I recently met a bunch of high school students, who wanted me to explain them the ‘idea of the stock market.’
One of them asked a brilliant question, “What does the market seem like? What kind of an experience does it provide to a new investor?”
I was stumped by this question, but before I could embarrass myself in front of this young ones, I gathered my wits and remembered a lesson from Seth Klarman’s wonderful book Margin of Safety, where he had explained the journey of being an investor in stocks akin to navigating a dense, often bewildering forest.
Klarman painted a vivid picture of the market as a territory fraught with dangers for the unwary investor. He cautioned that while one must inevitably traverse this forest, it is essential to do so with eyes wide open, aware of the inherent self-interest and short-termism that characterize its inhabitants –
Wall Street can be a dangerous place for investors. You have no choice but to do business there, but you must always be on your guard.
The standard behavior of Wall Streeters is to pursue maximization of self-interest; the orientation is usually short term. This must be acknowledged, accepted, and dealt with. If you transact business with Wall Street with these caveats in mind, you can prosper.
If you depend on Wall Street to help you, investment success may remain elusive.
In my 21+ years as an investor, I have had my due share of experiences like Klarman mentioned in his book. And that is what I shared with these kids. And not in a theoretical manner, for that would have confused them, but in a story-like format, where I asked them to imagine themselves starting a journey into a dense forest. I also brought in a few characters to help them guide them in their journey.
It was a long story and discussion, but since I did not record the conversation, I have condensed it for this post to include the most essential elements.
So, our story began with a young, eager investor, stepping into the dense forest which in our case, was the stock market. Before entering, she was already enticed by stories on social media of great fortunes made overnight.
Here, I shared Klarman’s words that echo as a warning: the forest is dangerous, and those who walk into it must be very careful. The trees, tall and imposing, represent the financial institutions and other market players, each pursuing their own interests with little regard for the unseasoned traveler, which is our young investor in this case.
Anyways, as she wanders deeper, she reaches a crossroad. One path, well-trodden and inviting, represents the allure of short-term gains. I told the students that it is here that the teachings of Ben Graham, the father of value investing, illuminate the way.
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