Let’s rewind one year and consider the following two investment camps.
On the one hand, you had the so-called Wall Street “experts” shouting from the rooftops about how they had never seen a bull market like the one that we were in.
The sky was the limit. They could see no end in sight. “Buy, buy, buy” was the operative word of the day.
Even as recent as late 2019 and early 2020, the pundits could still be heard touting the momentum of the bull market.
Then, consider the other camp, Tiger 21. The members of this exclusive ultra-high-net worth investment club, started doing something peculiar last year – something that went totally against the grain.
As background, Tiger 21 is an exclusive peer-to-peer networking investment club consisting of 500+ members in 29 cities in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Each member is required to show $50 million in investable assets to join. Collectively, the members manage approximately $50 billion in investable assets and pay annual membership dues of $30,000.
If broken down by member, each manages an average of more than $100 million of investable assets. The individual net worth numbers are certainly higher. The primary goal of the group is to help each other preserve wealth.
So while the rest of the investing world was riding high on the bull market, the members of Tiger 21 went entirely against the grain. But what did they do?
In 2019, they started shedding stocks and their hedge fund holdings.
And where did they reallocate the funds? Real estate and cash.
Without even a hint of Covid-19 in the air, the members of Tiger 21 anticipated a market downturn. They didn’t know how it would happen, but their instincts just told them that the record bull market was bound to end. They were right.
So why real estate and why cash?
Cash flowing commercial real estate has historically been a reliable long-term investment offering income, appreciation, and a shield against recession. In a market downturn, it’s the perfect antidote to economic turmoil.
The members of Tiger 21 have historically allocated more than a quarter of their assets towards real estate, but by the end of 2019, they had boosted their allocations even more.
According to the 2019 Q3 Asset Allocation Report of the Members of Tiger 21, investments in commercial real estate made up about 29% of the members’ assets. This was an increase from 27% over the previous quarter.
We see the appeal of real estate and the boost in commercial real estate holdings, but what explains the allocation to cash?
To go bargain hunting to pick up even more real estate when the economy bottomed out.
In 2019, many Wall Street pundits laughed at the ultra-wealthy for being over-cautious. Once the Covid-19 pandemic hit, nobody was laughing at the ultra-wealthy any more.
As the economy hit the skids from nationwide lockdowns, the economy was thrown into complete disarray, and unemployment skyrocketed to more than 15% – the worst figures since the Great Depression.
While many investors saw their portfolios gutted from market volatility, the ultra-wealthy sat back and went shopping for bargains.
Months after Covid-19 invaded our shores, the market is still in shambles.
Wall Street pundits are uncertain about the future of the markets moving forward and even predict falling valuations once Q2 earnings are reported.
There’s one certainty about the economic uncertainty brought on by coronavirus and every other previous economic disaster in our history.
That is that the Wall Street pundits are just as lost as the rest of the investing public as they anticipate the recovery of the economy.
Contrast the anxiety of Wall Street pundits with the calm and cool of ultra-wealthy investors like the members of Tiger 21.
They were prepared for all of this and are hunkered down for the long haul.
They would prefer to see the economy recover sooner than later because they seek no pleasure in the suffering of others, but they don’t have to worry about their own house since they put it in order long ago.
Who would you model your investment habits after? The anxious Wall Street “experts,” or would you rather be in the shoes of the Tiger 21 members?
Who would you rather be taking advice from during uncertain times?
People wonder how the rich get richer. Covid-19 has shown us how. They zig when everyone else zags.
In 2019, as mainstream investors rushed to Wall Street, they fled. Now, in 2020, as investors hoard cash and retreat from the market, the ultra-wealthy are pulling out their pocketbooks and picking up bargain real estate.
The rich get rich not because of luck or insider secrets, as many would suggest; they have different objectives than the middle class.
They’re here to build multi-generational wealth – not just to make it through retirement. They want to take care of their children. They want to take care of their children’s children. They want to contribute to their favorite charities and causes. In other words, they want to leave a legacy and not just fade away.
The ultra-wealthy are not relying on their 401k’s for retirement. If you’re modeling Wall Street for your retirement by relying on your 401k, that’s a recipe for disaster as many investors have found out firsthand over the last few months.
Why be happy with mediocrity and continue modeling Wall Street?
Why not model some of the most successful investors in the world?
Model Tiger 21. Model savvy institutions. Model the ultra-wealthy to build generational wealth insulated from downturns and economic and social disasters.