April 5, 2021 | Investing
Today, we’re sitting down with LifeGuide Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Zak Lutz, to answer some of the most frequently asked questions we receive. This is the fourth part in our six-part Q&A series.
A: This is a great question. As of this posting, the value of the dollar has been going down. And this devaluation often causes people to feel concerned or scared.
What we’re currently seeing, though, really needs to be viewed in the context of how high the value of the dollar has been. Its value has been within a five-year range and is now simply getting towards the lower end of that range. It’s not that it’s absolutely low right now, it’s just relatively low compared to how high it’s been in the past.
In fact, it may feel counterintuitive, but we actually don’t want too strong of a dollar! A strong dollar can be just as bad as a weak dollar.
Instead, we want balance.
When people talk about the value of the dollar dropping or devaluing, they tend to think of this in a negative way. However, it can actually be positive and helpful. For instance, with a weaker dollar, goods and services produced by companies here in the United States are more competitive globally. Because other countries can purchase our exports for less, our manufacturing becomes more competitive.
Bottom line: When you hear about the devaluation of the dollar, it’s usually presented in a negative or scary way. Yet the reality is more nuanced.