What’s in your home? (car, home, closet)

There is a national financial institution that has a similar tagline of what’s in your wallet that has become very popular and is delivered by a well-known spokesperson. Let’s ask ourselves that exact same question but in the context of what we spend our money on. So when I see what’s in your wallet, it’s the same as “who’s in your pocket”? What's in your pocket so deep that you spend your hard-earned money on? Are those items, products, and services consistent with you and your peers, community, and culture?

First Date:

I had known my wife for 17 years before we went on our first date. While we had been friends and Platonic ones at that it was at Starbucks that we met for coffee and the spark was identified since then Starbucks has been placed an appointment or relationship in times I’m gonna talk getaway have a treat somehow someway Starbucks makes its way into our family budget. As I review my credit card statement I can see why I think of Starbucks because I go almost every day at an average of $40 each time I reload my card and that can be two or three times a week. That’s a chunk of money every month. I should be invested in Starbucks because I’m not the only one who is tethered and why not earn returns on the money I spend? According to an article published May 14, 2021, by The Motley Fool, an online investment resource, Starbucks went from Private to public on June 26, 1992, with a share price of $17. A $10,000 investment would have purchased roughly 588 shares. Since then there have been six 2 for 1 split multiplying the shares by a factor of 64. In short, your 588 shares are now 37,632 and at the time of the article, the value of a single share was $114. Starbucks has grown in both recession times, and the pandemic…for a cup of coffee.

Home Delivery

Companies like Amazon, Walmart, and other online shopping options have been eating away at the traditional malls, brick-and-mortar stores, and retailers for some time, but the pandemic made skeptical consumers convert to Amazon converts. On Amazon many trust.

Work Hard Play Hard “SuperX-Station”

The video game industry has grown since the 80s when the workhorse of the industry was pinball and arcade games. Fast forward and you have a choice of PlayStation, Xbox Nintendo, and all of the accessories and games that come with it being the father of a 17 y/o-old male who is an avid gamer this is another chunk of the family budget that we should be invested in. It used to be you could purchase a game and you owned it. Like Blockbuster and Game Stop those days are gone. Most gaming systems are streamed/downloaded making the CD/DVD feature obsolete as well as removing the cost of packaging and increasing profit. Many popular games require monthly subscriptions as a revenue stream for the company. Budgets that used to only be for mega-blockbuster movies are being spent on games, A list talent- famous actors, musicians, costumes, and research. We saw the movie industry pivot during the pandemic. Studios included names like Netflix, Apple and Amazon. (There’s that name again….”Amazon”) New movies no longer have to go the traditional release route. Subscriptions and streaming have changed the game. Like so often in life, success isn’t only determined by how good a product is, but also how the company responds to the things beyond its control (events, disasters, fluctuations in the market…) the pandemic gave an opportunity for some while it caused others to wilt.

Google it

One of the most valuable commodities is personal information. What we read, watch, want and how we think, who we speak to. Just like the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel (They left a trail of crumbs to find their way. Every keystroke, web search, or mouse click is stored or documented. Web sites use cookies and companies pay big money to get this information. Stands to reason that tech cyber research would be an investment consideration and while we are in the “technology-hood” maybe cyber security should be considered.

For every Starbucks, there’s a Seattle's Best that’s growth was projected higher but has fallen short. Things like climate change, drought, shipping, and import-export stalls can make prices go up and profits come down. Unrest in the world causes unrest in the market.

Vaccination & Pharmacies

Since the discovery and approval of the Covid-19 vaccine three companies have risen to the Big Pharm top: Moderna, Pfizer & J and J (Johnson & Johnson) other companies who have thrived include FedEx., UPS, CVS & Walgreens. Since approved there have been 7.8 billion doses given worldwide and that covers 42.7% of the population and now there a push for boosters. The money is not in the cure…it’s in the maintenance. I don’t know if that is true or not, but there is a global ripple and if an investor picks the right wave, they can do very well.

This merry-go-round of highs and lows brings us full circle to the question of what goods and services that you use survive or even thrive during the pandemic? What’s in your home?