Good Ol' US of A
Witnessing first hand what is happening around the world in the past 30 days or so, I must say I'm delighted to be back home in America! Every time I travel abroad, while satisfying in so many ways, I can't wait to get back home. With all of our problems, we're still the best country on the face of the planet, or even in the Milky Way Galaxy!
I must admit, however, that our economy in general and real estate in particular have got ways to go to gain a certain level of sustainable sanity. With widespread global unrest in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, it's clear the ripple effects of our financial crisis is now being felt by billions of people around the world. We are no longer an island seperate from everyone else. What affects a country there directly will affect us all here indireclty. With so much of the world being so well connected in so many facets, it's obvious to me that we will be feeling the repercussions of their woes coming full circle.
The problem is most countries, even those who claim to be our friends like China, are blaming us for all the global chaos, as if they had no responsibility whatsoever in any of it. The fact is we're all in it together and have contributed to the present state of affairs in varying degrees.
The main challenge now is how to get out of it and how quickly could that happen. If you ask me, don't believe all the stats you see about our economic recovery in the media. After all, it's an election year where all the figure and numbers are not to be fully trusted. Secondly, we may be doing better now that we did last year but I have a feeling we will falter and relpase a couple of more times before we can gain economic stability.
The moral of this article is try to be conservative with your investment strategies for the time being. Do not trust the "too good to be true" scenarios. Do not put all your eggs in one basket, no matter how attractive it may seem and proceed with full discernment. This means performing due diligence at the highest level. It's noteworthy that most people lose their money in times of desperation and you certainly do not want to appear desperate to countless number of unscrupulous sharks who smell the fear on you!
As a wise man once said, things are never as good or as bad as they appear to be. They're usually somewhere in the middle. This current state of affairs nationally and globally are no exception. So, look, learn and then leap! This should be your motto for the next six months or so until we get a better sense on our direction at home and abroad.
Wishing you all success and happiness,
Sam Sadat