Topic: How To Invest

What is Pat’s commentary for the week of March 9, 2021

Article Excerpt

There’s a fine line between truisms and clichés on the one hand, and great gems of knowledge on the other. Worse, that fine line keeps shifting. It depends on where you are, who you’re talking to, and the level of knowledge and manners of the people who are in on the conversation. When you’re relatively new to a particular subject—investing, say—you run the risk of accepting a truism or cliché as a great gem of knowledge. If so, you may feel an urge to throw the supposed gem into a conversation the first chance you get, to see how people react. This is a speedy but pitfall-riddled way of building your knowledge. If you understand the concept as well as everybody else you’re talking to, few will question or criticize your use of the term. If you’re not as well versed as others in the group, people may not respond to your comment, beyond simply keeping up the conversation. Or, you may…