“Hey Doc, we better back up!” Marty said at the end of Back to the Future. “We don’t have enough road to get up to 88.”
“Roads?” Doc Brown said as he put his metallic visor down over his eye. “Where we’re going we don’t need … roads.” The wheels folded under the carriage of the DeLorean, the trumpets played and the timpani thumped loudly into a crescendo as the time machine turned and rocketed off through the air as a flying car1.
In case you are wondering, the date that Doc, Marty and Jennifer were time-traveling to was October 21, 2015. Yep, the flying-car future was 10 years ago! Wasn’t it fun?! Since at least 1926 Americans have been dreaming of flying cars when aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss introduced the Curtiss Autoplane2. Of course, the imaginings of humans in flight dates all the way back to at least Leonardo da Vinci’s Aerial Screw. Our American dream of flying cars is nearing 100 years old. Back to the Future was released in 1985 and here we are 40 years later (and 10 years late to that prediction) with nothing to show for it. But if Elon Musk has anything to say about it, we’ll have something to talk about for real before that dream hits the century mark. On Joe Rogan’s podcast this week, Elon Musk took a minute to tease that his next product launch would be “unforgettable3.” Musk mentioned his “friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars.” Rogan said later, “So you’re going to be able to fly?” And Musk said, “If Peter wants a flying car we should be able to buy one.” Rogan pressed him further and asked if we’d actually get an electric flying car to which Musk replied, “We’ll have to see in the demo.”
All I can say is that unless Musk is the greatest fool known to mankind, which, of course he is far from, he would not promise such a thing on the biggest podcast in America and then underdeliver. There’s just no way. So, let’s willingly suspend our disbelief (the definition of drama) for a moment, say this is really happening and just let that sink in. We could all be driving flying cars soon.
As I’ve gotten older and prayed more with the kids and friends and at our class at church, I’ve been pausing and breathing for longer than one might say is comfortable in a group before leading a prayer with others. If you believe in the power of prayer as I and as many of you do, at some point you have been confronted with the realization that you had better be really intentional about what you are asking God for, for what you want to come to pass.
One subject today is flying cars. Let’s all try to picture this in a place we all know and … love. Picture … trying to leave the rear exit of Lowe’s on Woodruff Rd. You know where it intersects with Garlington? Imagine yourself in 5 years in the 9th highest vertical lane of flying cars 80 feet off the ground at the stoplight on Garlington, with the whole vertical stack of cars trying to turn left onto Woodruff Road. In the stack of cars to the right, drivers already on Woodruff going straight ignore their own red light and are hogging the space in the intersection while your light is starting to go from green to yellow to red. Teenage boy drivers have their eyes down looking at their phones and their AI girlfriends. Young women’s eyes are gazing high as they apply makeup in their mirrors. Fathers and mothers everywhere are turned all the way around in the seat scolding their children who are acting up after a long shopping morning before Christmas. What could go wrong? I’m sure that the self-driving GPS or Lidar technology isn’t going to make any mistakes right?? A fender bender 80 feet off the ground probably isn’t going to go as well as one on the ground I’m guessing. I’m sure the word pileup might take on a whole new meaning… So, do we still want flying cars? I’m a little less inclined to it, I must admit. Even so, we added more allocation to Tesla stock to our Christian Values Growth Portfolio in our WTA Investment Committee this week. (The views expressed by Elon Musk and Joe Rogan are their own, and they aren’t clients of, compensated by, or affiliated with our firm in any way… despite our Social Media Team’s best efforts. Their comments are informational only and aren’t an endorsement of our services! ~The Compliance Department)
Where else are we being intentional in our prayers and in our investments? How about as it relates to AI? While we may pray AI doesn’t take over and kill us all as one very qualified Diary of a CEO podcast guest says is inevitable4, another guest to Stephen Bartlett’s podcast says AI must takeover for humanity to reach its potential5. There’s no way to handicap it or know the outcome, but AI’s place in the world is growing. And while the Nvidia’s of the world steal the headlines as their CEO Jensen Huang did when he said China would win the AI race this week, other suppliers to the data center madness are in line for big profits of their own. We are leaning on both in our Christian Values portfolio. Today we swapped out struggling restaurant-related stocks due to shaky, financially strapped younger consumers, for data center supplier stocks and chip testers that guard entry into those centers. After redoing some allocations to give more weight to the strongest players in the space, we are pleased to tell you we have our own version of the Magnificent 7, really an Anointed 8 (lol, not serious about this name), in our Christian Values Growth portfolio. They are stocks of companies with similar competitive edges and potential for future growth as their secular peers and that are not in easily apparent conflict with the Bible. (The standard performance disclosures apply here. Past performance is no guarantee of future results, and you should always speak to a licensed professional one-on-one before adopting any strategy. We’ll help you consider things like the time you’ll be invested, the level of risk you’re comfortable with, and how much income you need. If you want to discuss whether this portfolio is the right fit for your exact situation, give our office a call! ~The Compliance Department)
We’d be remiss if we didn’t use this opportunity to remind you that The Wealth Training Academy is providing Christians with an opportunity to Align Your Wealth With Your Faith. In Colossians 3:17 (NIV), Paul reminds Christians “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” The key phrase here is: do it all. I can’t believe that Jesus would want us to check our faith at the door of our Wealth Manager’s office. Well, now you don’t have to. If you are a Christian and want growth, we have the Christian Values Growth portfolio. If you want income, we have the Christian Values Income portfolio. If you want tax-efficiency, we have the Christian Values ETF strategy. So, you really can do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Please ask us how we can help you Align Your Wealth With Your Faith and stay on track to achieve your investment objectives. As a reminder, this is an option for our clients, not a mandate; we have a secular Growth Stock portfolio as well. We believe in aligning not only your risk tolerance but your philosophies to your portfolios so that when the going gets tough in the market, you believe in what you have and you’re less likely to get out at the wrong time. Whatever you believe or whatever your politics, we have ways to invest your wealth that align to your philosophies.
Yes, we are watching developments with interest rates as Jerome Powell hedges himself out of a job most likely. Yes, we are watching what the Supreme Court is doing concerning tariffs and examining the impact of its future decision on markets6. It’s a bit of a conundrum: root for the tariffs to stay in place and inflation could return – but root for it to be deemed unconstitutional then deficits will be higher, the government will borrow more, interest rates may rise and housing could grow even more unaffordable for those 20 to 40-year-olds that are struggling.
Yes, we are noting the political winds shifting in Virginia and New York City amongst other places and Prop 50 passing in California and how that affects future stalemates in Congress. Yes, we know with the passage of Wednesday, we broke the record for the longest US government shutdown in history. Without fake unemployment data from the unemployed Bureau of Labor Statistics and manufactured manufacturing numbers, what will the Fed base its version of reality on? If you have any questions, we’re happy to dive into those areas, but those are all subjects for another day.
Let’s all pray for the budget issue to be resolved in Washington, and if that doesn’t happen, let’s all pick out a nice Caribbean country to move to together. (St. Lucia looks amazing and has citizenship by investment!). In the meantime, give us a call and let’s talk through the developments of the country, wherever it leads us. If you listen to us, we’ll change your financial world …
Sincerely,
Scott Wright
Portfolio Manager
The Wealth Training Academy
Sources:
1Roads?! Where we’re going We don’t need Roads!!!
2The Evolution of Flying Cars: A Historical Perspective
3Flying car? 🔥 Elon Musk drops a tease on the next-gen Tesla Roadster on Joe Rogan Experience #2404
4The REAL Reason ONLY 5 Jobs Will EXIST in 24 Months
5Ex-Google Exec (WARNING): The Next 15 Years Will Be Hell Before We Get To Heaven! – Mo Gawdat
6Tariffs face an uncertain future after Supreme Court hearing. Here are the potential market impacts
