The writer was at lunch with a number of asset management people and invariably various stocks were talked about, one of the gentleman remarked, paying attention to various stocks means another reason to care for the country. In this particular instance because the gentleman was Swiss, the bias was Swiss stocks and a name mentioned was ABB. The comment caring for the country, can be two fold – the company you invest in has their head quarters in that country and through examining economic prospects of that country you broaden your horizons to what is going on in the country. If you put some money into the stock, you have a vested interest into what is going on in that country. A recommendation is unless you are buying for a very specific reason, ensure you have the ability to occasionally follow what is going on with the stock and the country.

Bridging to income producing stocks, it was an interesting remark about caring for your country if you own shares in the country.My belief is the ownership has to be a more direct link rather than through a device such as your pension plan. If you own shares directly, in your retirement plans or through mutual funds or directly,  there could be a tendency to ensure you care. For a duty of  an investor besides to receive the dividends is to ensure the company maintains the direction you believe it should be going in. Passive investment still entails some level of engagement whether it be awareness of the company’s presence in the marketplace. Besides money why are you interested in the company – does it seem to well managed? is it keeping its market share and ensuring its margins on the items it needs to make a profit on? By asking these questions, you will keep active and invariable care for the country you have invested in.

There are always more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions