When Dead People Win

I recently heard of a study by the investment management and financial advisory firm Fidelity that analyzed what kinds of investors had the best long-term yields. Their conclusion? Dead people. Essentially, this was because they don’t try to play the market or constantly interfere like we do in the land of the living. They’re consistent and unbothered, they don’t act impulsively, they don’t overthink, and they know the value of patience and time. Of course, ups and downs are to be expected, but short-term threats don’t distract or intimidate them, and they don’t allow sudden market shifts to dictate their next move.

As this seemed like an amusing find, I had to learn more. As it turned out, while the story is popular as an urban legend, there remains little to no evidence that the study actually happened.

Even so, the fictitious research not only holds valuable lessons for young investors; it points to greater truths. When I first heard about the study, it prompted me to think about our own deaths—to ourselves. Spiritually, dead people win because their lives and confidence are rooted in something greater. Their strength is not their own. Rather, it is the determination, perseverance, and integrity of One who has died and risen again. He has journeyed to the end of time and revealed to us the secret of being content, whether in plenty or in want: doing (or enduring) all things through Him who gives us strength (Phil. 4:12-13). We can be faithful because we find security not in the fleeting promises of the world or in the latest trends but in the faithful One who has called us (1 Thess. 5:24), who does not disappoint (Rom. 5:5), and with whom our investments are secure (Matt. 6:19-21).