Netflix’s new addition, which features sterling performances by Charlize Theron, Chiwetel Ejiofor, relatively newcomer Kiandra “Kike“ Layne and others, is a decent paced supernatural sci-fi thriller promising an adrenaline rush. The Old Guard, while packed with mind-bending, gunshot- absorbing action, points us to some important lessons in life and investing.
Andy (played by Charlize Theron) leads an elite team of 4 hitmen who are immortal. They have fought together for centuries, defying old age, on the side of good, saving people and making the world a better place.
The story progresses to reveal the Nile, a US Marine who accidentally discovers her own immortality when her throat is slit in Afghanistan. Nile joins the group, and they focus their energies on taking out the common enemy, pharmacist billionaire Steven Merrick, who works with a conflicted right-hand man to capture the immortals and find the secret of their immortality to try to commercialize it.
What does all this have to do with investing? I’m glad you asked. Here are a few life lessons we can all learn from the conflict, blood, and gore of this sensational thriller:
Anyone can change
This is both a life lesson and an investing lesson. Human nature is such that it is very easily able to adapt itself in favour of self-preservation. James Copley, Merrick’s right-hand man, is first presented to us as a rogue FBI agent who is trying to do some good by saving kidnapped girls. As the movie progresses, we see his real intentions.
In personal finance and investing, nothing is set in stone. Some investment options may assure you of a low-risk profile and quarterly interest rates. Know that things can change depending on the external environment, so do not be caught unaware.
Do not judge a book by its cover
In the film, Andy went alone to Afghanistan to extract Nile from the US Army base. For the longest time, Nile was still doubtful of Andy’s character. She thought it was all a hoax. When she came face to face with evidence of the work Andy had done over the centuries however, she was willing to take on the whole security detail on the Merrick property to free her new friends.
Recently, electric car maker Tesla emerged as the world’s most valuable carmaker, overtaking Japan’s much older Toyota. Tesla’s stock hit a record high of $1,134. Investing advice often persuades us to go with companies that have been around for a long time and have consistently printed rising profits year on year. But occasionally, the investor who takes a chance can hit a reward most people only dream of. So, take calculated risks. With money and with people.
Immortality is only to be found in movies
There is a feeling that lingers after a particularly enthralling movie. As you leave the cinema hall or close the laptop, you can almost swear you have inherited some of the power or mystery of your favourite character. Soon enough though, this wears off and you once again become fully immersed in the grimness of real life.
The eventual wearing off of the high we get after seeing a good movie is instructive. In real life, we do not expect to miraculously become immortal. We should extend the same to our investing lives. Investing is always an ongoing thing.
You need to constantly make changes in your position in response to the flows and ebbs of the market, to maximize your funds and returns in the long run. Immortality is not promised or expected, just like economies of whole countries, regions and the globe have repeatedly crashed.
In the end, what would matter is if you achieved your goal or not
At the end of the day, you either achieve your set goal or you don’t. You may have reasons for not achieving, and those reasons may be valid, but the hard-cold fact is you did not achieve it.
While watching this movie, and for the sake of humanity, I was quietly hoping that the secret of immortality would be discovered, extracted, and replicated into small drug bottles that would eventually be available over the counter. But of course, it’s a movie; villains don’t win.
Being more decisive is a virtue. If you’re keeping all your savings in a regular bank account, with all it various charges, and then one day you realize you can transfer that money into a secure investment platform like Investnow.ng that gives you regular interests and enables you to earn extra, you can make that decision or not!
In the end, what will matter is not how many hours you spent thinking about making a move to earn more. What will matter is what you did (or not do) about it.
At the end of the movie, the villain is defeated and our heroes, members of the Old Guard drive off. Just like investing, it is a story of courage. Of knowing when to hit and when to duck.
Investing can be tough and overwhelming at first. But at United Capital, we are here to help you through it and give you a soft start with our low-risk retail investment options available on investnow.ng.
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