash, every little cost counts). Men, on the other hand, have more complicated costs that you may not be aware of when you first enter into a relationship – he might have disagreeable friends, be married to golf, enjoy a few too many too frequently, or (God forbid!), he might be disappointing in more intimate circumstances! Costs of the JSE and men occur when you have already made a substantial investment and cannot easily pull out without incurring more costs.

 

2.          They are both unpredictable: The JSE tends to get easily influenced by the investors’ feelings. As a result, it can be extremely volatile and some times not act in the way you would expect, as some other investors’ may have different feelings to yours. Alternatively, men are inexplicably unpredictable – sometimes influenced by their friends, sometimes by their family and sometimes by you. You just never know which way he is going to go. Both shares and men may end up disappointing you for no satisfactory explanation and there is absolutely nothing you can do about this.

 

3.          They are both High Risk, High Return: As many of you might know, the JSE is a high risk investment that can ultimately offer you the greatest return in comparison to other investment options such as cash or bonds. In the same breath however, you can luck out, and incur all the risk without any of the return. It depends very much on your choice of shares and your reasons for investing in them. Similarly, men are a high risk, high return asset (in comparison to pets, a good book or a slab of chocolate). Unfortunately, many of us get it wrong initially: so eager to get into the market, we invest in the wrong man, incur hidden costs and leave the relationship with negative returns usually made up of heartbreak, insecurity and lack of self respect. This results from a lack of comprehensive analysis due to love being ‘blind’. But luckily, most of us learn, and further attempts involve intelligent investing where we are rewarded with high returns, even when there are hidden costs. Both good men and good shares are worth waiting for.

So my investor friends, be careful of what or who you invest in and most importantly, don’t rush into anything. Be patient , have a margarita, and you might just be greatly rewarded.

*I do not deny that this blog could be similarly applied to women. But it is really so much more fun comparing it to men – besides isn’t investing in the stock markets a very manly thing to do? A good comparison, indeed.

The First Time

Although slightly unnerving I am pleased to discover that this experience is actually quite liberating and not nearly as painful as other ‘first times’ have turned out to be. It is far more pleasant. I highly recommend it.

It has taken me far too long to write this. Thank God I bumped into an old varsity friend from Rhodes who reminded me of my aspirations. She also reminded me of the past and that can be quite a frightening experience especially when one has gone to such lengths (i.e. weekly therapy) to bury certain (mostly boy-related) memories. I have to admit that I have been partly shaped by those aforementioned memories which can be loosely translated into saying: A boy has had quite a significant, if not brutal, impact on my life. The funny thing is that I am almost certain he is completely unaware of that (as he is unaware of most things). Even so I learnt a lot about loyalty, about betrayal and mostly, about the many interpretations of love (this being, no person sees love in the same way which can be rather problematic).

Now I am no longer a student, a working woman instead. Surprisingly the transition was not hard and I have become use to my new life, in the Mother City. This has also surprised me – is it this easy for most people? Do we just transition and forget what it was like before? Are we really that easy?

Anyway.

Worried about mediocrity and allowing my life to pass me by, I have started writing a list of 1000 things to do before I die. I know, it sounds cliché but nonetheless, it has become my occupation. I am obsessed with ticking things off. So obsessed that running a 10km race is more appealing than letting a box remain unticked. Incredibly, my levels of motivation have sky-rocketed and I am actually quite enjoying it.  Again, I recommend it.

Otherwise, I am largely occupied with the stock market. I insist on getting incredibly rich via this mechanism. The only problem is that it completely overwhelms me (PE multiples? rand plays? AltX? WTF?) and I tend to go along with general opinions and well, have no idea how to read the market. And yes, this is on the list which means I will not stop till I get it right which should prove entertaining.

Well, first times are never fantastic. I am sure that I will get better, more experienced, more relaxed and soon have you begging for more. Until then, be patient.

Oh, and I believe a strong margarita can get you through any day. More about that next time.