Fleet of Foot

No longer needing to apply for leave, my first act of independence post-work was to head off to Australia and New Zealand for two and a half months. I had sold all my anchors. I had a flat in Cape Town that I bought in 2006, but then had to move to Johannesburg for work, before I got the chance to live in it. It felt like what you are supposed to do according to the textbook wealth-building script. “Getting on the property ladder” as soon as you have a secure income you can borrow against. 

Having studied investments and having some political (are low interest rates transferring wealth from savers to borrowers?) and ethical (do we fundamentally want housing to get more expensive?) issues with property as an asset class, I believed listed businesses made for a better Engine. Equities also allow you to sell little bits rather than the whole thing (although there are property funds). Owning a house is illiquid. Turning it into cash, especially if you are in a hurry, can be an expensive challenge. Equities are part shares, easily exchanged for cash, if the businesses are sufficiently large with enough shares in the market. I sold my house and gave away a lot of my stuff to the charity store 400 meters down the road. 

The manager of the charity shop was pleased he had first choice of the DVD and CD collection I built up over the years. I was pleased I was more fleet of foot.