Happy National Cereal Day!
Did you wake up today with a feeling of anticipation and excitement? You should have! March 7 is National Cereal Day, which encourages Americans to promote and consume cereal for breakfast – and for a late-night snack. So, run on down to The Pig and buy some cereal!
Humans have been eating breakfast for thousands of years, but the first commercially successful cereal was created in 1894 by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg after less successful attempts by the founder of Quaker Oats in 1854 and by James Caleb Jackson in 1863. Jackson’s bran nuggets had to be soaked overnight so that they would be edible in the morning. Over 150 years later, our cereals are now comprised of a lot more than bran nuggets and crushed oats. The top two ingredients in Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes are milled corn and sugar.
I am about to celebrate my 54th birthday. In the past year, I have gotten serious about my health by knowing what I am eating, how much I am eating, and what has been added to the food I am eating. I am thankful to have lost about 60 pounds and six inches from my waist. It has not been easy, but the benefits are life changing.
Cereal producers started with good intentions. They wanted to provide healthy breakfast cereals that could easily be produced, packaged, shipped, stored, and consumed. They also wanted to be profitable, and that is perfectly fine. At some point, it is plausible to deduce that the desire for profits became the primary motivation. Greater profits require more sales and lower costs. What’s the solution? Sugar! (and other lower cost, less healthy ingredients).
You started your investment portfolio with good intentions. Maybe you had help from an advisor. Hopefully you implemented a portfolio that had reasonable risk/reward parameters for your age, timeframe, risk tolerance, income, net worth, and goals. The stock markets are at or near their all-time highs. Congratulations! But, beware! You may have more sugar in your portfolio than is good for you.
Consider reviewing your current portfolio. You may find that you have a whole lot more invested in “sugar” (high-risk companies or overweighted sectors) than might be prudent for you at your current stage of life. Periodic review and reallocation can be healthy and prudent. Taking profits is a good thing! Now might be the perfect time before a downturn. Happy National Cereal Day!
Gulf County resident Walter L. Woodrick is a Certified Financial Planner practitioner, and the author of two books. His website is WoodrickFinancial.com. Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC. #546857-01-01
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.