Who Should She Choose?
Keisha was in a tight situation. She could not figure out which guy to choose! On the one hand, there was Jamal, who showered her with expensive gifts, flashy items and took her to the most luxurious clubs and sumptuous restaurants. On the other hand there was Hakeem, who took her to museums, underground speakeasies and members-only private bars. Thus far, she had refused to fully commit to either man. But now, a few weeks before her birthday, they were both hinting at wanting to make things official and exclusive. Therefore she had an important choice to make.
The decision boiled down to two main differences: Jamal acquired his wealth in gold bullion, while Hakeem acquired his wealth in gold coins. She was not particularly craven and covetous, in fact, she had her own independently generated wealth, however, she was more curious about how their minds had arrived at their respective conclusions. The first thing Keisha did was research the Top precious metals dealers of 2022, figuring out where the men had spent their investments by considering the different investment vehicles they had access to. This way, she learned that Jamal acquired his bullion in a fire sale with the assistance of his brokers, and Hakeem earned his coins via his import/export business.
Both of these men boasted great wealth in gold, but it was important for Keisha to understand what types of relationships they possessed with the precious metals dealers in their respective areas. Were they in the right place at the right time to purchase items? These relationships mattered to her because of the volatility of the American specie market. Unfortunately, the United States had been experiencing considerable bouts with inflation over the past several months. Jamal’s lavish lifestyle had not taken a hit due to inflation, and Keisha wanted to know why. Hakeem’s lifestyle had never been lavish enough to even consider the possibility of downgrading.
Evaluating Her Options
Next, she wanted to know if either man had made any errors in judgment over the years in deciding what to invest in. Had either of them regretted any of their purchases? Over coffee, she asked both of them about the breadth of their experiences in the investment world. She discovered that both men had lost considerable sums on poorly researched cryptocurrency (https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/cryptocurrency) opportunities, not considering that certain coins would not retain their value over the course of a few months, much less years. She also discovered that they had both lost coins due to not having robust cybersecurity, and thus, blockchain thieves were able to hack into their accounts and walk away with millions.
She called her father to ask for his advice. Her father instantly asked her if either man had invested in precious metals like silver and platinum. Her family had a very rich history in jewelry-making and used the finest platinum bands when making their world-class wedding rings. Her father had no interest in including a new member of the family who would not know when to buy platinum at the appropriate price from the dealers with the best quality. He recognized that she was involved with two men who had some intimate knowledge of the community his family came from, but he wanted to be sure that these men were aware of the possible pitfalls and problems in the industry.
Lastly, she phoned her grandmother, who undoubtedly offered the best advice in the entire family, financial or otherwise. Her grandmother noted that Keisha herself had not completed her most recent round of fundraising for her startup business. Her grandmother wanted to know why she had not widened her investment portfolio the way she said she would before the end of the previous year. Her grandmother also inquired about the jewelry designs Keisha had promised her father she would have completed by now. And just before Keisha hung up in shame, her grandmother asked her how come her last few investments did not pan out the way she thought they would.
Keisha immediately wanted to learn more about the possibilities of improving her current investment portfolio and committed herself to making drastic changes to her finances. In so doing, she phoned both Jamal and Hakeem to make her decision. In the end, she chose herself and decided she simply was not ready to date because she had so much work to complete on her own financial health!