INVESTING.

Go here please: https://www.50odd.co.uk/investing/.

You need to see the photo.

Investing.

I’ve never been any good at investing.

Like in the summer of 2007.

When I received a £5,000 windfall just as summer 2007 ended.

When I invested it in Northern Rock just as autumn 2007 began.

And when it was worth around £0 just as winter 2007 chose to appear.

So, no.

I’ve never been any good at investing.

Until recently, that is.

Nursery.

Izobel likes nursery when she’s there.

But like many 3 year olds.

She very often doesn’t want to go.

So one day about 6 months ago I invested a little time with Izobel.

In January.

In the kitchen.

As she stood there at 7am in the morning.

Tears.

Izobel looked at me tearily.

And said,

I want to stay with you.

Tricky. 

Such times are tricky.

Because if truth be known.

I wanted Izobel to stay with me, too.

But that’s not the best thing for Izobel.

So that was never going to happen.

Instead.

I invested a little bit of time.

A invested a little bit of imagination.

And I invested in telling Izobel a two minute story.

Story.

I told Izobel that wherever she was.

I was there too.

And to show that this was true.

I drew a small heart shape.

With my right hand.

On my left wrist.

And after rolling Izobel’s left sleeve a little.

I drew an identical heart on her wrist too.

There.

I said.

Whenever you look at this heart.

My heart will know.

And you will know that I am thinking about you.

Izobel smiled.

And off she went.

Returns. 

That investment was in January 2020.

And today.

In July 2020.

I got a return.

Because today I was about to be left in the home office.

Alone.

As Izobel and her mum went on an adventure.

And because I looked a little sad.

Izobel called me over to her little blue desk.

Took out an orange felt tip.

And asked me not to worry.

Look at this heart.

She said as she drew something resembling a heart shape on my left hand.

And I will be thinking about you.

She added.

As she drew a similar one on hers.

And off she went.

Excited about her adventure.

Me?

Well, because of the return on my investment.

I felt a lot better.

Investing.

I’ve never been any good at investing.

And that’s because.

Until recently.

I thought that the most important asset I had to invest was money.

I thought the most important place to invest it was in this or that stock, share or bank.

And I thought that it was this kind of investing that offered the best returns.

But of course.

I was wrong.

On all three counts.