Excerpts from my book to be released on 13 December 2013
I'm very excited that my
book, titled: Bulls and Bears: LIFE
lessons from the financial markets will be released in South Africa on 13
December 2013. The book is NOT about the financial markets but the
inspirational life lessons that I have derived from the financial markets in
general and the stock market in particular. There are some fantastic lessons
from the book including, but not limited to:
1.
All trends eventually end. I have learned that there’s no economic boom that
lasts forever neither does the recession lasts forever. If you are experiencing
a “personal recession”, you must be comforted by the fact that, this too shall
pass.
2.
In the financial markets, just like in life: nobody
cares how good you used to be. Chief
Executives will know this: Shareholders
are ruthless – the fact that you have given them solid performance in the past
10 years, means absolutely nothing to them. If they start suspecting that the
prospects of your company are not that great, they will sell their shares and
move on. They don’t care how good you used to be. This is the same about life;
we don’t care that you passed Matric with a distinction ten years ago or you
whatever you accomplished in 1981; we don’t care. What are you doing today?
3.
Overconfidence is as bad as lack of confidence. In the financial markets, when people become overconfident, they stop
doing the things that they used to do. They used to do a fundamental analysis
to understand the value of a share and now all they do is speculate and base
their investments on emotions. Never be overconfident, just do what you used to
do. If you’re now in a position of authority, it doesn’t mean you’ve made it.
Keep investing in yourself; attend leadership programs, you can just never know
enough.
4. Investing in yourself, just like investing in the stock market, is
cheaper than you think.
5.
Exceptionally
high earnings growth rates are unsustainable for long periods. There
is no company that can sustain exceptional high growth rates for too long (I
show why in the book). Even as human
beings, steady growth rates are always better. Those who rise to
leadership and prominence too quickly are in a risk of falling as quickly. You can’t always
take the short and easy way out. Just like in the markets, what you earn in
large numbers quickly doesn’t last long. There are no shortcuts to success,
wealth, maturity or wisdom. All these require that you do certain things and
therefore have to go through a process.
6.
Bull
Markets last longer than Bear Markets – Be Bullish. In
the book we trace certain scientific studies that prove that the good times
(bull markets) last longer than the bad times (bear markets). I show why this
should comfort any person. You maybe be crying now but this will not last
forever.
7.
The
job of analysts is to talk; the job of Chief Executives is to run a
business. If you are the CEO of your own life then learn this now: leave
the talking to the analysts and just continue to run your business.
Ok before I reveal all my
lessons here, let me stop. If you want more, pre-order
your own copy
of my book. Send me an email on: siphiwe@siphiwemoyo.co.za
Regards,