by Alexander Wissel, Editor in Chief, Investment U
Dear Investment U Reader,
We’ve been hearing way too much complaining and angst lately. Much of it’s appropriate, but there’s a lot that isn’t. Many have simply thrown their hands up in disgust and frustration.
So we’ve decided to share our vision of the future in hopes that everyone will be mindful and take the daily market fluctuations with a grain of salt.
The negative emotions that have clouded our collective vision do nothing to help us find productive ways to move forward. Yesterday’s rally should be plenty of motivation for everyone to start paying attention. Let’s snap out of the pervasive gloom and doom.
One of the lines we keep hearing is that “things will never be the same.” And they’re absolutely right – it will never be the same. But our question is, the same as “what” exactly? Is there a particular decade you’re fond of?
- The 90s? When we were surrounded by the advent of new diseases and the Internet dotcoms were mistakenly giving businesses the viewpoint that profit was bad and all old rules were out.
- The 80s? When we had crushing debt, enemies (real and imagined) at the gates, bad hair and excessive interest rates.
- The 70s? When our country was in the midst of fighting through sexual expression, drug wars, racial and gender bias – not to mention bell-bottoms.
In some of these we jest, and we could continue, but the fact of the matter is that you can find numerous “insurmountable obstacles” in whatever age or decade you look. Our problems always seem to be the worst we’ve ever had.
And to make matters worse, we simultaneously glorify the memory of the past and forget all of the problems we’ve overcome. But we’ve gotten through the past, and we’ll get through the future…
Twelve Reasons Why the Future is Where We Want to Be
I’m here to tell you that our future will be better. I’m not going to paint a political picture for you, but rather one of economic opportunity. If you’re looking for a “streets will be paved with gold” or a “we’re all going to die” vision, I’d suggest looking elsewhere.
If you’re worried about what’s going to happen going forward, relax…
- The fiscal responsibility we subject our banks to will enable them to restructure and remain. In 50 years we’ll look back at the financial tribulations of 2008 and 2009 as a trial by fire for the banking system – in much the same way our nation looks back on Black Friday and the Great Crash.
- Our nation will gain prestige around the world again. Not because we impose our will on the global nation, but because we go about the “business” of Democracy with a different approach than we’ve used in the past. A new agenda as follows:
That the world’s greatest nation, the United States of America, works for the best for its citizens and the rest of the world. Not that we will always succeed, but that we start with the best of intentions. If we fail, we’ll keep trying until we get it right.
Just as it’s good business to do “good” business, the business of American diplomacy needs to be to “do” business. When goods cross borders, soldiers don’t.
- The stock market will continue as the greatest engine for global growth the world has ever seen. As our planet becomes more connected than ever, we will truly become members of the global community. And this connectivity and information means new opportunities and countless ways for investors to seek and find profitable ventures.
- Our nation’s middle class grows larger and stronger as countless businesses are started and grown through new technologies and the advent of mobile Internet. The number of small businesses will explode from the results of hundreds of thousands of laid off employees. Many will have said, “That’s enough, I can do better on my own.”
As more individuals hang up their old jobs, they will parlay their big business experience into their start-ups – bringing valuable discipline and savvy to their work. In the same way professional “bloggers” have grown and are considered mainstream now, many of the jobs that will be created over the next 10 years will be entirely new.
- The green revolution won’t be a fringe movement, but become more of a worldwide program of sustainability and global stewardship. Instead of products labeled green, those that aren’t are labeled “dirty.” Green businesses will follow the same steps Internet shops did in the 2000s. Profitable ones will survive.
- We will start to see the advent of the new energy transportation breakthrough. In our lifetimes the combustion engine will see its existence challenged. What will replace it – who knows? We do know that paradigm shifts like this are profitable for the first movers.
- Sustainable energy will be the preferred energy source around the world. Solutions for energy storage and transportation will continue to improve. Industries like coal and oil will start having issues as fuel sources dry up, costs to produce become more expensive and new “green” solutions start challenging production cycles.
- Wind power will be the world’s biggest green energy source, and a new technological breakthrough for solar will arrive on the scene. We don’t know for sure what it is yet. But, rest assured, a new advancement in solar technology will increase its effectiveness, and profitability.
- Diamond technologies start to show up everywhere from light based technologies to solar applications, semiconductor “chips,” and countless others. With the properties of this ultra-strong carbon and our ability to create it, we will see new products that revolutionize loads of industries.
- Nuclear research will discover ways of mitigating radiation and cost-effectively recycling nuclear waste and spend nuclear byproducts. A revolution in radiation would revolutionize our space exploration as well.
- Our country will start to see shifts in population as more work is done online, and commuting loses its appeal. When you can complete your job from anywhere, workers will start moving to small towns that are more cost effective.
- We’ll emerge shaken, but encouraged that we’ve looked at the mouth of the beast and survived. But as bad as things are right now, it’s not. We’ve had a brush with disaster, but not a brush with death. Our social structures are still intact and our society continues. Nothing seems to have changed that.
As one smart alec once put it, “We’re paying attention because we’ll spend the rest of our lives there.” We all need to be concerned about the future.
This is a sample of the incredible amount of things we have to look forward to, from fusion, to nano-technologies, space exploration, lunar mining, helium-3 energy… the list goes on. And this just scratches the surface.
So rejoice in the future. All things point to a myriad of new opportunities in both how we live and what we do. That means opportunities for profit, and it’s why we’re so excited. We’re optimistic on our collective future and everything that it brings – both good and bad.
And we’ll be here with you, every step of the way. We’ll be identifying new opportunities, sharing good ideas and educating serious investors on the things that you need to be aware of and what you need to know right now.
Good investing,
Alexander Wissel
- Alternative Energy: The Best Investment Opportunities of The Century
- Renewable Energy Rollercoaster
- Alternative Energy: Why You Can’t Ignore “Green” Investing
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One Response to “A Vision For the Future”
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March 12th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Dear Mr. Wissel and Oxford Club:
I have been a member for many years and an investor, engineer and patent attorney for many more with experience in many technologies and products applications including textiles, organic and ceramic materials and composites, oil well synthetic proppants, ceramic fibers, whiskers, platlets for insulation and composites, and various aircraft and aerospace components and systems including aircraft wheels and brakes, landing gear, emergency escape systems among many others.
If your vision of the technological future is correct, then GE despite its severe damage under the direction of Mr. Immelt should be worth further consideration as a long term investment, unless its businesses and the technology portfolios underlying its turbine engines, power generation and synthethic diamond businesses are sold off to new owners. GE essentially invented and first commercialized the synthetic diamond business and certainly knows a huge amount about power generation through jet engines and through steam turbines, and about power management and distribution. From my direct involvement in ceramic materials R&D, I know for fact that GE is a leader and holds a very large patent portfolio relating to such materials, and composites products made from them. These types of materials will be necessary to achieve cleaner, higher efficiency internal combustion [turbine] engines.
Dave Ronyak
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