CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -- Matthew 6:19-22
Team Charleston, how about that sensational housing market? Or even better, how about our retirement accounts? What once appeared to be a boom has burst nearly overnight.
For many of us, it may feel as though thieves broke in and stole our financial future. As we sort through these uncertain times, now is a perfect opportunity to re-evaluate our overall, long-term investment strategy.
No, I'm not going to reveal what stocks or mutual funds to buy. This isn't about re-financing or real estate, and I have no clue when home values will rebound. Rather, this is a personal economic stimulus story of a different kind, which forever changed my investment philosophy and leadership perspective.
It was 1993 and I was a new lieutenant attending Penn State University with 12 months to complete my master's degree in economics. As one who had recently come into the Christian faith, I had two endeavors that year, finish my master's with honors and study the Bible cover-to-cover.
As the year progressed, the balance shifted toward textbooks and away from Bible study, church and friends. One night, a basketball buddy and spiritual mentor, Donny, came over to inquire where I had been -- Don was a good wingman. I explained how schoolwork was piling up, final exams were near and that I would be extra busy achieving my academic goals. Amidst my excuse, he threw me a curveball:
Don: "Seung, as an economist you probably know a lot about making good investments?"
Seung: "Yep, the basics ... diversification, a balanced portfolio, long-term returns."
Don: "Long-term returns, that's my investment goal too ... Do you believe anything is eternal?"
Seung: (Hmm ... Where's he headed with this?) "Sure ... I believe God and people are eternal."
Don: "I agree. So to maximize your returns, where do you think you should invest your life?"
Seung: "God and people."
By "investing your life," Don emphasized wholehearted giving of one's time, talents and treasures, the three Ts of investing, in building relationships. He wasn't condemning my diligence as a student, nor was he discouraging the importance of mission dedication, especially at crunch time.
However, as the year was flying by, he was raising a flag to ask, "in the midst of a busy and challenging life, are your three Ts still committed toward maximum returns?"
Clearly, my time and talents were consumed by academics with little left over for others. My investment portfolio was hardly balanced. Let's face it, we are a busy base and we've been through some mission peaks: unit compliance inspection, operational readiness inspection, joint basing, an air show, presidential visits, deployments, etc.
Whether at home, work, or in the community, it's easy to lose sight of where and how our three Ts are being invested. To this day, I can hardly tell you the details of the economic textbooks I studied for hours upon hours. Yet I am reminded daily and influenced by the relationships formed that year, especially with Don, who sincerely invested his three Ts in me and shared an economy lesson I'll never forget.
We've all heard it before ... life is short, and your three Ts are scarce. So, don't waste your time, your talents and your treasures. Invest your life in the people that surround you and in the relationships which matter most, for these will produce lasting returns ... a true economic stimulus.