Are You KIDDING Me?

Bill Gross, on right

THE FINE PRINT:  I am woefully UNqualified to write this blogpost!! For more on just HOW unqualified I am, you can skip down to the bottom!!

Yesterday, I was reading a magazine in which Bill Gross, an American business manager and investment expert, was advising us on how to invest in the current economy.  His “major” suggestion was simple:  INVEST IN INDUSTRIES WHERE THE GOVERNMENT WILL LIKELY BE SPENDING “BAIL OUT” MONEY.

Are you kidding me?   Invest in a failing industry because they are being “bailed out”?  Essentially, the bail out money is throwing good money after bad money – just to SAVE the industry the humbling – but powerful – opportunity of learning from their mistakes and growing STRONGER…  

This reminded me of the grueling process of getting my first mortgage.  Fresh out of college-  my credit could be best described as “SLOW”… I always paid, but paid late.  You see, I put myself through school.  I worked two jobs and  paid my own bills including living utilities, rent, car payment, groceries, books AND tuition.  (To be fair, my Aunt Darlene helped out on MORE than one car payment!! )

I remember telling the mortgage officer:  “Listen.  When I was in college, money was tight.  SO, if I paid you in June, you probably weren’t going to get paid in July.  BUT….  If I were loaning money to someone, I would rather loan money to a person with slow credit – but paid their own bills – rather than loan money to a kid who had perfect credit because mom and dad paid everything, but had never paid a bill or worked for anything in their life.”   I eventually got my mortgage.  

But, investing in an industry that is failing so impressively, the federal government has to step in and bail them out??  Isn’t that like marrying a man who still lives with his Mom?  Or going to a doctor that is under “strict supervision” by the licensing board? 

When a person… or company… or industry is “bailed out”, they will not be “better off” because of it.  In fact, I believe the exact OPPOSITE is true.  If our financial system does not allow for “failure”, we also will prohibit true success.  Because when NO ONE can fail, NO ONE can succeed either…. 

MORE FINE PRINT:  I am woefully unqualified to write this blog post.  YOU should NEVER come to me about investment advice. Regarding money, I have only one area of expertise:  making it.  Period.  With that said, if you are an entrepreneur interested in MAKING more money to invest however you want… JOIN the other forward-thinking entreprenuers all over the world who are determined to abolish the “status quo” by registering for the WOW! Factor community at www.womenwhowow.com .