Investing Lessons from Ted Lasso: Sound Decisions with a Sense of Humor
You can learn from everyone, even a goofy, fun-loving television show character. The American football turned European soccer coach is full of wisdom (usually in the form of one-liners) that extends from the pitch to life at large, including investing.
Apple TV struck gold by turning Ted Lasso into a comedy series. NBC Sports initially created the character to promote Premier League soccer, but the quirky personality had fans clamoring for more. Apple compounded the promo’s success into the now beloved series.
Yes, I’m writing a list of investing lessons from a fictional character played by Jason Sudeikis because that’s how awesome Ted Lasso is!
Be a goldfish — “You know what the happiest animal on Earth is? It’s a goldfish. You know why? Got a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish, Sam.” Ted Lasso is a master motivator with an endless list of inspirational gems. The goldfish analogy was Lasso’s way of reminding his team not to dwell on the past. As an investor, you're going to make mistakes. But be a goldfish.
Don’t panic — “There’s two buttons I never like hitting, panic and snooze.” This is good advice all around, but we’ll focus on the panic part. Investing results are more about behavior than anything else, and despite what your biased and flawed brain might be telling you, it’s important not to push that panic button. Making emotionally driven decisions can hurt long-term returns, interrupt compounding, and work against your objectives.
Go with your gut — “I always thought that tea was just gonna taste like hot brown water. And you know what? I was right. It’s horrible. No, thank you.” As a fellow tea hater, this really resonated; I’ll stick with coffee. When investing, all the analytically modeling in the world can’t replace that feeling in your gut. I’ve talked to many great investors whose biggest regret were linked to ignoring their intuition.
Keep an Open Mind — “I want you to know, I value each of your opinions, even when you’re wrong.” It’s easy to become blindly passionate that you fail to see when things are going off course. If you’re bullish, listen to the bears, you may learn something. Studying the other side can help increase conviction or alert you to risks you hadn’t considered. You don’t want to become so married to an investment that you are blind to the risks.
Believe — Walton: “Do you believe in ghosts?” Ted: “I do, but more importantly, I believe they need to believe in themselves.” Coach Lasso is the master of positivity. He’s always smiling, uplifting others, and turning negatives into positives. Being optimistic about the future has been richly rewarding, even when it was difficult to see past the dark clouds and news headlines. Believe in the future; it will likely pay off.
It’s more than money — “I like the idea of someone becoming rich because of what they gave to the world.” While not investing advice per se, Lasso’s thoughts on wealth highlight that making money for money’s sake is a fruitless endeavor. While you're on your wealth-building journey, don’t forget to give the world something positive.
I wrote this post for fun (and out of sheer respect for Ted Lasso), but I think we could all stand to be a little more Lasso-like in both investing and in life.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information and illustration purposes only. Nothing contained in the material constitutes tax advice, a recommendation for purchase or sale of any security, or investment advisory services. I encourage you to consult a financial planner, accountant, and/or legal counsel for advice specific to your situation. Reproduction of this material is prohibited without written permission from James Vermillion, and all rights are reserved.
