by Raj Suresh | November 10, 2020
So, vaccine trial data from Pfizer shows 90% efficacy – wow. This is a truly big moment for every one of us because if this is true, then it means we can slowly begin to reopen the world.
Here’s the other question: after nearly a year of this – how many people have gotten comfortable with their new, stay-at-home lives? Or at least their work-from-home lives? The market isn’t responding kindly, tanking Zoom stock by some 15% at the opening bell Monday. Moreover, the question becomes this: are there efficiencies for the average Joe that we’ve realized? Do we have proof of the concept that working from home is a long-term, viable, economically sustainable strategy?
Work from home – the great equalizer
I won’t pretend to have the answers to this – all I can say is that for the first time, a strong wifi connection offered an option for everyone from struggling, busy parents, to overwhelmed college students who could save on room, board, and live at home while still gaining an education that would qualify them for a decently paid job.
I’m curious to know how you feel – and if you’re out there and want to chime in, feel free to do so via any of Nav.it’s social media channels. (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) Gauging public sentiment will be critical to making a market read here.
Looking back
Last month I advised caution with the pending election – which seems mostly (but not entirely) settled at this point. The stock sectors I chose: namely electric vehicles, have returned outsized gains – EV’s are the future and thereby relatively apolitical (or at least less so than they were 10 years back).
I’m still advocating for them. I’m still advocating for finding ways to invest in water too. Just a nagging feeling that with the global temperature being this unstable that things aren’t exactly going to shake out well – UNLESS, we go all out on preserving our environment.
Invest now
If you’re looking to save, invest, all of that – now’s the time. Markets are primed to come roaring back. Look at AMC for a second – a theater chain that controls so many screens, and by extension, the American film industry’s level of output. The stock crashed but the company stayed alive. When the world reopens – which could be 6 months from now given the logistical challenge of manufacturing and distributing billions of doses – some companies and people will be ready to turn a profit and accelerate through all of it.
That person could be you.
Eyes open!
What’s at the intersection of financial literacy and wellness? The Nav.it money app offering you free tools for improving your financial wellness through account aggregation, expense tracking, automated savings, and content created by financial experts and people like you (or Raj the comedian) in order to change the narrative around money. You can download it at Google Play and the Apple Store.
Raj Suresh is a standup comedian and while he understands human behavior decently well from time spent on stage across the states and a few countries, you definitely shouldn’t take any financial advice from him.
It’s honestly wild that any self-respecting publication would consider letting him write a monthly column.
Follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
His debut album, “Semi Famous”, reached #2 on the iTunes comedy charts and #12 on Billboard.
Find it here.
