A Simple Thank You

I write quite a bit about issues concerning the financial markets and economy that may be upsetting or aggravating to some -- they are for me, anyway.

One of the most common questions I hear from clients, audiences and subscribers is "What can I do?" or "What should I do?" In most cases, the query is in response to some discussion concerning investment risk, primarily money and allocation of assets.

But in most cases, there's another unspoken, between-the-lines message that is discernible only by voice inflection and facial expression. That message is that I'm just one person, a hostage to these big events and incapable of affecting the social, political, economic, or financial market trajectory. It's a sense of helplessness.

There is a way of dealing with it. Most of what we discuss at Real Money revolves around the economy and financial markets, the daily flow of information and money through stocks, bonds, commodities and currencies, publicly traded companies, and sovereign debt.

Although these issues absorb the vast majority of what is discussed in the financial media, they are not the foundation of the economy or society. Small, non-publicly traded companies make up the vast majority of productive enterprise in the U.S. They make up 99% of employers, account for 50% of non-farm private sector GDP, and half of private-sector employment. Small business accounts for 97% of exports, 75% of new private sector job growth, and they are being created at a rate in excess 500,000 annually. Just over half of these businesses are home-based.

With the U-6 unemployment rate in the U.S. at 15%, many people are becoming entrepreneurs by necessity. From this group will come the majority of private sector jobs in the future. Encouraging them along that path serves to help us all because these entrepreneurs are the foundation upon which the economy and the capital markets are based. It is from this group that large companies, capable of going public and providing investors with easy and liquid access to invest in, spring forth.

These entrepreneurs and small business owners are rarely recognized or acknowledged for their contribution to society or the economy. On the contrary, they are often ignored. Worse, they are vilified as outcasts whose chosen path is the result of anti-social tendencies or an inability to hold a job. It's common for a parent to ask an adult child toiling to create an enterprise of their own when they will get a "real" job. That is until they have achieved a level of success -- at which point the taxman and brothers-in-law come knocking with their hands out for money.

This is truly a tragedy for the U.S., and it is a trend that must not only stop but be reversed if the entrepreneurial spirit, the key to U.S. economic vitality, is to be kept alive.

I was in the Marine Corps some 30 years ago, and even today, it is common for me to hear someone say "Thank you for your service" when they become aware of my status as a veteran.

So here's an assignment: Find out who the owners are of the local businesses you frequent and thank them for their service to the country. When you are having dinner in your favorite restaurant and your waitress says, "My name is Debbie and I'll be your server tonight," look her in the eye and say, "Thank you, Debbie."

Ask to speak to the owner of the gas station you frequent, and when he or she comes out prepared to hear your complaint, introduce yourself, tell them what a fine establishment they have, how much you appreciate it, and thank them for their contribution to the community.

If you are the parent of a child who is endeavoring to build a business from scratch, stop suggesting that they apply for a job with the government. Instead, champion them and explain how much you appreciate their efforts, not as a parent, but as a citizen. 

Saying thank you does not cost anything, and it provides each of us the opportunity to do something that is proactive, and everyone and the economy will benefit.

It might just make you feel good, too.