This is a true story.
Growing up, our neighbor was erratic. He was an unwell man, and it manifested in many ways. To me, as a child, he was scary. When I was a teen, a weirdo. Now, as an adult, I see the pragmatism of avoiding him mixed with sympathy for his unlucky lot in life.
Long-time dedicated readers might ask, “That neighbor?!” Yep. Same one. Welcome to rural NY! Today’s main character was their middle-aged son.
Among some more questionable tendencies, one (relatively innocent) habit that stood out was his penchant for blasting loud music at all hours of the day or night. Always classic rock (decent taste, I gotta say). It could be at high noon on a sticky summer day or 3AM in the drizzling rain. Didn’t matter.
It was always loud enough to intrude on our lives 500 feet away across the road. Incredibly loud, like when the dentist’s tools seem to rattle your entire brain. Now that I think about it…I have no idea how he could deal with being so close to the speakers. It’ll remain a mystery.
Fast forward to modern times. This month – April 2025 – will go down as one of the noisiest in stock market history. It’s been loud. I’m sorry…LOUD! Then silent. Then loud again! It’s been on, then suddenly off. Some of the ideas coming from our Federal government are the real-world equivalent of my neighbor blasting his stereo. It can change at a moment’s notice, and you think, “Again!?”
That brings me to the third constant of my neighbor’s music: When it was on, you’d constantly think to yourself, “What the f***? Why is he doing this?” And when the music went off, you’d think, “Is it off for good? Is this really the end?“
There was never a pattern for when, why, or how long the music would play. The only signal was that of record player itself. Everything else was just noise.
Looking back now, it’s easy for me to say:
- Eventually, he would always go to sleep and turn it off. [“Enter Sandman,” Metallica]
- Eventually, I’d move out of the house and never have to deal with it again. [“Movin’ Out,” Billy Joel]
- Eventually, he’ll die. [“Dust in the Wind,” Kansas]
- OR WOULD THE MUSIC CONTINUE FROM THE GRAVE!? 💀🤘 [“Hells Bells,” AC/DC]
But in the moment, those thoughts either didn’t cross my mind or brought me little comfort. Life is experienced moment by moment, and it can be hard to zoom out to the big picture when the present moment is acutely annoying.
In an old article about “path dependence,” I wrote:
We observe the past in years and decades. But we experience the present in hours and days and weeks. Life is zoomed in.
To be a good investor, you need to understand both sides of that coin. You need to know how investing works on both a short- and long-term basis. And when the short-term is choppy and bad, it’s challenging to be optimistic about a supposedly positive long-term future.
The intelligent investor accepts that challenge.
That’s my challenge to you, reader. As we begin May 2025, and look ahead to the rest of the year, the next few years, the rest of our investing timeline and beyond, will you accept that challenge? Can you find a balanced approach on both sides of that coin?
It’s not easy. The last month has felt like, well…
But the challenge remains.
PS – Hopefully you enjoyed my setlist! What classic songs am I missing for the topic at hand?!
PSS – Bonus points if you laughed at this article title. It was a stretch.
PSSS – shoutout to the blog-father, Mr. Cramer himself, who wrote in from ground zero after publication: “…and his favorite song to play, no kidding, was The Doors “People Are Strange.””
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…and his favorite song to play, no kidding, was The Doors “People Are Strange.”
Love this! Thank you:)
I’m glad! You’re welcome!