How to Bring Your Portfolio Back From the Dead

Andy Snyder|January 5, 2022

Let’s start where we left off yesterday morning.

In Tuesday’s essay, we detailed how we nabbed two burglars and handed them off to the police.

We equated the crime to the modern markets. “Stand back,” we said, “and your life’s work will be looted.”

Of course, we could have been harmed. The thieves could have had guns or knives or been keen on sucker punches.

“It’s just material stuff that can be replaced,” our inner angel might say.

“To hell with them,” the devil in us says. “We worked hard for that stuff.”

Many folks feel the same way about stocks.

Just this morning, we heard from a skeptic who said, “You’re better off gambling.” Others say prices are too high and must fall.

We’ll remind you that we’ve heard those same arguments our entire career. And not just about stocks. About real estate too. We thought our first home was crazy expensive. It’s worth three times as much now.

But few things are as black-and-white as we want them to be. That’s especially true in the realm of investing.

Nothing is ever purely “safe” or purely “cheap.”

Remember, most folks don’t invest for pleasure. They do it because they need more tomorrow than they have today.

Taking no action is not a choice.

“You must make your move,” we concluded yesterday. “You must get in the game.”

But how?

For that… we turn to another happening in this odd week of ours.

This one came on Sunday morning while we were at church.

We saw a lady rise from the dead.

A Miracle?

“Can somebody get some medical help over there,” the man at the pulpit cried.

Suddenly, the sinners turned to saints as a crowd rushed to help.

We could hear a daughter trying to revive her mother. She called her name over and over while a shaky hand reached in to check for a pulse. It frantically jumped from one side of the neck to the other looking for that oh-so-vital tickle.

“Call 911,” a scared voice begged.

It didn’t look good. The color of life was fading.

The man on the stage prayed. His voice cracked, then broke to nothing. It was his wife’s mother.

We were all convinced we had just watched her die.

As she was pulled out of the crowd, we expected the man to follow. The preaching could wait.

He had every excuse to call it quits.

But he didn’t step off the stage. No. His voice grew louder. His passion grew stronger. And his words grew more resolute.

Fifteen minutes went by. The crowd before him had one ear on his message and another on the incoming ambulance and the commotion behind the closed doors.

Finally, he relented. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But I must be with my family.”

The pianist took over until a message came from the back. The lady we all thought we had just sung into a higher place was now sitting up and talking with the paramedics.

She was dead no more.

A Common Theme

From nabbing burglars to preparing for the worst… and tying it all to the danged stock market, it’s quite a twist of the mind.

But there’s a common theme that we hope you caught on to. It’s not all that obvious, but with some cajoling, it is as clear as a newborn baby’s blue eyes.

In each case, great loss would have come without some action… without some nerve-wracking, gut-wrenching action.

But here’s the thing – none of this action was random.

We aren’t afraid to square up to a couple of bad guys because, thanks to a long-ago life, we’ve been trained for exactly such things. We can quickly sum up the scene and make a swift move.

It was the same inside that church. One of the folks who rushed to help was a nurse. Another was a trained emergency medical provider. They, too, took action without a second thought.

So what… Are we “pushing our book” again? Is this a pitch with the intent of telling you to follow us… somebody well-trained and well-seasoned in the markets?

Nope. Not at all.

This is a message begging you to simply take action. Do something. Don’t stand back as you get robbed. Don’t let the old lady die on the floor.

Perhaps your first step toward financial success is some training of your own. Maybe you need to learn a bit more about stocks and how the market works.

Good. Do it.

Then you won’t be so scared. No other place has created more wealth with more reliability.

Or maybe you’ve got the training and are already in the market but are playing it too safe. That’s the equivalent of the nurse remaining in the pew with her hands folded, staring at the heavens.

A waste, right?

What’s your first step toward fixing the situation? Do you need to cry for help? Call in a professional? Or can you take a deep breath and fix the situation with your own hands?

For most folks, the answer is clear.

They’re not doing enough. They’re letting the thieves run wild. They’re depriving the old lady of the medicine she needs.

That’s a lousy feeling.

Want to bring your portfolio back from the dead?

Sure, say a prayer. But then do something.

Build confidence. Take action. And do what needs to be done.

It works.

We’ve seen the miracles happen.