An Unexpected Camel

Read Time / 2 Minutes

Theme / Wise Investing

A quick decision was required: do I stop, turn around, go left, or go right?  I was in the country of Niger in West Africa teaching pastors for a week and I decided to go out for an evening run along the sandy side streets of the local neighborhood in the city of Niamey.  The streets were not paved – rather they were sand – somewhat packed down by the occasional wheeled vehicle. 

As I started running, I tended to look down at the sand to anticipate my next stride.   And then it happened… I turned a corner and in the middle of the street, only fifteen yards away, was a lone camel ambling towards me.  I had seen camels from a distance in the zoo, but not in front of me with no fence between us, and I did not know what my next step should be.  As I quickly assessed the situation, I realized that the camel was less concerned about me than I was about him (or maybe her).   I ended up giving the camel a wide berth and continuing my run, still contemplating the unexpected event.

Whether we are running in Africa or investing towards the future, we need to anticipate the unexpected and have a plan to handle those events.  Fortunately, Scripture gives us some insight: “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it” (Proverbs 13:11).  A wise investment strategy is to determine our risk tolerance and invest accordingly to reach our goals.  This buy-and-hold strategy allows us as investors to weather unexpected changes in the market while staying on course towards our goals.

A wise investor is one who prepares for the unexpected camel, gives it a wide berth, and continues running.  I do not remember running into another wandering camel that week, but I now had a plan and I was prepared!

Doug Hanson, MBA

Wealth Advisor