Investing takes courage

The term investment isn’t an ordinary word among lay people. Beyond the fuzzy perception of “foreign investment”—exogenous or funds from without—for hotel and resort development here, it’s basically tacit approval or dismissal.

It is hardly internalized or looked upon as something we’ve also done though on a different level. For instance, placing a portion of our income in savings is itself an investment. You do so for that rainy day while it earns interest.

The education of our children is the most lasting investment. We guide them through it so we could prepare them for life’s challenges ahead.

Taking out real estate loan for the first family home is itself an investment though it’s also known as dead asset. In other words, it doesn’t generate money unless it is rented out. This doesn’t happen too often in that the family needs a safe and sanitary dwelling for itself..

Your health insurance is an investment in the health of your family, including life insurance to ensure the family isn’t piled with tons of debts when you exit early. These are forms of investments quite different and apart from normal stock purchases or new entrepreneurial start-ups.

For those who venture into investing, some would wait on the sidelines in hopes that things would break for the better. Others hold back for perceptual fear that the market would crash soon. If it doesn’t crash and inches upwards, the bold group of investors make happy returns while procrastinators bite their fingers in sorry state of affairs.

A seasoned investment consultant who advises a lot of affluent communities throughout the country likens investing to that of the farmer. The farmer knows he has no control over the weather and all he needs is a single bad one that would pulp his plantation. He’s done for the rest of the year. Regardless, what happens—good or bad—has no impact on what will happens next year.

“We continue to focus on what we can control and let the markets do their thing. Anything is possible in the short term while we stay disciplined and remain humbled by sticking to our long-term approach of employing diversified, low-cost portfolios and rebalancing regularly while always being mindful of opportunities to save on taxes and minimizing trading costs.

Equally true is the cooperation of Mother Nature. In other words, more often than not good weather pans out all year round allowing for good planting season. Thus the farmer continues returning every spring to spread his seeds. And with good weather his courage and bravery pays off handsomely at year’s end. This is what investment is all about—braving the unforeseeable keeping your fingers crossed things work out in your favor.

In the interest of removing the decades’ old mindset that money could only be found living paycheck to paycheck from the government, perhaps the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, in concert with the Commonwealth Development Authority and PSS, could begin mini-entrepreneurial classes at the high school level. It’s a good place to start conveying to our young ones that there are better alternatives beyond government.

Farming potential

Thailand has become a prime mover in farming via small family farms. Its agricultural leadership had studied farming in the Philippines in the 1960s organized it over the last decade or so.

Other small island states with real time advances in agriculture include Taiwan, Singapore, and the Republic of the Philippines. The organized advances started with their respective universities taking the lead studying, e.g., small family farms including fishing.

This paradigm illustrates success where politicians are kept in the periphery. In this case, NMC could take the lead role that would eventually metastasize into a major entity in the development of the NMI’s socio-economic plan.

Although the feds have equally contributed significantly to the deepening economic ruination, it won’t lift a finger to fix the mess and not when we’ve promoted indigenous rights to self-government. Now, let’s take this spout a step further by owning up to our responsibility in organizing a set of plans to move the needle of growth forward. It begins with the self.

A serious joint effort to take critical ocular probe of our future is an issue we can’t treat with inconsequence. To wait until most investments have taken the “second exodus” would make life in the islands far more miserable than necessary. Must take into serious consideration the process involved resetting buttons on reinvestment of a ruined economy.

In simplicity

It was long time ago when I could go to our neighbor next door and ask for some salt to finish my cooking because we ran out of it. What we harvested from the old family farm like root crops and bananas we share with our neighbors. In return, they share their fish catch when master fishermen spearfish at night.

We used to have community meetings to plan for upcoming events like family novenas, village fiesta for our village patron saint, weddings, and veneration of the Baby Jesus. Most everybody was there to participate in the discussion and subsequent assignments. We did it with generosity and humility. After all, it was our community!

This fabric or strong sense of communal sharing has slowly disappeared through the years as a myriad of changes and challenges descended in these isles. Things have changed so drastically I often settle for muted thoughts quizzing if the culture that once made us a very unique people is on its final journey out? I no longer could ask for salt nor attend village meetings treated with reverence.