God and the Stock Market
Mar 27th, 2009 by ljkim
How would Jesus want you to invest? Most people I know who dabble in the market just want to make some quick money. It feels like a million years ago, but I can still remember the tech bubble and how it made so many rich; and so we want to get on that ride again. Some of you are even smart enough to pull it off… But here’s the thing. There is something fundamentally wrong with wanting get rich while doing nothing…
…This is not just the Bible’s perspective, I think it is “reality.” I mean it’s one of the rules of fairness that everyone innately believes in whether they want to or not: To take other people’s money (it comes from somewhere) while giving nothing in return is not something one should aspire to. I know Gordon Gekko thinks it’s okay, but he’s a character in a movie. And didn’t he go to jail? People who use their intellect to accomplish this are doing what con-men do…developing elaborate schemes to get other people’s money while giving nothing in return. Your parents taught you better than that.
Okay, so that’s the hard news… Does that mean we shouldn’t invest? Don’t be silly! Investing in anything, whether it’s stocks or bonds or other financial products allows people with good businesses to do more. By investing in a stock, you’re putting your money to work, taking some risk, and helping good companies produce products and jobs, supporting the economy, etc. All I’m saying is maybe we should be taking Warren Buffet’s advice by investing in companies we actually believe in. Buy-in to companies that you think can make the world better…whether it’s Google or Apple (or some other overpriced company–just don’t take stock picks from me)… After all, where would we be without Google and Google maps? For the people I love, I would want to give them the services that Google provides… No it won’t give them eternal security, but it’s something good.
The flip side to that is: Don’t invest in companies that are involved in things you don’t approve of, no matter how hot it is. Is that old school enough for ya? If this was the predominant thinking on Wall Street, and not the overly optimistic objectivism (of Ayn Rand) ala Greenspan, we wouldn’t be in this financial mess to begin with. But then what do I know…I’m not an economist. Tell me what you think.
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