Similarities between pineapples and investing

I needed some social media inspiration and a recent trip to the beautiful country of Mozambique inspired me to use pineapples in my comparisons. Once I got started, it was uncanny the number of similarities I found between pineapples and investing, and I am sure that after this post you will also look differently at pineapples.

Not everybody loves pineapples and that is ok, but just for a moment pretend that you do. Pretend that it is a hot summer’s day on a beach in Mozambique and someone offers you a cold piece of pineapple along with an ice cold pineapple juice. Trust me, in that tropical heat you might just grab the pineapple for its coldness alone, even if you don’t like the fruit. It gets very hot in Mozambique. Needs must, however, and sometimes preference is less about taste as it is about necessity. FYI I also like pineapples on my pizza (I know… I know, I can already hear the groaning) or even in a green salad with some brie cheese… like I say, less about taste!

Pineapples are a unique fruit, with its sharp head and skin and juicy soft inside. Did you know a pineapple takes more than 2 years to grow? It just shows you all good things in life take time and patience! The exact ingredients you need to grow a successful portfolio.

People often just buy the canned pineapples because it is easy and they don’t have to spend too much time in the cleaning of the fruit, but there are a lot of preservatives and additional sugars in that can, that most of us ignore or don’t pay attention to. But ignorance isn’t always bliss, so make sure you read the fine print and charges the next time you look at your already “canned” unit trust or share portfolio.

People are often afraid to harvest a pineapple themselves; the idea of the rough skin combined with the tough spikey leaves is intimidating for anyone wanting to get the fruit direct from the farm. Like effective investing, it’s oftentimes a head issue… deal with the “head” and, trust me, the rest is easy! By removing all the negative self-talk out of your own head – you’re too old to learn, you’re not intelligent enough, you’re not “good” at mathematics – you’ll be surprised at what you can achieve. You’re not going to calculate the PH level of the pineapple you are only going to learn how to slice it and enjoy it.

But where to start? It’s easy. Get a board, cover the pineapple with a cloth and start to cut. Equally, in trading, open an equity account and begin in small portions. We have said it so many times, but I truly believe that the biggest mistake investors make when they start investing is miscalculating or over-estimating their position size. Make sure you know how to determine how much of a share to buy… remove too much of the pineapple flesh with the skin and you might cut the whole pineapple away.

These days there are so many different products you can invest in with your equity account, which gives one great exposure to indices or commodities around the world, but your account and money remains in South Africa. A couple of weeks ago I discovered an ETF (exchange traded fund) underwritten by Signa Asset managers (Sygnia Itrix 4th Industrial Rev Global Equity ETF) which represents a basket of shares that track the Kensho New Economies Composite Index (KNEX).

KNEX comprehensively captures the 21st Century Sectors that are propelling the 4th Industrial Revolution and fostering new industries that will transform every facet of our lives. The term “4th Industrial Revolution” has become widely accepted as the name associated with the concept of a revolution which will fundamentally change the way we live, work and relate to one another.

It is characterised by the coming online of a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds and impacting all disciplines, economies and industries. These technologies include autonomous vehicles, cleantech, drones, 3D printing, robotics, nanotechnology, smart buildings, virtual reality, cybersecurity, space and wearables, among others.

How cool is that! With your own share account in South Africa and your own hard earned South African moola, you can invest in companies around the world that will bring the fourth industrial revolution to the world.

So get started…

In the chris-tell subscription (only R99 per month and better than any Showmax deal) you will get one technical educational video per week and one share/ETF opportunity video per week. It is so easy, you get a username and password and then login to the chris-tell.com site and watch the videos. So, you are not alone in cutting your pineapples… we assist you along the way and teach you how to identify when a pineapple is ripe and when you shouldn’t indulge too much.

Visit www.chris-tell.com for more info.

Chat later.

Christelle

P.S.  Did you know that there are serious side effects from eating too many pineapples, including allergic reaction, the erosion of the enamel on your teeth and in some instances severe diarrhoea. Don’t be greedy, take your profits when the graph advises and wait patiently for the next pineapple.