Everything I learned about investing, I learned at Halloween

Thanks to Fareed Zakaria: 'There is a Silver Lining' for the prompt

Everything I learned about investing, I learned at Halloween. Back in the day when we went door to door, my brother and I would each come home with a pillow case of candy. I'd empty my bag in about a week. He'd still have half of his at Christmas. I'd be doing his chores and he'd pay me in candy from his bag. But much of the time I'd just be wanting what I couldn't have. My will to save and eat frugally was weak. I was a consumer not an investor.

American investors have been using their investments to live like rock stars. When the middle class first discovered mutual funds and rapidly rising home values, they thought it was stupid not to spend now. A friend of mine told me, 'it's like a river, you've got to jump in or you'll still be standing on the shore' (when all the others are reaching the harbor of prosperity) Refinancing and day trading have been ways to empty the candy bag without adding value.

My grandfather was a farmer. He never owned a house, always lived in a place that he managed for the land owner. When he couldn't work any more he rented a place in town until my grandmother died and then he bought a trailer and lived in a trailer park until he couldn't walk. Then he lived for more than ten years in a skilled nursing facility. He couldn't pay the cost so MediCal picked up the bill. It was clearly beneficial for him to have this 'socialist' resource available.

Life isn't about capitalism. So even if the Dow Jones never rises above 10,000 again, we're not living in a worse place. The thing about capitalism is you can become a god if you invest wisely. The best investors have made millions. And a few have made billions. Warren Buffet doesn't ask anyone for permission, he doesn't wonder if he'll be able to afford to travel to the paradise he enjoys. But, 100 years from now he'll be just another name in a book.

Someday, we will be telling our grandchildren what we learned in this era while they roll their eyes and say yes, yes you told me that story before. The relationship with those unborn children is what matters to me. Even if I'm living in a 'grapes of wrath' labor camp, I will have value and they will have value independent of my investment portfolio. We are children of God and it is not clear what we will someday be, but we will be in the image of God and in his care. When streets of gold are beneath our feet, we won't be cursing the day we bought that big position in General Motors.

So the question of my day is, 'how do I love people in October of 2008?' I think it's a challenge. A lot of people don't want to be loved. A few are too embarrased to be loved. It's my quest, how should I prepare, and how do I love the people in my life today?