Right now, the financial markets are pretty turbulent, they go up, they fall very quickly, they go back up... It's enough to freak out a lot of people. Long-term investors, especially those looking for income, are always fond of these periods of worry, which can lead to real price corrections, and therefore the appearance of real bargains. But it is also precisely this short-term volatility that makes Mr. and Mrs. Average people fearful of the stock markets. We have to face the facts: apart from at historic highs, as is the case now, people hate stocks. And frankly, that's a good thing. It means that there will always be times when real investors can buy at a good price and therefore achieve good performance in the long term.
In order to cheer everyone up a bit during these "volatile" times, I offer you a small non-exhaustive list of what I like in stocks. Obviously, you shouldn't take everything literally... Don't hesitate to add to it in the comments!
- The actions are silent, they don't ask me questions and they don't harass me.
- The stocks pay me regular dividends that increase regularly, unlike my salary.
- Actions work for me, while I do nothing for them.
- I don't need to go to my notary every time I want to buy or sell my shares.
- I don't need to do an inventory after selling my shares.
- I've never had a fight with the owner of a business I've bought. I've never even seen him.
- If the stocks stop paying me dividends, I don't need to call the police to get rid of them.
- I don't have to call the plumber if there's a water leak at one of my publicly traded companies.
- I don't need to build up a renovation fund for every new business I buy.
- I don't need to set the alarm for 6:00 to take care of my actions.
- I don't work overtime for my actions.
- I don't take tranquilizers because of my actions (well, not yet...).
- I have never had to skip a meal because of my actions.
- I don't need to sit through endless sessions to make an investment decision.
- I could take care of my actions even if I was on the beach. But I still don't.
- I can buy or sell a stock without having to answer to the whole world. In fact, nobody cares.
- I can invest in tobacco or alcohol without being called an immoral debaucher. Well, I don't touch weapons, let's not mess around either.
- I can work for my boss, while owning his competitor. Better yet: I can work for my boss while he works for me!
- I can go eat free sausages at the annual meetings.
- I feel younger every time I see the other shareholders at the general meeting.
- I love seeing the Chairman of the Board in his little shoes at the AGM.
- I love explaining to the tax authorities how I was able to increase my wealth without working illegally.
- I like coming home and finding that I've made more money in the stock market than at work, while spending 8 fewer hours on it.
- If I have a hangover, I don't have to call my banker and tell him I have the stomach flu.
And you, why do you like stocks?
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Studying company balance sheets and poring over their valuations distracts me more than reading a detective novel.
I don't have the skills or the desire to run a company with 100,000 employees or create a new treatment for multiple sclerosis. On the other hand, I can become a co-owner of wonderful companies that know how to do it very well.
I don't have to act like a model employee, smile at customers who treat me like shit, and comply with absurd internal regulations to get paid.
Whether I spend an hour or 10 days studying a company does not influence the amount of dividend it will pay me.
I am free to buy what I like, what interests me, what I understand. Nobody can force me to invest in an airline if I hate the industry.
Buying a stock today generates a passive income for me for the rest of my life (and in fact even beyond).
My “salary” increases automatically over time, without me needing to work better, longer or more efficiently.
Hello Jerome and Dividinde
Thank you for these articles which are a real ray of sunshine and positive reflection.
friendly
Antonio
My pleasure!
Shame on me: I have NEVER attended a shareholders meeting yet! But I guess it's a pretty cool hobby when you have time for it once you've achieved financial independence.
Hence my question: Did you have good experiences, learn new things, have good exchanges with other shareholders, have a good time? Or is it just a boring time that mainly allows you to eat for free?
Quite frankly, it's pretty deadly most of the time. Very serious, with participants in suits, almost exclusively older men. Not really enough to make interesting connections. Young profiles looking for financial independence are non-existent.
That being said, I went with a friend. It was a pilgrimage for us, an opportunity to go out, be silly and hit the track.
Sometimes we even had a good laugh watching, for example, year after year, the rise and then the fall of Marcel Ospel. There were historic moments during these stands, with legendary interventions by certain shareholders.
And then of course there's the aperitif afterwards
…
So it's worth doing it once to see, but not as the only outing goal... Especially since it's almost always in German-speaking Switzerland!
Thanks for this description, it's true that it doesn't really sound exciting! It reminds me of those family meals when I was a kid and the adults talked about work hours, politics or neighborhood problems...
That's exactly it, on the scale of an SME, or a multinational. And there are always the same big idiots who open their mouths from one year to the next!
At their house too, the AGM is a party:
https://www.romandie.com/news/Emmi-entend-poursuivre-l-amelioration-de-sa-rentabilite-a-moyen-terme/896178.rom
I bought Google/Facebook/Amazon Class A shares a few years ago just to attend the meetings. I haven't taken advantage of the opportunity yet :) Thank goodness it keeps going up!
Where are these assemblies???
You're going to burn your capital gains on transport costs
Haha yeah but at the same time I would take the opportunity to visit the American west coast!
Beautiful scenery, good meat and good wine!