Tortured Poets Department: 5 valuable money lessons from Taylor Swift’s new album

I’m singing along with ‘Who’s afraid of little ole me!’ with a special emphasis on the following line, ‘You!’ , knowing that millions of Taylor Swift’s fans are singing along somewhere at the same time as I. The album Tortured Poets Department was released not five days ago and already is a runaway hit. You don’t have to be a Swiftie to understand how amazing this album is, how it resonates with women of all ages.

So the question is, does a smart investor need to care about the multi record breaking, American singer songwriter who seems to be unstoppable? How do you join the worldwide band of ‘Swifties’ after so many years of missing out on her music even though you are reading this for money lessons?

Tortured Poets Department is an album every investor goes through: You get attached to a financial instrument, go through a halcyon period, and then get betrayed and wish to seek revenge. And if you are looking at revenge so you can win at making money, read on!Also Read: Baby Reindeer on Netflix: Unveiling the hidden money lessons every viewer needs

Say ‘I’m gonna get you back’ now!

If you have teenagers at home, they will tell you that this song sounds like Olivia Rodriguez’s ‘Get Him Back’. But pay attention to the words here: Whether I’m going to be your wife/ or I’m gonna break your bike/ I haven’t decided yet/ But I’m going to get you back.

A smart investor knows how important it is to have a backup plan because you know how financial markets can see downturns. When a bear mauls you suddenly, then you cannot turn your tail and run. Stop and think. You always have an option where you can ‘break his bike’. Your goal is clear: you need to have that success back.

Sing, ‘I can do it with a broken heart’ to be inspired

Is this a heartbreak song about her relationship with the British lad Matt Healy, or is it about the innate strength of ‘Tay Tay’, a world heartthrob? ‘I’m so depressed/ I act like it’s my birthday every day’ she sings, also saying, ‘I cry a lot/ but I’m so productive/ It’s an act’

If a young singer can speak about working through a heartbreak and finding inner strength to carry on, then what’s stopping you – a savvy investor – to learn from your mistakes, pull yourself together to succeed again?!Also Read: Ajay Devgn starrer ‘Maidaan’: 3 key money lessons investors can learn from coach SA Rahim

No more, ‘I can fix him/ (I really can)’

So many people we know get into relationships, even marry those bad boys who sweet talk them and then dump them (as she sang in her earlier song: I’m an Aston Martin that you steered straight into the ditch/ Then ran and hid). Most people carry that delusion that they can fix the worst mistakes of their lives somehow. You believe that your love can change the nature of these folk who are so wrong for you.

Let’s say you invested in your friend’s firm, or a stock everyone told you was wrong for you. When the stock begins to fail, and as a smart investor you know that this little snowball is going downhill is going to turn into an avalanche, burying you under it, will you accept defeat or like Taylor sing, ‘They shake their heads saying’, “God, help her”/ When I tell ’em he’s my man’ and not face your mistake? Just like bad boys, some mistakes cannot be fixed. You need to take your losses on your chin and move on.

Escape to ‘Florida!!!’

I am sure you watched many American crime shows where people commit crimes and then escape to Florida, or know that people who are done working retire to Florida drinking Pina Coladas all day and wait for the sun to set. In this song Taylor Swift sings, ‘I need to forget/ Take me to Florida’.

When people lose their life savings or a job, they always believe that running back to where their parents have retired is some sort of bravado. They will tell you they have moved back because they are going to take care of the elderly parents. You know it’s an excuse. But you’re smarter. You have invested carefully and even have a backup plan. If at all your world comes crashing down, you know you are prepared to start over again and again without becoming a burden on your parents.Also Read: From screen scares to financial savvy: Extracting 3 hidden money lessons from The First Omen

‘Down Bad’ is reality. Face it!

‘Did you really beam me up/ In a cloud of sparkling dust/ Just to do experiments on?/ Tell me I was the chosen one/ Show me that this world is bigger than us/ Then send me back where I came from’, Taylor Swift sings, and as a die-hard fan you know she’s talking about the super non-committal boyfriend Matt Healy.

Haven’t you too been distracted by smart presentations, fancy catalogues of benefits, the list of achievements of boards of directors and attractive financial plans when the company is trying to woo you into investing. You are mostly smart, scratching beneath the surface of these promises and know how to prevent yourself from falling so hard that you cannot recover.

Thankfully, Taylor Swift too does not wallow in her defeat, but writes a superb song about saying goodbye to London and then writing about it all in this wonderful poetic album that makes references to a punk legend Patti Smith, poet Dylan Thomas, Stevie Nicks, Greek mythology. This album title also has grammar scholars arguing about whether it’s an attributive noun or a possessive noun. But hey, ‘Everything’s fair in love and poetry!’Manisha Lakhe is a poet, film critic, traveller, founder of Caferati — an online writer’s forum, hosts Mumbai’s oldest open mic, and teaches advertising, films and communication. She can be reached on Twitter at @manishalakhe.