Disney and Bud Light Have This in Common

Woke ideology has no place in a business or your portfolio... [Shield] AN OXFORD CLUB PUBLICATION [Liberty Through Wealth]( [View in browser]( SPONSORED [Better Than Oil Stocks]( [Click Here to Play]( The best way to profit from energy is NOT a stock... Rather, it's [this little-known alternative investment](. [CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE]( EDITOR'S NOTE Chief Income Strategist Marc Lichtenfeld would like to introduce you to what he calls a near-perfect investment... [Convertible bonds.]( These hybrid bonds allow you to collect interest payments until maturity, when your principal is returned... Or STILL collect interest payments but convert your principal repayment into a predetermined number of shares of the underlying company at a preset price... This alternative investment can produce gains as high as 1,984% in as little as three years... all while CUTTING your risk. [That's why you need to check out Marc's recent convertible bond research presentation today.]( - Nicole Labra, Senior Managing Editor THE SHORTEST WAY TO A RICH LIFE [It Seems True That if You "Go Woke... You Go Broke"]( [Alexander Green | Chief Investment Strategist | The Oxford Club]( [Alexander Green]( [In my last column]( I discussed how woke ideology - and particularly "woke capitalism" - undermines the nation and your investment portfolio. Woke capitalism has nothing to do with hiring and promoting the most capable individuals, turning customers into raving fans, or maximizing shareholder value. It's about promoting a far-left social agenda. It's been going on long enough that we can now see the results. And they aren't pretty. The evidence clearly shows that woke capitalism makes businesses less productive, less harmonious and far less profitable. Let's look at a few examples... Companies ranging from Disney (NYSE: DIS) to BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) to Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD) have alienated thousands of customers and lost billions of dollars in market capitalization after wading into controversial political issues. The reason so many customers and investors said "adios" is simple. These companies strayed from focusing on their core mission: delivering great products and services. Corporations exist to make profits for shareholders. Those aren't the only stakeholders, of course. They also include customers, employees, suppliers and local communities. The best companies strive to make all interested parties happy. When that happens, everyone - except the competition - benefits. SPONSORED [UF Study: ChatGPT Leads to 512% Trading Profits in 15 Months]( [Robot Technology]( Business Insider just ran a fascinating story about a newly released University of Florida study. Researchers wanted to see whether ChatGPT could be used to trade stocks... The result: 512% gains over 15 months. Now a leading expert featured in that same story is making a big new moneymaking prediction. [ SEE THIS EXPERT'S BIG PREDICTION FOR INVESTORS WHO USE CHATGPT HERE.]( However, woke companies focus time and energy instead on "virtue signaling." This has zero effective value, but for individuals it's mostly harmless. Not so for corporations, which - again - should work to make all stakeholders happy, not just those with certain political views. Let's take beer giant Anheuser-Busch as an example. The Bud Light maker's controversial partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney thrust the brand into a charged political discussion completely unrelated to the company's mission. Millions of customers - especially those who would prefer to crack open a cold one without a debate - abandoned the brand in droves. Sales fell $395 million in the second quarter compared with the same period a year ago. The company's market cap declined by more than $25 billion in the wake of the ad. Don't get me wrong. This has nothing to do with whether you support or oppose transgenderism. But why is the company hurting shareholders and employees - many of whom lost their jobs - by immersing itself in a controversial issue? Disney experienced a similar misstep last year. The company's stated mission is "to entertain, inform and inspire people around the world through the power of unparalleled storytelling." So why did it choose to publicly criticize Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits teaching about sexuality and gender identity in public school classes from kindergarten through third grade? (We're talking about 5- to 8-year-olds.) When Disney announced its opposition to the bill, its public approval rating cratered from 77% in 2021 to 33% in 2022. That wasn't the only thing that cratered. The stock is less than half as high as it was two years ago. Why? Attendance at its theme parks has suffered. Disney+, its streaming service, saw canceled memberships. Disney is down 22% over the last 52 weeks while the S&P 500 is up 17%. The company's market cap received a $150 billion haircut. And investors are understandably furious. Then there's BlackRock... Earlier this year, [I told readers to sell all the company's actively managed funds](. Why? Because the world's largest asset management company uses environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria to allocate customers' capital, without informing investors in advance. The firm made a conscious decision to overweight companies with lower carbon output and higher diversity-and-inclusion scores. You may think this is a worthy goal and, if so, there is nothing stopping you from investing in funds with that stated objective. However, multiple studies have shown that this produces lower returns for shareholders, most of whom prefer making serious money to "making a statement." While shares of BlackRock have not cratered like the other two, billions of dollars flowed out of the company's funds. And the stock has significantly underperformed the market. Some readers - especially those with a progressive bent - will say that transgenderism, teaching grade-schoolers about sexuality, and ESG investing shouldn't be controversial. That's beside the point. They are controversial. And these issues have nothing to do with creating profits for stakeholders. Moreover, I encourage these individuals - who are convinced (as most of us are) of the rightness of their political views - to imagine how they would feel if the company they own (or work for) promoted political positions with which they personally disagreed. It isn't necessary. And it certainly isn't smart. Companies that experience lower sales and earnings are often forced to lay off employees, forgo important investments and make other tough choices. While shareholders - including millions of mom-and-pop investors - have to endure the declining share values. It's a heavy price to pay for bad policies. And poor judgment. Good investing, Alex [Leave a Comment]( [IU 2024]( WEALTH OPPORTUNITIES - [Alexander Green Just Discovered a Little-Known Stock That He Believes Could Be the "Next Great American Super Stock," Following in the Footsteps of Legendary Stocks Like Lululemon, Amazon and Green Mountain Coffee. (Click Here for Details on This Rare Find.)]( - [This Company Just Solved Europe's Energy Crisis... 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