Are We Gambling or Are We Investing?

by Jonny Wills

The wager started as most do—with a hint of hubris and a bit of boredom. I was reading about Gamestop and she was watching yet another ad for fantasy sports. The next thing I know, I was signing my name on an index card that put our bet in pen.

"We each get $100. You use Robinhood, and I'll use DraftKings. Everything within the parameters of the respective apps is fair game. Whoever has the most money at the end of the year gets to keep it all."

When we were in pre-marital counseling, no one mentioned competition as a bedrock of marital bliss. Which is weird, because it is. The only thing better than competing against my wife, is competing with her, which is something we do regularly as well. This gamble gives us a chance to do both.

Because, in truth, I'm rooting for her. When she bet on Jordan Spieth to hold the lead at Pebble Beach after Saturday, I was elated to watch him hole out for eagle on the 16th hole. And when I lost an entire dollar (1% of my net worth!) in Dogecoin overnight, she lamented alongside me.

But it was her win and my loss that made me ask this question: are we gambling or are we investing? And which one of us is doing which?

Candidly, my wife knows more about most sports than I do about most stocks. So, if her allocation of resources is more informed than mine, am I the one who's really gambling? Is she the one investing? Are both of us irresponsible?

An influx of novice investors is blurring the line between investing and gambling, so where do Faith Driven Investors step in? What are the gaps in this conversation that we can fill?

The Bible has a lot to say about mustard seeds and talents and treasures. I know because I've read all the verses. But I don't know if what we're doing is in the boundaries of stewardship. I get that $100 each is a relatively miniscule amount of money. And yet, there's a principle here. How should I view the resources God has put in my hands? Is money a toy or is it a tool?

We have enough money to where if we both lose it all, we'll be okay. A $200 loss will take away some discretionary spending, but we'll still be able to eat. Is that how we should look at investing? Or is that how we should look at gambling? Or is there any difference between these two?

This is the part where I give you a conclusion that ties a bow on this idea. I don't have one. Instead, I'm asking you to write the conclusion for me. Comment below what you think of this bet, message me through whatever social media platform you found this on, or do whatever you've got to do to share your opinion. I genuinely want to hear it. 

Are we gambling or are we investing?

[ Photo by Heather Gill on Unsplash ]