I was absent for the most part of trading today.  Reason being for an orthodontic appointment for my 9 year old son.  If any of you are familiar with major dentistry fixes (crowns, bridges, etc.) or are familiar with orthodontics you will know that they don’t come cheap.  Now if you have a high-end insurance, yes maybe, but for the frequency of these procedures and what you pay for the insurance that cost can be argued.  Anyway, I took my son to the dentist about 1.5 months ago and he recommended that he be seen by an orthodontist.

This did not surprise me as I had messed up teeth when I was younger and had to get 4 teeth extracted just to get braces (crowding).  So looking at my sons teeth through the years I knew this call was coming.  Needless to say it is not a cheap procedure and I remember taking the monthly check to the orthodontist when I was younger.

But here is the problem.  Even though I notice that his teeth are a little messed up, he notices it too. He tells me that he does not like to smile because of his teeth.  Now as a parent, how could this not crush you?  I could not imagine any parent out there that would not be upset by this thought as any parent loves to see their kid smile.  With the thoughts from my kid and advice from the orthodontist  needless to say he will be getting braces.

When I researched the cost of braces and what my father paid 15 years ago, the damn price has not changed that much.  I couldn’t really imagine the price being the same but upon research it depends upon region and competition.  Right now I do live in a non-competitive region but this also is similar to the area where I got them 15 years ago.  But hell you would think through the years they may become cheaper.   In the end it is an “oh-well” decision and I just want to see my kid have that confidence to smile.  Also I was told that the braces would not be put on for at least 2-3 years (as permanent teeth still need to come in) so if I could not save that money then that is my fault as I know the demand right now.

So how is this trading related?  During the process I asked the orthodontist if I could lock in a price now with a agreed down payment and cost.  He laughed and said sorry I can’t do that at the time as they may become cheaper or more expensive.  Understandable from a business perspective, but I was just trying to make a trade.  As an options trader you know what I was getting at and this is exactly what options are applying to real life.  So was this trade unrecoverable in a monetaty sense…yes, but in a parents perspective it is priceless.

A great solo by Cliff Burton:

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