Working Girl vs Party Girl

In 2003, I was in the right seat at the right time.

China was aggressively building out its infrastructure.

Everything that China was short, I went long.

(I bought the stocks in metals and miners companies).

I bought our first house in Greenwich with my bonus.

It was an amazing time and an amazing party!

Then the world changed in 2008.

The world felt like it was coming to an end.

My boss could retire. I couldn’t.

Investment in everything stopped.

The party ended.

Then I felt like I got punched in the face by a friend in Greenwich when she said,

“Oh, Tiffany, you HAVE to work.”

“Have” meant you aren’t rich like the rest of us in Greenwich so you have to work.

OR

"Have" could have meant ...

Tiffany, you “HAVE” to work because you love it.

I interpreted her comment the first way.

This hit me pretty hard.

But she was right.

We were not rich like everyone else in Greenwich.

But I knew I would rather be a working girl, than a party girl.

Perspective is everything, right?!

Had I believed her comment the first way,

I would have let her determine my identity.

Thanks to Ryan Holiday for this insight.

I would have become a price taker.

A price taker is someone who has to accept the price that someone else is willing to pay for something like a commodity.

I would have had to let the job market determine my value.

Instead, I invested in my dip.

I built out my knowledge infrastructure and developed the skills I was short so that I could have pricing power in the future and the confidence to start my own firm.

Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Airlines, during the downturn invested in building out the infrastructure at several airports including LGA as we learned at the Harvard Business School Club of Atlanta Leadership Breakfast.

Delta took advantage of the dip and invested.

You can confidently invest in the dips if:

- You have government support like Delta had,

- A strong personal balance sheet that allows you to be opportunistic or

- A strong support system with people who believe in you.

Photo with Keith Eichenblatt at Delta Flight Museum

Change is constant.... reach out to me if you need some guidance and an assessment before you make a big financial decision.

Your Friendly Wealth Engagement Guide,

Tiffany Kent

Wealth Engagement LLC

3715 Northside Pkwy NW

Building 100 - Suite 500

Atlanta, GA 30327

Office: (404) 795 - 6124 / (917) 826 - 5955

Email: tiffany@wealthengagement.com

Photo with Keith Eichenblatt at Delta Flight Museum

Disclaimer: All information provided is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, legal or tax advice, or an offer to buy or sell any security.