Weather you like it or not

Last weekend, the phrase "saving for a rainy day" really drove home the point. The country, particularly NCR, Marikina and Rizal were besieged by heavy rains and flash floods. Ondoy, an unassuming and unappealing name will forever be etched in history as one of the worst catastrophes in Philippine history.

Cars were lost. Houses were submerged. Lives disappeared in the blink of an eye. Rich, poor, the famous and the masses, no one was spared. Catastrophes of this nature are the great equalizers. It is also a reminder to everyone that nothing is permanent in this world.

There are texts circulating that the government lied about the dam thing. That is pun intended. Instead of spreading malicious texts enriching the telecoms companies, spend your time and money looking for ways to help the most affected.

Usually, when I receive propaganda texts, the text stops with me. There's no point fueling the rumor mill.

What does bad weather have to do with investing? Well, as one can see, anything and everything in investments have risks invisibly written over it.

Remember the real estate broker that offered you sweet notes and hints about property being the most stable investment? Do you think people who survived Provident Village will be able to go back without undergoing a severe case of trauma? The question is if residents would even want to go back especially those who nearly survived.

It just underscores the fact that while you can choose where to put your money, you will never escape the four letter word called RISK. You can protect yourself against risk, so in this instance you'd understand that perhaps you should have property insurance, or in the worst case scenario, life insurance. Of course, there are intricacies and restrictions in such insurance policies and you have to talk to your broker if acts of God are covered.

What about the stock market? If our stock market were a mature market, the stocks that would naturally go up would be the basic goods companies - anything to do with food, water, shelter. So you buy food stocks, beverage stocks, construction companies. Since we are in the Philippine market, you can speculate but if foreigners don't buy the stock, you can be assured of holding to a stuck.

Stay safe and brace yourself for tough weather in the next few days. Assuming the weather prediction's right.