• NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    They actually teach people in school now that having money in reserve at a company is bad because it’s not helping you make money.

    Those words have literally come put of my future brother in laws mouth, who works in the banking industry. He’s been put of school a year or two, and has essentially said, if you have a rainy day fund as a company, you’re not maximizing your potential revenue (or some other hogwash like that)

    And then we wonder why the financial industry has a boom bust cycle.

    • AggressivelyPassive@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      That’s the thing, in theory that’s correct - until it rains.

      But since our entire economy is based on unjustified optimism, it can’t rain.

      • NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I don’t agree with the statement at all. It fails to account for any variance in the money coming in. But, I’m not going to argue with my future brother inlaw. Not worth it.

        It’s like you said, he’s right, until he’s not. The entire company can go under if they have a few bad quarters.

        • AggressivelyPassive@feddit.de
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          1 year ago

          That’s my point, if you assume it stays sunny, buying an umbrella is a wasteful expenditure.

          And in business terms, not investing a certain part of your capital means, you don’t get a return on that investment (and interests are most likely much lower), so effectively you lose money.

          What our economy and our CEOs often ignore is, that the universe doesn’t end next quarter. Holding capital back essentially smoothes the overall profits/losses over time, that’s awesome for workers, customers and stakeholders - but CEOs need line go up, so they can get a bonus. So no money is held back.