Always On

The Office is closed Monday

As you would expect we won’t be in the office on Monday. Standard right? Well not exactly. Many businesses will not be closed, the kind we take for granted like petrol stations and supermarkets. Of course all the big retail sofa-shifters will be open because their “Sale must end 4:30 Bank Holiday Monday!”.

So whilst your team are enjoying their hard-earned rest, exactly what frustrations will occur by the office being closed. Well the phone won’t be answered. We could have an ansaphone and promise to “Get right back to you”, but who likes leaving messages into machines? Not me. Certainly not the type where you press 3 for this and 1 for that.

Most clients simply send emails now. We prefer it that way as there is less chance we can miss things. Email is instant, once done it allows us to move on to our next task. Clients send as many emails to me “out of hours” than they do during the day. Some come really late at night, others kick off from around 6:00am. Emails usually receive a reply in a day or two. I have to admit to checking emails almost every day of the year. Monday won’t be an exception, but I probably won’t reply to any.

Nucleus & Investcentre

We take it for granted that we can access our platforms 24/7. Everyone of us can log in Saturday, Sunday or Monday, like we do every other day of the year. They won’t be closed. Much like Amazon, Google, Facebook, Auto Trader etc.

The Banks are Closed

It’s a Bank Holiday but our mobile banking apps will still work, as will cash-machines, as will the chip and pin readers. If you have a mortgage you will still be charged interest on Monday. Maybe we even earn a day’s interest on Monday, but the amount received is so small these days we would need a calculator with 8 decimal places to even see a difference I guess. So like us the premises will be closed.

Does the market being closed mean that we don’t earn any money on our investments?

The London Stock Exchange

No shares will be traded in the UK on Monday. Neither will shares change hands in the U.S.; Over there it is Memorial Day. Does the market being closed mean that we don’t earn any money on our investments? Well let’s take a look at just a few examples.

INTU

The Trafford Centre charges rent to all shops everyday of the year. They will all be open. I will be avoiding the place as Monday could be one of it’s busiest days.

Worldpay

Expect those chip and pin readers to see a monster transaction day on Monday.

United Utilities

It looks like everyone will be watering their gardens, power washing their patios and their cars. A big day on the meters.

In Short

I’m not going to go through every share we hold from Amazon through to Young & Co’s Brewery, but every single company we hold will be actively trading. Some will be breaking records. Hopefully making money towards the dividends they then pay to us.

Our office doors are locked, the lights will remain off – Our investment portfolios however are always on.