What is a portfolio and do I really need one? A portfolio is simply a group of investments held by an investor. It's a very carefully chosen selection of businesses and generally, yes; it's a good idea to have one. Let look at it this way. Imagine that you owned an umbrella shop. If it didn't rain for several weeks, you would make no sales at all and therefore, you would make no money. If your shop sold umbrellas as well as wellington boots,...more
If you don't have much Blackjack experience, it can be daunting stepping up to the tables for a game. You can, however, hide the fact of your inexperience very simply by remembering these straightforward rules. (Note - the rules of BlackJack will differ from area to area and from casino to casino, but the general principles are the same. When in doubt, ask!). A typical BlackJack table seats a dealer and up to 7 players. Starting with the dealer,...more
Investing in the stock market is not purchasing a stock at 25 dollars a share, hoping it will go to 35 so you can sell it, then hoping it will drop back to 25 so you can buy it back, so that you can sell it again at 35, and so on and so forth. In my opinion, that is gambling. And, I would imagine, some would believe that ANY investment in the stock market is gambling. So, for the sake of argument, let's assume that every investment in the stock market is a gamble (whether you're trading in and out of a stock position or a long-term investor). If every investment in the stock market is a gamble, then, how does the investor/gambler stack the odds in their favor? What are the right investment choices for the right reason that will stack the odds in favor of the individual investor, to receive a return worth the gamble? What is the RIGHT reason, and what are the RIGHT choices to make when investing/gambling in the stock market when looking for a return better than a passbook savings account, a CD, Bond or Mutual Fund? The right reason to invest/gamble in the stock market, believe it or not, is not to make a profit! That's right! The right reason to invest/gamble in the stock market is...more
Part One in a Five Part SeriesImagine what a professional football team would be like without a regimen of practice drills? Now take away their playbook and player statistics. What you have in this extreme scenario are highly talented (and perhaps overpaid) individuals participating in organized chaos. They might actually win a game or two, but in...more
No more working for the same company for fifty years. Freelance work is becoming more and more prominent. On-line you can find work or someone to do a job. Check out www.guru.comThe world sure is changing, and if you look at job employment you will see what I mean. Let's just go back to our grandparent's generation, even though I'm sure if we went...more
One of the first lessons that "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" teaches is about understanding and controlling fear and greed. Many people go to work and work hard not to learn more and to grow, but out of fear that they won't have enough money to pay their bills. So early in their lives they form the pattern of: Get up Go to work Pay their bills Get up Go to work Pay their bills Sound familiar?Then when they get more money, rather than using it to purchase assets that will increase their future income, they spend it on luxuries (which Rich Dad calls "doodads")...Things get worse when they start borrowing money to buy more doodads or just to survive. When they get the new credit card or the new loan, uncontrolled desire sets in and they begin buying more than they should. They become very good at accumulating doodads and debts rather than cash producing assets. Then when the bills come in, fear sets in and they feel the need to go to worknot because they enjoy what they do or to increase their knowledge, but because they are afraid of not having enough money. This is the rat race. Living (if you want to call it that) from paycheck to paycheck.So, if you want to get control of and...more
Public relations changes minds in the process of delivering what business, non-profit and association managers need more than almost anything else - the kind of key stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving their managerial...more
Thinking of starting your own online business? Or, have you tried a business before and it never got off the ground?Last October I was looking on the Internet for ideas about getting rid of unpleasant odors from the house when I stumbled onto SFI...more
As a business owner, I've had staff come and go over the years: some have done extremely well, and others not so well. During the time I was involved in running my business, I found some weaknesses in myself that tremendously affected things that...more
Are workers telling the truth when they say they are ill? This question was posed on the Money Programme on BBC Television in December 2004. British Bosses are reporting that more and more of their staff appear to be skiving off with faked illnesses...more
American CEOs are dropping like flies. Boards, armed with new federal rules and stock exchange requirements coming in the wake of the corporate scandals of the past few years, are getting rid of underperforming CEOs at record rates. This trend is...more
Global Insight, a leading economic and financial forecasting company, (formerly DRI-WEFA), states that all levels of government (federal, state, and local) should see steady increases in the purchases of goods and services through the year...more