Putting My Money Where My Convictions Are

Poor Netflix. They’re really taking a beating lately. It’s a little sad. I really believe in what they were doing but recently they lost their way. Which brings me to the odd-ball title of this post.

As a customer, I am not thrilled with their recent changes. So much so, that I put my Netflix account on hold while they try to figure things out. However, I am thrilled with their existence. I want them to disrupt the television distribution industry. I want them to get up enough momentum that they can effect some real change. That’s also why I’m an investor.[1] I dabble in investing small amounts of money. I’m not betting my future, but I am making sacrifices to make these long-term investments. I’ve invested in things I want to succeed. I don’t short stock, I don’t flip, I just put money down on things that are valuable to me in a larger sense.

Sometimes it pays off financially, like with Apple. Sometimes it pays off in other ways, like when I bought Nuance awhile ago. It didn’t make me rich, but it did make me happy to see Siri be a viable mainstream technology.[2] Sometimes, it’s a major financial loss, like with Netflix. I’m not pulling out, but I’m also not reactivating my account yet.