by Rhienna Guedry

Thank you for signing up for our upcoming webinar, Let’s Make Lots of Money! As the Grammy-nominated Pet Shop Boys, we are The Guinness Book of Records’ most successful duo in UK music history. Our pivot to financial services should come as no surprise: having sold more than 100 million records worldwide, you could say that we know a little something about money. 

When a global pandemic and soaring Peloton stock coincided with our beloved Korg Kronos 88-key Workstation Synthesizer biting the dust, we knew it was time to take the plunge into our real passion: financial advising. As Pet Shop Boys, LLC Inc. we’re focused on the trifecta of financial planning, retirement preparedness, and investment portfolios. There’s a lot of opportunities—as we know all too well!—and if there aren’t, you can make them. 

To gear up for our webinar, we’ve compiled a Greatest Hits of financial tips from some of our most popular singles, whose fiscal insights have passed the test of time from Reaganomics to today. Read on. 

1. “Opportunities” (1985)

“I’ve got the brains you’ve got the looks / Let’s make lots of money / You’ve got the brawn I’ve got the brains /  Let’s make lots of money / Oh if you know when to take them you know / There’s a lot of opportunities if there aren’t you can make them make or break them /  Ask yourself this question: do you want to be rich?”

Our early entrepreneurially-spirited enterprise began with three things:

1. Brains
2. Looks
3. Brawn

Sure, it sounded like a simple proposition. For most portfolios, we acknowledge that “looks” and “brawn” are transitory and carry too much risk. But “brains”? Now we’re talking. Why not consider stable short-term bonds, or low-risk investments grouped together, to gain diversification without taking on too much risk? 

2. “What Have I Done To Deserve This” (1987)
“I only wanted a job / I’ve always worked for my living / How am I gonna get through? /  I come here looking for money (got to have it)”

Our singles were soaring up the US and UK charts, but deep down, we were feeling the pang of financial anxiety. Making music was our way of synthesizing (if you’ll pardon the pun) creative satisfaction with fiscal gains. Today, we recognize that being an Independent Contractor (IC) or a member of the creative class rarely offers the stability that many are looking for. We often recommend that our clients take an alternating approach, and seek out intermittent full-time employment (with matching 401K contributions) to build up savings whenever possible. 

3. “Rent” (1987)

“You buy me things, I love it / You buy whatever I need / We never ever argue, we never calculate / The currency we’ve spent / I love you, you pay my rent”

We know that renting is rarely as sound of a financial endeavor as owning. But in 1987 (much like today), owning property in desirable cities like London or New York City was nearly impossible for individuals without generational wealth. A sound investment for our anonymous financier would be to own the building—as well as continue to pay our rent—to increase their ROI. Lesson learned here: own if you can, but if you must rent, there are definite advantages to having it paid by a benefactor or patron. Best-case scenario is someone that buys you things, pays your rent, and never argues, a position we’re currently looking to fill (interested candidates can apply using the Contact Us form on our website). 

4. “Shopping” (1987)

“We’re buying and selling your history / Our gain is your loss, that’s the price you pay / I heard it in the House of Commons: everything’s for sale / We’re S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G, we’re shopping / Ah ah ah, ah ah ah, ah ah ah, ah ah”

Each and every one of us are operating in late-stage capitalism. It’s like the old saying goes: you gotta spend money to make money. We certainly understand the occasional “retail therapy” spending spree—without online shopping, how else would we have acquired this incredible collection of oversized hats and coats? 

5. “Love, Etc.” (2009)

“Don’t have to have your Daddy paying the bills / You need more than a big blank cheque to be a lover or a gulfstream jet to fly you door to door / Don’t have to be a big bucks Hollywood star / Don’t have to drive a supercar to get far / Don’t have to live a life of power and wealth” 

We were at the pinnacle of our careers, with a healthy investment portfolio after three decades of selling records and merch. But it was also the tail end of The Great Recession, which impacted the bottom line for everyone. Today, we see parallels in the current market in terms of volatility. Key take-aways here:

1. Financial entanglement between family members should rely on contracts to mitigate risk, however, we fully endorse the “Daddy” (by blood, or otherwise) method of bill pay (see also “Rent”).
2. A big blank cheque, if endorsed, can actually get you pretty far, especially in this economy (we recommend watching the Disney flick Blank Check for one such scenario).
3. Despite being glorified status symbols, vehicles such as gulfstream jets and supercars aren’t usually wise investments, as they tend to rapidly depreciate in value. 

We look forward to your attendance at our upcoming webinar! One final note: there will be a Q&A after the event, however please refrain from the frequently-asked question (“Did you ever work in a pet shop?”), as it is answered on our brokerage site.

There are a LOT of opportunities to make LOTS of money. Ask yourself this question: DO YOU WANT TO BE RICH?

Sincerely,

Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe,
CFP®, ChFC®, Financial Advisors, Paraplanners
Pet Shop Boys, LLC Inc.

NOTE: Pet Shop Boys webinar Let’s Make Lots of Money is not a substitute for professional financial advice, nor does this email registration create a financial advisor relationship.