Put yourself where you need to be, or get pushed somewhere you don’t want to go

In my early 20’s, I wasn’t chasing money. I was obsessed with whitewater kayaking. So I lived in my truck, chasing rivers.

Kayaking taught me a lesson about business and life that is still unrivalled.

Rivers are beautiful and thrilling, while simultaneously relentless and unforgiving. Navigating a rapid is all about control. The most exciting whitewater comes with severe consequences - one mistake can be disastrous. Rescues are challenging, and often come too late.

Every serious whitewater kayaker develops a plan before pushing off the river’s edge. Big rapids are scouted, hazards identified and risks calculated. I would memorize the rapid and then visualize my line, again and again and again - often with my eyes shut. I’d contemplate the variables, the hazards - and the must make moves.

Once you are on the river - either you are in control, or the river is. Either you put yourself where you need to be, or you fall victim to the current - risking disastrous consequences.

My first descent of the Class V Rearguard Falls in 2010

Sometimes things go to plan. Most of the time you need to react fast and pivot.

There is only one guarantee: Either you put yourself where you want to be, or you get pushed somewhere you don’t want to go.

So keep your paddle in the water. Stay focused, and stay in charge.

Above all, make sure you have a strategy.


COVID-19: Black Swan 2020

Every day last week brought an avalanche of show stopping headlines - travel bans, market crashes, business closures - and exponential infection curves.

Normally, each headline on its own would have trumped the day.

This is uncharted territory. We don’t have forecasts we can trust. There is no playbook to follow.

There will be very real consequences.

Businesses will be destroyed, families will go bankrupt, retirement plans will disappear.

I have friends in restaurants, retail and private education who have laid off 100% of their staff and shut their doors.

These are unprecedented times.

What can we do?

On Monday morning I was up early. I was sipping my coffee and reviewing my agenda. It was 5:00am, futures were down. It appeared it would be another bloodbath in the markets. I found myself wondering - what is my role in this chaos?

Between our email and video subscribers, over 100,000 investors now turn to Cambridge House for information on navigating the markets. It became very clear to me: my role is to provide my subscribers with as many perspectives as possible, helping them build their strategy.

So I have been hammering my rolodex, and hammering my rolodex’s rolodex, in order to sit down (via skype) with the brightest and most successful investors I know, to dissect the strategies they are implementing today.

Because as the sky is falling, life changing opportunities will emerge. This is the set up for the next generation of fortunes to be amassed.

There is no answer or secret sauce that will lead to victory. We must gather as many perspectives as possible, and build our own strategy with the resources we have access to.

Last week I talked to a precious metals money manager who’s patience has always astounded me. He infrequently bets, but when he does, he bets big.

He couldn't give me more than 20 minutes on the phone because he was working from 5am to midnight, furiously researching and buying positions. I have known him for seven years, I have never seen him so bullish.

Yesterday I got a call from a mentor who is well known in the hard assets space. He told me, “You’ve waited eight years for this. It looks scary out there, but remember, when everything was up, precious metals were down. Weather this storm, and this is the market that will change your life.”

My network gives me an unfair advantage. Right now, I know which money managers have flipped into buying mode. I know what they are buying and how they are positioned.

Without question I am going to leverage this.

I’ve spoken with Morning Star’s top ranked fund managers, with self made billionaires, and even with the leader of a G7 Nation.

Starting next week, I will share these conversations as both video and editorial, beginning with a special two hour video feature: The Crisis Investing Webinar, featuring the smartest money managers in the business.

Don't miss the Premier of this special feature by subscribing to our Youtube channel: Click here to do it now.

I am pulling in every resource I have access to.


Take Control

The next few weeks will shape our future. Every serious investor develops a plan, with hazards identified and risks calculated.

The market can be thrilling, and simultaneously unforgiving.

In the coming weeks I will continue to share conversations with small cap finance' most prolific investors. There is no one size fits all strategy. We will gather as many perspectives as possible, we will listen to many ideas and forecasts, and build our plan accordingly.

I will help you be smart and understand the risks as you navigate this market. I am going to help you be early and identify where the next opportunity may emerge.

And if you stay tuned, we will find the companies and management teams that are going to lead the recovery of the equity markets we know and love.

All content will be released to our Youtube subscribers. Subscribe to our channel here to be first in line.

Because either you are in control, or the world is. So let's stay focused, and stay in charge.