Am I really an effective learner? Just so we’re clear and in context, that’s one of my goals. I want to learn to remember. And the only way I know how to do that is if I do something with that information. But what? I can write about it. That’s #1. I should, as being an active blogger is one of my goals as well. I should read more than one reference on the subject. That’s #2. Reading mutliple books, articles on the subject makes the knowledge deeper. And finally, to seal the deal, I should apply the knowledge. That’s…
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I have a new hobby. It’s an expensive one. It takes time — long time if you want to perfect it. Digital photography is my new hobby. I’m already fairly deep into it. I bought my first camera, Canon Xsi, a few years ago. But I wasn’t doing much with it… taking pictures and viewing them in Picasa. Nothing else. Pictures were good, but I didn’t really understand what the features on the camera mean. But then, somehow, I came across a few books on digital photography. I think it was while browsing at a B&N. by Bryan Peterson was…
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I had a blog dedicated to investing that got quite stale — no updates and no visitors. I decided to take some of the most valuable entries in there and merge it with this blog under a new category Investing. P.S. I want to put more focus on this blog in the near future.
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Barron’s has a lead article titled “Invest in Japan.” What do you think? Time to jump in after the huge tragedy? From my own experience, tragedies are one of the best times to jump in. Take 9/11, quick slide, nice and quick recovery. Will Japan be the same? Nobody really knows, especially with the current level of uncertainty. If you do want to invest, as I’m thinking about it, I think investing in ETFs is the smart way to go. Exchange-Traded Funds Ticker Currency FXY CurrencyShares Japanese Yen Trust JYN Barclays iPath JPY/USD JYF WisdomTree Dreyfus Japanese Yen Stocks EWJ…
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I try to do this every year. I compile a list of products that I cannot live without. These are products I use every day. My favorites. Kindle It’s not only a Kindle reader, it’s the Kindle books I can read on my Droid X, on my Mac, at work, on the train. It’s everywhere and I love it. Droid X I got it this year as I switched jobs and we no longer have a Blackberry. I love it. I love the 4.3” screen. Love how fast it is. Camera could be better, some other things could be better…
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When you’re trying to get something done, checking email is a distraction. A big one. It disturbs your focus. Still, it’s very easy to get into a habit where you keep checking it. Constantly. Every couple of minutes. Maybe even more often. I’ve done it. Don’t you think it’s a time waster? I do. I know you do as well. It’s a habit that “creeps” on me from time to time. I have ways to manage it, but it’s easily broken when I’m expecting something. Or for some other, X, reason. Or when I don’t feel like doing work. Whatever.…
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While at the Barnes & Noble today, I got drawned in by a title in US World & Reports: The 100 Best Mutual Funds for the Long Run. Sure enough, I found a few funds that I think are top quality. Large Cap Value Comparing it to Fidelity Contrafund, which is considered one the top funds, I can see why Yacktman is on top: 3 year return of 8.9% is much better than -0.2% for the Fidelity fund. Foreign Large Cap Blend Very good returns. Better than Marsico Global, also a top rated fund. Very good returns.
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In my retirement accounts, I only hold Mutual Funds. Why? More security. More diversity. I’m also open to holding ETFs, which are almost like Mutual Funds, but I try to stay away from stocks. It’s good to rebalance every year or so. It’s been a while since I’ve done it. But because we had a decent dip recently, I think it might be a good time for me to do so. Plus, I have come across some excellent Mutual Funds in the Kiplinger’s magazine — I always try to buy their yearly issue focused on Mutual Funds. Here are some…