What can we learn from hurricane season? For one it always seems to come as a surprise. And once again we’re in the thick of a major one. When it comes to investing, I’m always taken aback by how much risk investors take and how they’re surprised when markets go down.
Then you have investors who used borrowed money to leverage returns. But again, they are surprised when the margin calls come in and forced selling occurs at less than ideal prices. Who’s advising these people?
Action Line: When it comes to your money, make sure you’re getting paid to invest in stocks in the form of dividends. And with bonds, you want to ladder them so you can deal with the swing in prices while collecting interest. If you need help, let’s talk.
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- Prepare for the Hurricane
- VIDEO: Why This Home Survived Hurricane Michael
- Hurricane Gordon: How to Survive the Storm
- Hurricane Maria Death Toll in Puerto Rico: Deadlier than 9-11
- Keeping in Touch with Walkie-Talkie App for Hurricane Volunteers
Action Line 2: Do you know what a king tide is? Battery-powered cars that are underwater will be useless. Batteries cannot get wet. King tides are the highest natural tides, and are a particular problem in low-lying areas of South Florida. Hurricane Ian is hitting Florida at the same time as its predictable king tides, meaning that any storm surge from Ian could be exacerbated by the already high tides. If you parked your car in a low-lying street, you may want to consider moving to higher ground.
