THE COMMODITY TO INVEST IN

Its 2010. We live in a world where words like financial crisis, bank failure, Chapter 11 and Ponzi schemes are dominating the news. Yesterday, the good news was U.S. Department of Labor announcing the lowest the U.S. unemployment rate since the summer of 2009. “A cause for celebration” said U.S. President Barack Obama. Really? How about the bad news Mr. President? What about the reality of this celebrated announcement? The truth is the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 9.7 per cent in January, even though the American economy lost 20,000 jobs. What makes this even more startling is the fact that many analysts believe that the drop was caused not by new jobs being created or people being hired for vacancies, but simply because people have stopped looking. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Labor corrected their numbers for December by reporting that our economy actually lost 150,000 jobs, worse than the 85,000 originally reported. December used to be the reliable month where more people were hired for the holiday season. I guess there was no “Christmas rush” this year. Bah Humbug!

The current U.S. Health care system is a confluence of ineptitude, greed and indifference. An example of the ineptitude is a sixty-four year old woman who is dear to me, just found out that her new health insurance will cost more than her monthly social security check provides her with. Where is the logical math in that? How can people afford to get older? An example of the greed is that the insurance companies that insure us also protect the doctors that cure us against mal-practice suits. Most of these lawsuits are driven by greed, not warranted claims and they do cost money. This is why insurance costs are sky high. How about this? Maybe lawyers should stop pursuing useless lawsuits that only make themselves and court systems money. Everyone else, directly or indirectly involved loses out in these cases. An example of the indifference is that, despite their admirable intentions, this new health care system proposed by the administration, will prove even trickier than the current and end up costing us more. Why not start by ignoring the lobbyists that got you elected and thinking of the people that are paying your salary? Allow cheaper, yet same quality, medicines and health care from our neighbors into our country and stop pandering to the big business that is pharmaceuticals and health insurance.
We can discuss those issues in detail; however the crux of the financial woes often goes unrecognized. I remain flummoxed by our “leaders” who think by providing corporate bailouts, tax manipulations and new health care systems is a cure and not a quick fix or band-aid. They are wrong. It’s no big secret that these are band-aids that temporarily secure the present, but do it at the cost of our children’s futures. What they fail to realize is that these solutions won’t fix anything unless we address a problem that runs deeper and is far more serious.

You see, what else can be expected from a society which was brought up on over 700 television channels and reset buttons? Who else would elect people into seats of power or give them Nobel Peace prizes based on their “star power” rather than their credentials. It is typical of our generation to look for the quick fix, the quick answer or the appeasing response rather than search for deeper reasoning? The days of family dinners have been replaced by TV dinners and fast food. The culture of prudence has been replaced by an inherent “what have you done for ME lately” attitude. What’s mine is mine and not yours. Parents communicate with their kids through SMS. Kids play sports on TV rather than going outside. Attention Deficit Disorder is at an all time high. Boredom has gone from state of mind to a way of life. As a society we constantly write ethical checks that are irresponsible. What gets the brunt of this is our future, our kids and our country. The effects have already started and they will get worse before they get better. I speak in generalities but we are different as a society today than we were even 30 years ago. Back then the words loyalty, honesty and common sense were the benchmarks. People joined companies at 23 and worked there until they retired. People left doors unlocked and stealing was still considered a sin, not a skill.

So we ask, “What has changed?” “What can be done to fix our economy?”Well it’s simple. We need to look at the moralistic and ethical values of this country. Without prudence and discipline there will always be financial disorder. People have to care again. We have to believe in each other again. Let’s start by getting back good old fashioned family values. Having family dinner time is a beginning. Let’s get to know our children and help mould them into people with strong character. I know many teachers that would welcome that help. Let’s turn off the television and talk. Read more. Listen more. Teach more.

I myself am a victim to the impatient way of life. I needed everything yesterday if not any faster. I have taken channel surfing to Olympic sporting status. I didn’t listen to my parents or fiancée. I didn’t teach my two boys much of anything. I didn’t have time for much, I was not happy about anything and I did not know it. Then a funny thing happened to me over the last few years. I realized that it doesn’t have to be this way. I worked on myself. I made a conscious effort to be the man of character that my father and his father were. It is not easy, but it is working. Today, I listen more, care more and try to do the right thing. All of a sudden, my parents are smarter, my fiancée is sweeter, and my boys are speaking to me on subjects that I would never dream they would care about. Financially, things are better thanks to the lack of rash decisions. People trust me. I am valuable to those around me. Most importantly, I am happier. I changed my crazy life not with a quick fix band-aid, but with an honest look at myself and a commitment to being a better, moralistic person.

So as a financial advisor, my suggestion for the best commodity to invest in would be YOU. Invest in yourself. Improve how you interact with your family, your kids, your friends and even your enemies. Then, one person at a time, we can make a real change. Together. Strong morals, good character and prudent decision making will be the first step to fundamentally leading this country back to economic glory.

Bappa Maitra has extensive experience in business expansion, on-line trading, corporate-level financial consulting and IT management services. behk@dynosoftasia.net