At Runnymede, we believe in the famous Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared.” The Scout motto means that you are always ready to do what is necessary to help others. It also means you are ready, willing, and able to do what is necessary in any situation that comes along.

We find it odd that Wall Street has indoctrinated investors into believing that they shouldn’t be prepared (or take action) for market downturns. Just staying the course doesn’t work in all market scenarios.

We are proud to introduce our newest weekly feature called “Financial Weather Watch” where we will share our views on current market issues and their impact on the overall market. We hope you come along for the ride and gain some knowledge along the way. Click here for your complimentary subscription.

In the travel industry, safety is top priority. Last summer, when my wife and I were sailing from Stockholm, Sweden to St. Petersburg, Russia, we spent the first hour on the lifeboat drill with lifejackets on and familiarizating ourselvses with the emergency procedures on the Windstar cruise. The passengers and crew took the drill very seriously in view of the recent tragedy involving the Costa Concordia, the Italian cruise ship which ran aground on the reefs of the coast of Tuscany, and toppled on its side. Of the 4200 onboard, 32 died.

In the investment industry, financial weather forecasting, quality controls and evacuation plans are almost nonexistent. I often ask investors three questions:

  • Do you have a financial weather man? The answer is usually “No.”
  • What is your evacuation plan? The answer is none.
  • Where is your financial lifeboat? Don’t know.

Most of the practitioners in the financial services industry seem to believe their own PR that is the sun will always shine on the financial markets. The participants are supposed to stay fully invested for the long haul and with high probability participants will reach their retirement destination with millions in savings. The government and central bank will always be standing by to rescue everyone if the stock market should be derailed in the short term. Therefore, there is no need for disaster prevention, evacuation and financial lifeboats.

If you are like me who takes a conservative stance and has a skeptical view about the government’s ability to eradicate business and stock market cycles, you would probably sleep better if you had someone who is diligently serving as your personal weatherman in watching for possible storms.

I am willing to be a financial weatherman to people who are willing to listen since I have done extensive research on the subject and built my own sophisticated financial weather satellite. As a market historian with a strong background in economics and security analysis, I anticipate both positive and negative changes, and I believe that human behavior and business cycles repeat themselves. I am vigilant in analyzing and monitoring 50 plus critical variables which drive the financial market trends. As a result, I have a unique history of identifying and helping people weather the big storms of 1987, 2000 and 2008.

If you are interested in receiving Runnymede’s complimentary Financial Weather Watch.

Best regards,

Samson Wang

Financial Weatherman

By