My understanding of investments is paper thin. Not even construction paper. Rice paper. Mostly based on a few episodes of White Collar and Leverage I get that buying futures in a commodity like chocolate can reap cash as well as calories. After that I've got nothing to add to the conversation.
Fortunately such ignorance has not hindered my ability to live a meaningful life up until now. Our middle daughter is the financial brains for us, and explains the options to me in short sentences.
"Sign here."
John is more savvy and mentioned that the current price for oil has dipped. A barrel currently goes for $-37. Which I guess means they throw money at you if you bring a dolly and wheel it from the warehouse.
Life as we knew it has turned upside down but this is, forgive me, a new low.
Air travel has been drastically cut. Cruises are out of favor. Even regular commuting has been eradicated for many of us, hence the abrupt oversupply of gas.
Once a friend mused about changing the rules on careers. She wanted the entire directional flow to swivel.
"Instead of getting a salary from work, what if we had to pay for the privilege? Wouldn't we make sure and certain that what we were doing really matters?"
It is not unheard of. There are internships in which people log ridiculous hours for the chance to apprentice. Non profit positions can cost more in travel than they reward with a pay check. Some people's hobbies morph into nearly full time obsessions, which blurs the line further still. I try not to notice the ratio of spending to payback when it comes to sewing.
The current situation has already thrown priorities in the air like confetti. Sports are gone. Movie production has ended. Fancy vacations are cancelled. Restaurants are closed. Museums are shuttered. Concerts postponed. Weddings are deflated.
What remains to be seen is which things we stoop to pick up when the wind dies down and the sprinkles settle at our feet.
