The Lifelong Learner
:: Do what you can, with what you have, where you are -Roosevelt ::
The Lifelong Learner
:: Do what you can, with what you have, where you are -Roosevelt ::
I like Vanguard as a company. I have been with them for a couple of years now. I like what they offer: both, in terms of fund selection, and in terms of the services they offer.
Why would I want to invest in Vanguard funds? First, they give you a good selection. And second, you can put your investments on auto pilot: you can actually do dollar-cost averaging at no cost!
So far, I have invested in 2 funds at Vanguard (NJ Tax-Free Fund; and S&P Index Fund). Every month, $50 gets automatically invested into each of them from my bank account. I really like that.
The downside? There is usually a $3K minimum investment for each of the funds. (It would be great if it was $1K.)
I am planning to shift some of my money from my brokerage account into Vanguard. Like I said, having an auto pilot is a very good benefit for me.
Here are some of the funds at Vanguard that I find interesting (besides the 2 I own). You can take a look at all of them at https://flagship.vanguard.com/VGApp/hnw/FundsByTypeSec
Taxable Short-Term Bond
Average annual return: 4.96% (1 year) 3.68% (5 year) 5.13% (10 year)
Balanced
Average annual return: 9.79% (1 year) 8.63% (5 year) 8.94% (10 year)
60% bonds; 40% stocksAverage annual return: 10.69% (1 year) 7.26% (5 year) 8.51% (10 year)
32% bonds; 65% stocksAverage annual return: 12.85% (1 year) 9.04% (5 year) 9.52% (10 year)Negative: 10K initial investment required
Domestic Stock – General
Average annual return: 17.84% (1 year) 7.56% (5 year) 6.84% (10 year)
Average annual return: 17.19% (1 year) 10.90% (5 year) 9.89% (10 year)
International/Global Stock
Average annual return: 18.94% (1 year) 18.05% (5 year) 9.67% (10 year)
Average annual return: 19.64% (1 year) 17.41% (5 year) 8.15% (10 year)
Average annual return: 19.12% (1 year) 17.94% (5 year) 12.50% (10 year)
Here are my current holdings in the beginning of 2007. My strategy now is still go with a defensive lineup and also diversify more internationally. I also decreased my position in energy. I’m going to stick to my strategy and even increase my exposure to ETFs and opt for less risk than investing in individual stocks.
: $68: A giant that’s beaten up a bit. Should recover. Quality stock..
: $36: Quality company with good management. Diversified. Looks cheap.
: My recent addition. Company makes good products, moves into more healthy oriented products. Good international player.
: Panasonic makes the best plasmas and cameras. Good growth potential.
: It’s beaten down now but a quality company with very good growth potential.
: One of the biggest and beaten down. Good pipeline.
: I believe content is the king and will eventually provide the most value. I’m losing my patience with AOL and I might unload in the near future.
: I’m still optimistic about the fiber rollout. The best wireless provider.
: I think Yahoo is cheap compared to Google. Good search technology. Very good growth potential. Cheap.
: The biggest energy player. Safe bet.
My current ETFs
: It slowed down recently but still a good diverifier.
: Recommended by S&P, good diversified holding.
: Recommended by S&P. A lot of potential growth.
: Japan is recovering. Recommended by S&P.
: Telecom is a good defensive sector.
: Recommended by S&P.
: I am a big fan of companies that keep increasing their dividents. This ETF is focusing on that.
: Similar story to SDY, divident focused with a little different lineup.
: Over the years, the S&P index beats most of the funds.
: Is energy ever going to go down? Probably, but not anytime soon it looks like.
: Baby boomers are starting to retire. Health care has very good growth potential.
: Even in a slow economy, people still need to buy everyday products. Good defensive player.
: I hold it because it’s recommended by S&P. I do think that diversification in bonds is imporant.
: Recommended by S&P.
Whoa, that took me some time. I have 3-5% in most of these, with around 7% for the S&P Index.
My goal this year is to read/listen to 10-20 non technical books (and 10-15 technical books). Last year, I was able to listen to 13 books, My 2006 Book List. I don’t have too much time to actually read non-technical books so I use most of my commute time to listen to audio books. It’s a great use of down time. Use it as the learning time. 
What do I want to read/listen this year? I love autobiographies, so I’ll probably listen to couple of those. I also like a motivation book from time to time. History books? Yes, I actually like them. I learned a lot about how America was founded by listening to autobiographies of the founding fathers. Good stuff.
What are the best books I listened to last year? There are three that stand out: Authentic Leadership, Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton.
As I said before, I don’t buy audio books any more. I rent them from my local library for free.
I love to learn and reading is a great way to learn.
The 12 Questions That Matter
Marcus Buckingham’s research revealed that a “vibrant workplace” requires that people within an organization or work unit can provide compelling answer to the following 12 questions. These 12 questions are important in determining whether people are engaged, not engaged, or actively disengaged at work.1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials and equipment that I need in order to do my work right?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the past seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission or purpose of my company make me feel that my job is important?
9. Are my coworkers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?
11. In the past six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
12. This past year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?
Reference
Your Boss Has an Attitude Problem, The Practice of Leadership blog
First, Break All The Rules: What The Worlds Greatest Managers Do Differently, Marcus Buckingham
Another great piece as part of the Leadership Wired newsletter.
Qualities independent of talent which, when practiced, add value to others and ourselves:
TeachabilityThe desire to listen, learn, and apply is not innate, but when cultivated, it aids the growth and development of a leader.
Successful people view learning differently than those who are less successful. For successful leaders, learning is as necessary as breathing. They crave knowledge and seek it out through books, conferences, conversations, and evaluated experiences. The unsuccessful person is burdened by learning, and prefers to walk down familiar paths. Their distaste for learning stunts their growth and limits their influence.
Initiative
Initiative is the inner drive that propels leaders to achieve great dreams. American founding father, Benjamin Franklin, held to the following maxim about initiative: “To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.” Leaders with initiative have an eagerness to make things happen. They have a positive restlessness that prevents them from being content with average.
Passion
A person of passion will move mountains to see their dream come to fruition. Passion long outlasts talent for a leader in pursuit of a vision.
Courage
We need courage to seek the truth when we know it may be painful. We need courage to change when it’s easier to remain comfortable. We need courage to express our convictions when others challenge us. We need courage to learn and grow, especially when doing so exposes our weaknesses. We need courage to take the high road when others treat us badly, and lastly, we need courage to lead when being in front makes us an easy target for criticism.
ReferenceLeadership Wired – November 2006
I’m a goal oriented person, no question about it. I write and re-write my goals constantly. I think it’s a great way to develop your vision; a great way to see yourself into the future; and a great way to continuously improve.
There are some additional things I started doing lately…
First, I started writing a journal. A personal journal. No you cannot see it. A lot of successful people keep journals. And they had kept journals long way back. It’s a great way to let out your feelings. It’s a great way to reflect on what you did. It’s a great way to remind yourself what you learned today — I call it a learning log. It’s a great way to become a better writer. I recommend you start. I have an online blog, which I password protected. I think it’s important that it is private — you have to free your mind completely. I think you can find a free service that let’s you create a private blog; if not, buy a regular notebook.
Second, I’m really enjoying checking off my daily goals at JoesGoals.com. It’s a very simple application: you define your daily goals, and you check them off throughout the day. There is something special about doing things this way. When I check off a goal, I feel good. I can also progress I made last week. Check it out.
That’s it for now. I know that if you want to become better… you have to do new things or improve the things you are doing. Writing out your goals and keeping a journal is a good way to continuously improve.
Cheers to frugal living! Excellent set of tips on how to live within your means. We tend to forget that.
Reference102 Personal Finance Tips Your Professor Never Taught You, Your Credit Advisor blog
Who does not want to lead an interesting life? The question is, not if, but how? Scott H. Young has a very good entry on the subject, Nine Steps Towards a More Interesting Life.
So here’s how you can lead a more interesting life (explained in more detail in the article):
In one of the comments, somebody else recommended “Travel,” which I also think is a great way to make your life more interesting.
Overall, a great dose of advice. Interesting article.
ReferenceNine Steps Towards a More Interesting Life, Scott H Young
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.”); ?>
Great leadership article. I’ve extracted some excerpts.
By nature, leaders are decision-makers. The more influential the leader, the more consequential their decisions will be. Leaders are out in front because they have proven their ability to choose the appropriate course of action when faced with big decisions.However, when a leader begins to rely solely on personal observation and intuition, that leader is headed for trouble. Even the wisest among us has a limited perspective, and we will miss important decision-making clues if we become entirely self-reliant.
In this edition of LW, I am indebted to the brilliant thought of Dr. Saj-nicole A. Joni in her book, The Third Opinion. An extremely well-written text, The Third Opinion makes the case for the value of outside insight to the performance of a leader. In her book, Dr. Joni identifies four signs that the time is right to consult decision-making advice.
• When multiple decisions need to be made, and you don’t have the required amount of time to focus fully on each one.
• When the implications of the decision are far-reaching, and you know your organization will be in serious trouble if you don’t do the right thing.
• When you lack the expertise to tackle the issue on your own, regardless of whether you have the time.
• When you are capable of taking action, but you know the decision will be better off if you consult the experiences and insights of someone else.
ReferenceREACH OUT AND ASK SOMEONE, Leadership Wired, Dr. John C. Maxwell
