Walking a Fine Line
Melissa and I go grocery shopping every two weeks since the quarantine started. We’ve found that early in the morning on a Tuesday works best to avoid the crowds and also have the stores stocked with food for the most part. We keenly observe how other people are behaving – are they wearing a mask or gloves; are they maintaining a safe distance from other shoppers; are they following the one-way directions in the aisles?
It’s really easy to get frustrated and even upset with the way people are acting. In many cases, contracting the virus is a case of life and death for folks. You hope and expect others to treat you with respect and consideration.
But now is not the time to be angry with these people. Now truly is the time when we need to try extra hard to practice compassion. We’re all stuck at home and itching to get out, to visit our friends and loved ones. It’s being called ‘Caution Fatigue.’ As much as you want to tell that guy that the mask works better when it’s on his mouth AND nose instead of pulled down to his chin, practice restraint.
One of the most important things that I’ve learned over the years is that you can’t control other people, you can only control yourself. So set an example: wear the mask, wear the gloves, maintain your distance and stay at home as much as possible. And be kind – especially to the brave people working the cash registers and stocking the shelves. Remember every day to practice compassion and understanding. The world will be better for it!
|
|
On to business…
Every December and June, we reconstitute and rebalance our Green Sage Sustainability Portfolio, our signature fossil-fuel-free equity portfolio. I also produce an annual report early in the year outlining performance, changes in holdings and predictions. This year, I finished the report at about the same time as the pandemic was hitting, so the report was never sent out to clients. Because of when it was written, the outlook portion is probably going to be off because we have zero visibility with where the economy is going. Nevertheless, you can view the report here.
Currently, I’m working on the June 1st rebalance work which will take up most of my time for the next 3+ weeks. I’ll still make time to communicate with you each week and and will continue to pay close attention to the market and economy as well. So if things need to be changed in our diversified mutual fund portfolios, I’ll be on top of it!
Speaking of those diversified mutual fund portfolios, we rebalanced and made a few tweaks to the models this past Friday May 1st. As I promised a few weeks ago, we added a biotech-specific fund to the portfolios and about 2-5% to equities depending on the risk level. I continue to be comfortable maintaining a more conservative, capital preservation strategy for all of the models as I believe that we have not yet seen the last of the pandemic-related market downturn.
To end on an up note, we just received our 2019 1% For The Planet certification. Earth Equity Advisors has pledged to donate at least one percent of our annual revenue to environmental non-profits. Last year, we made donations over $10,000 to organizations such as MountainTrue, Dogwood Alliance, GreenBuilt Alliance and several others. Check out the full list here. Since 2011, we’ve donated over $46,000 to protect the environment!
As always, we appreciate all of your feedback and notes each week, keep ‘em coming! And don’t forget to share this email with your friends and family.
If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know – we’re here working hard for you from home.
Stay safe and healthy!
My Best,
Peter Krull
CEO & Director of Investments
Earth Equity Advisors, LLC
|
|
|
|
