I was reminded about this saying when I had a discussion with one of my clients about real estate prices. He was shopping for a home, and while lower prices would help him buy a new one, it would also reduce the value of his current home.
It’s a funny saying, but it’s a good idea to keep in mind. Any good thing that happens in your investments may have unfortunately consequences. For example, you might have a ‘junk’ bond where the company turns themselves around and the bond becomes valuable. The downside is that they can now afford to call that bond and reissue bonds at a lower rate. Or you have a stock that zooms up and you sell out. But now there are taxes to deal with plus the problem of what else to do with your money.
The flipside of this is the other saying that “Every cloud has a silver lining”. When the market declines we can probably find some bargains. A weak economy may be tough, but it also means lower interest rates, which is good for a credit card or mortgage.
The upshot of this is to remind us not to get too low when things are punk, or too euphoric when things seem to be going well. It’s those swings of emotion that make us take foolish risks when it’s time to be conservative, or to sell out when it’s finally time to buy.