26Dec 2009 by stanley No Comments

Quote: Removing Waste

investing
<?php quote("Any healthy system needs a way to correct error and remove waste. Nature has extinction, the economy has loss, bankruptcy, liquidation. Interfering in this process lengthens feedback loops. Error and waste are allowed to accumulate, and you ultimately get a massive collapse.", "ROBIN GOLDWYN BLUMENTHAL", "in Barrons") ?>
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30Jul 2009 by stanley No Comments

Trading Housing Market

investing
In the July 20th issue of Fortune, there is an interesting article on Case and Shiller. Mr. Shiller recently launched two products that "let investors make a pure directional bet on home prices."If you expect home prices to rise, buy Up Metro Market (), if you expect it to go down, buy Down Metro Market ().I'm interested in seeing how it performs.
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28Jul 2009 by stanley No Comments

My Notes from The Bogleheads's Guide to Investing

investing
I just finished reading TheBogleheads' Guide to Investing. It's an interesting book. Excellent forbeginning investors. It's loaded with lots of practical, common sense, advice.Did I learn anything? I learned a few things fromthis book. Here are my notes. Investing Forum: VanguardDiehards Forum on Morningstar.comAvailable on Morningstar.com -> Discuss -> Vanguard Diehards I plan to sign up. It does cost$5. But from the authors' perspective, it's a good resource for like-mindedinvestors that believe in indexing, saving, spending carefully. I considermyself a Boglehead. Some GoodTips Choose and live a soundfinancial lifestyle. We need to pay off our credit card debt, establish anemergency fund, get our spending under control, and most importantly, learn howto live below our means. Start to save early and investregularly. Indexing via low-cost mutualfunds is a strategy that will, over time, most likely outperform the vastmajority of strategies. Costsmatter. Taxes…
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02May 2009 by stanley 1 Comment

Sell in May?

My Notes, My Stock Picks
Sell in May, buy in November?It's a technique that's proven to yield good results. I wrote about it in 2007, see Sell in May, Buy Back in November.Last year, the biggest losses were in that period. This year, I think it might be similar. Over the past couple of weeks, the stock market rebounded a great deal. I feel that stocks might be overvalued. Too fast too soon -- that's my general feeling. I've sold several of my stocks recently. It's not only because of this rule. I want to simplify my investing. I want to own companies that I know (TJX, PHG,NOK,F,CSCO,VZ are some that I'm sticking with). I want to own less stocks and more ETFs. I'm going to test the impact of this rule, though. I have…
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26Jun 2008 by stanley No Comments

Betting on Stock Market Downturn

Tips & Advice
It's not easy to be in the stock market in the past few days and weeks. I had a feeling that the stock market recovered a bit too high too soon. I should have capitalized on that. How? By betting that it will correct itself. How do you do that? By "shorting," which is a way to make money when a stock goes down: you're basically betting that a stock will go down, and when it does, you make money. I just discovered that there are now ETFs designed specifically for that purpose. That's a very good investor's resource, in my opinion. Here are a few ETFs that do the "shorting" for you:ProShares Ultrashort () - rewards a fall in the Nasdaq;Proshares Ultrashort S&P 500 ()- rewards a fall in…
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27Aug 2007 by stanley No Comments

Some technology ETFs; CLUB

My Stock Picks
Being well diversified is the key to long-term investing. If you were not, you probably learned from the recent correction. I began moving towards big, dividend paying, safe companies for some time. As a result, my portfolio is in good shape after the correction. The fact is, though, the economy is slowing and might even go through a recession. It doesn’t mean that there are no good picks. Actually, the best time to buy is during market downturns. Here are some of the stocks and ETF that I’m currently looking at. I think technology is a good place to be in the near future. There is decent growth and the stocks do not look overpriced. I am going to have to pick on technology oriented ETF and invest in it.…
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26Jun 2007 by stanley No Comments

Good Stock: Life Time Fitness

My Notes
Americans are getting heavier. That's a fact. Companies that deal with that will benefit. Which companies? Good question.Life Time Fitness (, $53), is a "Lexus experience for Toyota price. This is a health-club chain, where members for about $60/month enjoy amenities usually reserved for facilities that charge a lot more: wood panel rocker rooms, yoga, Pilates, pools, care, and day-care centers, and more. They currently operate in Minnesota and Texas, but are expanding to Georgia, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City areas.ReferenceKiplinger's, March 2007 issueRelatedNautilus (), Bowlex maker
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15Jun 2007 by stanley No Comments

Clean Energy ETF

My Notes
PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy ()It looks to me like an interesting ETF. I see a lot of activity in the clean energy area, a lot of talk. It looks to me that clean energy is the future and things are starting to happen there."PBW holds 40 companies specializing in the production of clean energy, such as wind and solar power, and hydrogen fuel cells." - Kiplinger's
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