Author Archives: Kathryn

Philanthropy from Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet”

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Carlos Slim reveals very little about his philanthropic efforts.  He cites chapter five of “The Prophet” to lend understanding:

“You give but little when you give of your possessions.

It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?

And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city?

And what is fear of need but need itself?”

The book sits on my fireplace mantle on the top of a stack of my all-time favorites.  Thank you, Carlos, for reminding us how far humility goes.

© 2013 Pawleys Investment Advisors, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Conscious Investor – Compliments of Pawleys

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Imagine you are enjoying your morning coffee on your beach house porch, reading the Wall Street Journal. As you flip through the sections, the headline grabs you that your beloved pharmaceutical company has failed a critical step in its newest blockbuster drug trial. You own several hundred shares, thus a huge knot forms in your stomach. You decide to abandon your morning beach view, head back to the kitchen, and flip on CNBC to check on the market. Right in your face is the breaking news that one of your biggest stock holdings, a well-known industrial company, has had an accident at one of its manufacturing facilities, and the stock has plunged dramatically. Now the knot in your stomach starts to take over your entire body. The next breaking story involves the bankruptcy of a municipal healthcare project located in a state completely across the country, but since you hold several municipal bonds in your portfolio, you start to wonder if they will encounter trouble as well. Now investing does not feel like very much fun.

The world is filled with random events that are well beyond your control, and if you have spent time investing, you know that economic and market news can be the source of euphoria or disaster. Where investors go wrong, however, is by allowing their emotional response to these events to cause their minds to go into a tailspin. The thoughts that swirl around in your head can become consuming and distract you from your original purpose.

Quiet your mind, grasshopper. We cannot change the randomness of events, or the action of the stock market. What we can control is our response to those events and work towards quieting our minds. The markets may seem bumpy at times, but the economy and markets actually behave in very consistent ways. The inconsistency comes in the form of how investors respond. If you have a solid, systematic process that focuses on the selection of high-quality stocks and bonds, you will be better positioned to respond like a cool cucumber in times of turmoil. An objective, systematic investment plan and research process is critical, but if you have done your homework all that remains is to keep the faith and belief in your work.

Controlling your emotions is one of the single most important factors in becoming a successful investor. Conscious investing with a quiet mind will take you to the next level and enable you to enjoy the wonderful simple things in life, such as the view of your favorite beach.

© 2013 Pawleys Investment Advisors, LLC. All rights reserved.

Ocean Gifts on Pawleys and Father Greg Boyle

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This morning the tables turned and I actually was able to give something back to the ocean. We constantly take from the ocean. I am one of the biggest local collectors of Pawleys Island Shells, and even designed my company logo after these Imperial Venuses (a type of quahog clamshell). There is a huge bowl filled on my desk, and some of my friends call me a Pawleys Shell hoarder.  This morning was especially fruitful, because I found an array of different colors including white, grey, golden orange, and deep brown.  We take more than just the treasures that wash up onto the beach.  Soft shell crab season just arrived, and the boats are out scooping them up as quickly as possible, along with all of the other ocean fare to stock local restaurants for hungry beach vacationers. When I take my trash to the dump, I know that some consumable wrapper will end up getting blown out of the compactors and into one of the adjacent rivers, ultimately washing right out into the Atlantic. Trash takes the life out of the ocean by choking off birds, fishes and sealife.

Pawleys Morning Sunrise

Pawleys Morning Sunrise

This morning was different. Down the beach I spied an upside-down horseshoe crab with his tail sticking straight up. He was huge, and reminded me of the horseshoe crabs I would accidentally step on in the water off the Long Island, NY beaches as a child. I have never seen a live horseshoe crab on the beach here in South Carolina, but when I lightly touched his shell with my flip-flop his legs started wriggling. There were several large barnacles that had made this guys’ shell their home. So when I tipped the crab over to right him and he started scooting back towards the water, I knew I had been graced with the opportunity to return these lives to the ocean. It took him a couple of tries to get past the break, but he made it, sparing him and his barnacle tenants from a full day stranded by the receding tide, baking in the 80 degree sun and exposed to the threat of being nibbled on by sea birds.

As I walked back up the beach, in its true fashion the ocean gave a gift right back to me. I saw a lone dolphin porpoising offshore, something we at the beach wait eagerly to be graced with.  

As an advocate of generosity, I love hearing stories about those giving back.  If you are looking for some MAJOR inspiration, check out this amazingly kind and compassionate man’s gift that has changed the world in a small corner of Los Angeles:

http://www.onbeing.org/program/father-greg-boyle-on-the-calling-of-delight/5053/audio?embed=1

© 2013 Pawleys Investment Advisors, LLC. All rights reserved.