Can a Pile of Stones Help?

Read Time / 2 Minutes

Theme / Financial Planning

What can a pile of twelve stones, stacked several thousand years ago, teach us about investing?  Perhaps plenty – if we are listening.  The stones I’m referring to aren’t just any pile of rocks, they were “stones of remembrance” inspiring a nation to not forget its past as motivation to pursue its future.

 In Joshua 4, we read of the nation of Israel miraculously crossing the Jordan river into the long-awaited promised land.  To help the nation remember this event, Joshua commanded the priests to remove twelve stones from the riverbed.  He then stacked them on land and said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’”  The crossing of the Jordan was an important step for Israel in reaching their goal of conquering the promised land.  The reason for crossing the Jordan was bigger than simply getting to the opposite shore, it served as the first step in a significant undertaking – an undertaking that would take them time and effort to accomplish. 

In investing, it is important to keep in mind our first step in investing – namely the reason we invested.  Whatever our goal is for investing, let’s stay focused on it.  Such focus will serve us well in the long run.  Think of our “reason for investing” as our “stones of remembrance.”  Our “reason” should serve as a reminder to help us keep our eyes on the future as we remember the past.  Let’s keep investing and stay invested until we reach our goal.

Doug Hanson, MBA

Wealth Advisor

208.697.3699

doug@christianwm.com