The importance of practising patience
Certain qualities make an exceptional wildlife photographer, and at the very top of the list is patience. And the same applies when it comes to investing.
DISCOVERING THE VALUE OF STAYING POWER Anyone with an interest in wildlife – particularly wildlife photographers – will know a thing or two about patience. It can take an inordinate amount of time to see rare and elusive species, to witness spectacular behaviour or to capture sought-after images, requiring days, months or even years of persistence and dedication. But if you can hang in there and play the long game, you might be rewarded with unforgettable and rewarding encounters in nature that will last a lifetime. Making investments is not dissimilar. Just as the rewards from wildlife watching tend to take some time to come to fruition, so do the returns from financial investments. Alliance Trust has been practising the long-term approach to investing for over 130 years, supporting shareholders and their families for generations to make their money work as hard as it possibly can. INVEST YOUR TIME RESPONSIBLY Like watching and waiting for wildlife, investing money is about holding your nerve. Just as committing those extra few hours to quiet observation in a nature reserve might yield a sighting of a rare migratory bird visiting our shores for winter, taking the patient approach to investing and being prepared to wait it out could mean a far more substantial return. An Alliance Trust data model demonstrates how a starting pot of £10,000, when invested patiently over a period of 30 years, could accrue over £192,000 more than with an impatient, shorter-term approach1. Overall, impatient investing costs UK investors a staggering £1.3 billion per year2. The idea of investing might feel daunting, but it’s not as complicated as you might think. Anybody can invest, and you don’t need unlimited amounts of money to do so – just a little patience. In a generation obsessed with instant gratification, immediacy is currency and ‘now’ is king – but our impatience today could be costing us tomorrow. In the worlds of wildlife and finance, good things usually come to those that wait.