“The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.”
Financial advisors are not immune to financial mistakes. You’d think we would be. After all, we study this stuff. We model good behavior. We preach prudence, diversification, and patience.
But we’re also human. And sometimes we make very human mistakes.
Here’s one of mine.
This past spring, my wife and I were talking about how to maintain the forested land around our home. It was her idea - I promise - that maybe goats could help. As someone who loves animals and efficiency, I thought this was perfect. Here was nature’s own Roomba: cute, self-sufficient, eco-friendly landscapers.
Then, of course, reality intervened. My wife came to her senses and said, “We already have too much going on. No goats.”
I heard her. I understood. But I also… bought the goats.
This was one of the few unilateral decisions of our marriage, and I knew I was on thin ice. So when it came time to house the goats, I felt compelled to be frugal. A pre-built shed would cost $5,000. A kit from Costco? Just $3,000.
I chose the kit. A little sweat equity, I thought. And maybe I’d earn back a few marital points by saving money.
That was in April.
It is now July…… and I’m still building the shed.
In the months since, I’ve spent quite a bit of my free time on the project - time I could’ve spent with my kids, focusing on my business, or doing the other necessary yard work my wife foresaw coming. I saved $2,000 in hard dollars, but at the cost of some much more important things. I’m likely earning that $2,000 in savings at a rate of roughly $6 an hour. You can imagine how many extra marital points I’ve lost.
There’s a deeper point here.
When faced with a price we don’t like, we usually reach for one of three strategies:
What we often forget is the fourth, and perhaps wisest, option:
Just wait.
If I had waited - until I had the bandwidth, the budget, or a clearer plan - this whole saga might have been avoided. And this isn’t just about goats and sheds. It’s about investing. It’s about patience. It’s about letting time and compounding do their quiet, miraculous work.
Warren Buffett once said the stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient. I’d add: so is life.
So, dear reader, learn from my mistake.
Don’t work harder. Don’t go rogue. Just wait.
Even goats can wait.
And Leah…sigh….you were right.
This material is intended for educational purposes only. You should always consult a financial, tax, or legal professional familiar with your unique circumstances before making any financial decisions. Nothing contained in the material constitutes a recommendation for purchase or sale of any security, investment advisory services or tax advice. The information and opinions expressed in the linked articles are from third parties, and while they are deemed reliable, we cannot guarantee their accuracy.