A Little Happier: “The Investor Is Wise Who Diversifies.” Also True for Non-Investors.

I’m always struck by the randomness of what I remember from my own past, and I’m also struck by what I remember from my education. I’ve forgotten so much, but a few things stick out here and there.

One of the things I remember most clearly from law school was from a class called “Business Administration” that was taught by the legendary professor and judge, Judge Winter.

I’m sure I learned a lot of very valuable information in that class, but the thing I remember best is something he said one day, in an aside about investment strategies:  “The investor is wise who diversifies.”

And I’ve come to believe this is very valuable in many situations in life. Often, it’s best to hedge your bets, to make sure you have more than one option, to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. For my daughters navigating middle school and high school friendships, I reminded them, “A ninth-grader is wise who diversifies.”

Of course, this saying is also a great example of the “rhyme as reason effect”– a saying seems more valuable or truthful when it rhymes.

It was certainly quite memorable for me.

Are there any rhyming statements that you remember with special clarity?

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