What I have been reading - 7th July 2020

Here is a selection of the pieces I have enjoyed reading over the past few weeks:

Is the five-day office week over?:  A NY Times article tries to answer this question, and certainly this article agrees with what I am hearing from speaking to people here in Cayman.  A workweek split between office and home seems like a win-win to me.

Parents can't wait around forever:  A very interesting article looking at the data on kids, COVID and schools.  It's amazing how little research has been done.  

In the Covid-19 economy, you can have a kid or a job.  You can't have both:  A follow on from the previous article.  Child-care has been ignored everywhere it seems.  It certainly has been no better in Cayman.  I became madly frustrated by the government's lack of attention to the plight of full-time working parents.
 

What you don't know about your portfolio may help you:  Carl Richards explains it so well here.  "Knowing doesn't help.  And much of the time it actually hurts."  I tell clients all the time - the less you check your portfolio, the happier you will be.  Leave me to do the obsessing for you.

How much has the world changed? (Not much):  I am in agreement with Barry Ritholtz - be wary of predictions coming from people telling you how much the world has changed. 

Same as it ever was: On somewhat of the same theme are the piece above, this is a wonderful article about the things that never change in a world that keeps changing.  And as Morgan stresses, the things that never change are the most important things to pay attention to.  "If, rather than trying to predict the future, you put all your weight into the handful of behaviours that show up constantly in history and played a role in all the big moments, you get about as close as you can come to seeing the future.  You still have no idea what's going to happen in the future.  But you become less surprised at whatever does happen, less confused about why it's happening, and more confident about how people will react to it."

Invisible Insulation:  Seth Godin explains privilege.  

FINALLY:
Everyone who thinks the stock market is a game loses: I didn't come across this piece from Wall Street Journal writer Jason Zweig until after I had written my post for this week.  However, he explains it much better than I do. If you don't believe me, believe him.  "The first half of 2020 should remind us that investing isn't about conquering markets; it's about mastering ourselves."

Enjoy!

Georgie

georgie@libertywealth.ky