It is time to rethink about investing strategies. It is time to seriously consider precious metals investing.
Most of us are comfortable with paper assets.
That means we know about buying stocks and buying bonds, in addition to keeping our money in the bank.
However, the volatility of the stock market makes paper asset riskier than before. We need to read the annual report, and pay attention to the announcement.
We fear insider trading and the manipulation of stock price. We hope that the company does not make any stupid decision and lose money for us.
Buying government bond is traditionally viewed as a risk free investment. However, looking at the way the US government manages its budget, we wonder how the US government is going to get out of debt.
The fall in Dollar is a sign of poor management on the part of the government. That is we should question ourselves just how risk free is the government bond.
Since the risk free asset (government bond) is guaranteed by the government which does not know how to balance the budget, it is not that risk free.
That is why the attention of investors turn to precious metals investing.
The price of both gold and silver is an indication of investing and speculating.
If nobody wants to invest in gold and silver, the price will stay constant.
However, the declining purchasing power of the Dollar strikes fear in the heart of many people worldwide.
Physical assets are assuring. The government is not. The declining purchasing power of the Dollar is certainly not assuring.
Investing in physical asset such as precious metals is less cumbersome than investing in real estate. It is easier to sell gold and silver than to sell an apartment.
After all, all you need to do is to post the advertisement in Ebay and Craiglist, and then ship the gold bar or silver bar to the buyer. You do not need to engage lawyer for the transaction. You do not need the service of the accountant to calculate the taxable amount.
You cannot do the same thing for an apartment.
Diversification is good when you diversify across different asset classes.
If you have the bulk of your cash in the bank, it is time for you to take the cash out, invest in the stock market, precious metals and real estate.
Precious metal investing is easier than buying stocks. You do not have to read annual report. You do not need to worry that the company pays a few million dollars to the useless CEO. You do not have to worry about insider trading and price manipulation.
It takes more people to manipulate the international price of gold and silver, than to manipulate the price of a particular stock.
That is why many people participate in precious metals investing. Some people buy jewelries. Some people buy gold bars. Some people participate in Exchange Traded Fund. Some people open a precious metal account with the banks.
How high will the price of Gold and Silver reach? Nobody knows.
The short term pricing is rather volatile. In the long term, as in the foreseeable five years, the price of gold and silver should rise.
One important factor is the declining value of US Dollar. If the dollar keeps declining in value, the price of Gold and Silver will continue to rise.
Only when the USD appreciates against the major currencies of the world, then we can expect a gradual decrease in the price of gold and silver.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
My decision to buy silver bullion
After reading Rich Dad’s Increase Your Financial IQ
by Robert Kiyosaki, I decided to do some research into silver.
I find that silver is a very attractive commodity for investment. The price is still affordable for most people, including me.
I know that there are several ways of investing in silver, such as Exchanged Traded Funds, open a silver account with the bank that will use the money to buy the silver, and buy physical silver coins or silver bullion.
After considering the pros and cons of each method, I decided to use all the three approaches. Since I do not have so much money for investment, I decided on buying silver bullion.
The problem is that many mints do not accept orders from us. They have their own retailers.
Another problem is that I stay in Singapore, not United States.
I am very concern with the price of shipping and the insurance cost. I cannot afford to lose the items in transit if the silver bullions are not insured.
After checking online, I decided to buy silver bullion from Scottsdale Silver. I choose the 10 Troy Ounce Academy Silver bars instead of coins.
The price of silver bars follow the international silver spot rate. At the point of purchase, the spot rate of silver is about US$30. I like the feel of physical silver. I have never seen a single silver bar in my life before.
I think my deceased grandparents would be happy if they were still alive. They belonged to the generation which distrusted banks, and trusted only gold and silver. However, they also belonged to the poor peasant group who did not even have enough to eat in their youth.
Scottsdale Silver will send the silver bars to my residence in Singapore. Just too bad I do not stay in United States. The shipping is free if the purchase is over USD500 if you are staying in United States. As for me, shipping is still not free even if the purchase is over a thousand dollars.
Is silver a good investment?
In the long term, it is definitely a good investment. The reason is that silver is a component for industrial sector.
The laptop, TV, cell phone and many other products contain silver. There is a demand of silver from the manufacturers.
The demand of silver for investors is also increasing.
Most of us see the declining value of the Dollar, and decide to hedge against the loss of purchasing power by buying commodities.
Silver is still affordable, unlike the price of gold. The price of gold has made many investors rich. However, that makes it out of reach for many of us.
Is silver a good investment in the short term? It is debatable. There might be a short period of correction, since the price of silver is escalating rapidly.
I just hope that I can catch the price to make the next purchase.
I await eagerly for the shipment of silver to arrive.
If you are staying in the United States, I definitely advise you to invest in a few silver coins and silver bars.
It does not cost a lot to invest in one Troy ounce of silver.
Scottsdale Silver has a free shipping offer for a 1 Troy ounce silver bar. It costs less than US$35 at this moment. Too bad the offer does not apply to international market.
I have to foot the bill of US$45 for the shipping and insurance. This amount of money is more than enough to get an extra ounce of silver.
by Robert Kiyosaki, I decided to do some research into silver.I find that silver is a very attractive commodity for investment. The price is still affordable for most people, including me.
I know that there are several ways of investing in silver, such as Exchanged Traded Funds, open a silver account with the bank that will use the money to buy the silver, and buy physical silver coins or silver bullion.
After considering the pros and cons of each method, I decided to use all the three approaches. Since I do not have so much money for investment, I decided on buying silver bullion.
The problem is that many mints do not accept orders from us. They have their own retailers.
Another problem is that I stay in Singapore, not United States.
I am very concern with the price of shipping and the insurance cost. I cannot afford to lose the items in transit if the silver bullions are not insured.
After checking online, I decided to buy silver bullion from Scottsdale Silver. I choose the 10 Troy Ounce Academy Silver bars instead of coins.
The price of silver bars follow the international silver spot rate. At the point of purchase, the spot rate of silver is about US$30. I like the feel of physical silver. I have never seen a single silver bar in my life before.
I think my deceased grandparents would be happy if they were still alive. They belonged to the generation which distrusted banks, and trusted only gold and silver. However, they also belonged to the poor peasant group who did not even have enough to eat in their youth.
Scottsdale Silver will send the silver bars to my residence in Singapore. Just too bad I do not stay in United States. The shipping is free if the purchase is over USD500 if you are staying in United States. As for me, shipping is still not free even if the purchase is over a thousand dollars.
Is silver a good investment?
In the long term, it is definitely a good investment. The reason is that silver is a component for industrial sector.
The laptop, TV, cell phone and many other products contain silver. There is a demand of silver from the manufacturers.
The demand of silver for investors is also increasing.
Most of us see the declining value of the Dollar, and decide to hedge against the loss of purchasing power by buying commodities.
Silver is still affordable, unlike the price of gold. The price of gold has made many investors rich. However, that makes it out of reach for many of us.
Is silver a good investment in the short term? It is debatable. There might be a short period of correction, since the price of silver is escalating rapidly.
I just hope that I can catch the price to make the next purchase.
I await eagerly for the shipment of silver to arrive.
If you are staying in the United States, I definitely advise you to invest in a few silver coins and silver bars.
It does not cost a lot to invest in one Troy ounce of silver.
Scottsdale Silver has a free shipping offer for a 1 Troy ounce silver bar. It costs less than US$35 at this moment. Too bad the offer does not apply to international market.
I have to foot the bill of US$45 for the shipping and insurance. This amount of money is more than enough to get an extra ounce of silver.
Friday, December 24, 2010
The ironical of critical thinking
People are funny.
They admire those with critical thinking skills, yet they do not encourage their children or their employees to develop critical thinking skills.
One good example is the way parents treat their children.
They know that it is important to encourage their children to ask questions, since asking questions is a sign of development of critical thinking.
They are rather patient when their children start to ask the first Why. When it comes to the second Why, they are still patient.
However, once it gets to the fifth Why, the parents start to get impatient.
They tell their children to go to play or to watch TV.
They are effectively stopping their kids from developing critical thinking skills. As a result, the kids grow up as a normal kid, instead of the bright and smart kids.
The same thing happens in the office environment.
Many bosses say that they want to hire people with critical thinking skills, and they want their employees to take initiative. However, when the employees start to ask questions, the bosses get very impatient.
Some bosses even tell the employees to “just do as I say”.
How are the employees going to develop critical thinking skills if they cannot even ask questions?
If the bosses are wise enough, they will see it as the opportunity to groom the next successor. They should feel happy that their employees take an interest in their decisions, and want to know more about the reasoning behind the decision.
Many of us are great thinkers. The only problem is that our parents, our teachers and the employers stop us from developing to the fullest potential.
Many governments in the world are doing the same thing.
They just want hardworking and obedient people. They do not want people who go to the street to demonstrate their unhappiness over certain policies.
They do not think the common people are smart enough to understand complicated national and international policies. However, they agree that many criminals are smarter than the law enforcement team. That is why the battle against the law breakers is a continuous battle, and in most cases, a losing battle.
If people are not smart enough, they will not produce children who are smart law breakers.
The reason that many people in illegal activities are smart is that of survival sake. The environment encourages them to develop critical thinking skills. Without street smart, they cannot survive.
The best way for a parent to encourage their kids to develop critical thinking is to let them ask questions, then let them find the answers.
The path to find the answers may cause problems for the parents. Their toddlers may put everything into their mouth to taste if it is edible, sweet or sour.
That is the way they learn.
Bosses need to fork out money for the employees to try a certain system. The system may fail, and everyone will learn a lesson from the failed attempt.
However, that is the best way to encourage critical thinking, and to improve employees morale.
They admire those with critical thinking skills, yet they do not encourage their children or their employees to develop critical thinking skills.
One good example is the way parents treat their children.
They know that it is important to encourage their children to ask questions, since asking questions is a sign of development of critical thinking.
They are rather patient when their children start to ask the first Why. When it comes to the second Why, they are still patient.
However, once it gets to the fifth Why, the parents start to get impatient.
They tell their children to go to play or to watch TV.
They are effectively stopping their kids from developing critical thinking skills. As a result, the kids grow up as a normal kid, instead of the bright and smart kids.
The same thing happens in the office environment.
Many bosses say that they want to hire people with critical thinking skills, and they want their employees to take initiative. However, when the employees start to ask questions, the bosses get very impatient.
Some bosses even tell the employees to “just do as I say”.
How are the employees going to develop critical thinking skills if they cannot even ask questions?
If the bosses are wise enough, they will see it as the opportunity to groom the next successor. They should feel happy that their employees take an interest in their decisions, and want to know more about the reasoning behind the decision.
Many of us are great thinkers. The only problem is that our parents, our teachers and the employers stop us from developing to the fullest potential.
Many governments in the world are doing the same thing.
They just want hardworking and obedient people. They do not want people who go to the street to demonstrate their unhappiness over certain policies.
They do not think the common people are smart enough to understand complicated national and international policies. However, they agree that many criminals are smarter than the law enforcement team. That is why the battle against the law breakers is a continuous battle, and in most cases, a losing battle.
If people are not smart enough, they will not produce children who are smart law breakers.
The reason that many people in illegal activities are smart is that of survival sake. The environment encourages them to develop critical thinking skills. Without street smart, they cannot survive.
The best way for a parent to encourage their kids to develop critical thinking is to let them ask questions, then let them find the answers.
The path to find the answers may cause problems for the parents. Their toddlers may put everything into their mouth to taste if it is edible, sweet or sour.
That is the way they learn.
Bosses need to fork out money for the employees to try a certain system. The system may fail, and everyone will learn a lesson from the failed attempt.
However, that is the best way to encourage critical thinking, and to improve employees morale.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki
This is my reflection after reading Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki.
This book, Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki, is definitely not a how-to book to get rich. It is not even a finance book to help you understand the complicated world of investment.
This book is meant as a wake up call for all of us who are living in our make-believe world, and not in reality.
Robert Kiyosaki tells us that the world is changing. It is no longer a world that rewards honest, hardworking persons who work hard, save hard, and invest in stock market for retirement.
The old model of earning money, saving money and stock market diversification is over. If we are still following the same advice that served our parents well, then we are living in a make-believe world. We are not living in reality.
Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki aims to change our thinking, so that we know what is wrong.
Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki aims to tell us that going against the system never works. We cannot go against the invisible monetary system that makes the world goes round. We do not and cannot bring the demise of a currency.
We have to understand the limitation and the imperfection of the system. We have to know how money flows from one place to another. Once we gain this knowledge, we can make use of the system to get rich.
Is this book practical?
Yes, definitely. It explains so many things that puzzles all of us in times of crisis. It explains the difference between Dollar and Currency. Currency flows.
This helps me to understand the question: When the stock market crashes, trillions of dollars are gone from the stock markets. Where do the money go? The money does not just disappear.
The answer is that currency flows. Money flows. The money flows away from the stock market into commodity or bonds. Money is liquid. Money flows.
This book tells us that governments can create inflation. They do not combat inflation. They simply pump more money into the banking system, so that the prices of everything go up.
That is the magic of printing money out of blue sky.
The governments do not need to print more paper money in order to create more money. They can simply pump more money electronically into the banking system. As a result of such manipulations, the price of everything goes up faster than our salary.
Our salary is the only thing that goes down or stay the same.
If the inflation rate is 6% per year, and assuming that this applies to everything except your salary, the value of your house doubles every 12 years.
It seems great to see the house which you have bought for $100,000 double in value every 12 years.
After 24 years, the house is worth $400,000.
Does this make you feel rich? If you start to feel rich, you are really blind and stupid. The value of the house remains the same. However, the value of money changes. That means you are having less purchasing power.
Will price ever come down? Yes. When that happens, the economy is doomed. We can see it happening in the small towns where jobs are flowing out. The housing market is dead. Nobody wants to move into these towns. There are many empty shops and houses, but nobody wants to buy.
That is why the governments of the world rather print more money than to let the price comes down.
That is the most scary part of reading Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki. Sooner or later, the rich will control everything, and the poor are priced out of affordable housing.
Since the rich are the ones providing all the jobs, all the rental apartments, and houses, the poor do not have a chance, unless they learn the game of the rich.
Even then, it is hard to survive.
The best way to do so is to start a business, and hope the business booms before the rich start to think of ways to kill it.
The next best way is to buy rental apartments in areas which are growing, so that we can gain from cash flow and capital gain.
The problem is that we need knowledge. We need technical knowledge as in financial knowledge. That is hard enough to gain, since it requires hours and hours of learning, and we need to put in practice.
Putting into practice means increasing chances of failure. It is nearly impossible to get rich without some costly failures.
That is why after reading Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki, I feel the fear of the common people.
They know that the world is different, and they fear being priced out of everything. They do not know what to fear. At least I know what to fear, since Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki tells us in very simple words.
Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki is a good worth reading and re-reading. It should strike fear in your heart, while at the same time offers hope that it is possible to get rich, despite the fact that the rich and powerful control the world.
This book, Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki, is definitely not a how-to book to get rich. It is not even a finance book to help you understand the complicated world of investment.
This book is meant as a wake up call for all of us who are living in our make-believe world, and not in reality.
Robert Kiyosaki tells us that the world is changing. It is no longer a world that rewards honest, hardworking persons who work hard, save hard, and invest in stock market for retirement.
The old model of earning money, saving money and stock market diversification is over. If we are still following the same advice that served our parents well, then we are living in a make-believe world. We are not living in reality.
Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki aims to change our thinking, so that we know what is wrong.
Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki aims to tell us that going against the system never works. We cannot go against the invisible monetary system that makes the world goes round. We do not and cannot bring the demise of a currency.
We have to understand the limitation and the imperfection of the system. We have to know how money flows from one place to another. Once we gain this knowledge, we can make use of the system to get rich.
Is this book practical?
Yes, definitely. It explains so many things that puzzles all of us in times of crisis. It explains the difference between Dollar and Currency. Currency flows.
This helps me to understand the question: When the stock market crashes, trillions of dollars are gone from the stock markets. Where do the money go? The money does not just disappear.
The answer is that currency flows. Money flows. The money flows away from the stock market into commodity or bonds. Money is liquid. Money flows.
This book tells us that governments can create inflation. They do not combat inflation. They simply pump more money into the banking system, so that the prices of everything go up.
That is the magic of printing money out of blue sky.
The governments do not need to print more paper money in order to create more money. They can simply pump more money electronically into the banking system. As a result of such manipulations, the price of everything goes up faster than our salary.
Our salary is the only thing that goes down or stay the same.
If the inflation rate is 6% per year, and assuming that this applies to everything except your salary, the value of your house doubles every 12 years.
It seems great to see the house which you have bought for $100,000 double in value every 12 years.
After 24 years, the house is worth $400,000.
Does this make you feel rich? If you start to feel rich, you are really blind and stupid. The value of the house remains the same. However, the value of money changes. That means you are having less purchasing power.
Will price ever come down? Yes. When that happens, the economy is doomed. We can see it happening in the small towns where jobs are flowing out. The housing market is dead. Nobody wants to move into these towns. There are many empty shops and houses, but nobody wants to buy.
That is why the governments of the world rather print more money than to let the price comes down.
That is the most scary part of reading Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki. Sooner or later, the rich will control everything, and the poor are priced out of affordable housing.
Since the rich are the ones providing all the jobs, all the rental apartments, and houses, the poor do not have a chance, unless they learn the game of the rich.
Even then, it is hard to survive.
The best way to do so is to start a business, and hope the business booms before the rich start to think of ways to kill it.
The next best way is to buy rental apartments in areas which are growing, so that we can gain from cash flow and capital gain.
The problem is that we need knowledge. We need technical knowledge as in financial knowledge. That is hard enough to gain, since it requires hours and hours of learning, and we need to put in practice.
Putting into practice means increasing chances of failure. It is nearly impossible to get rich without some costly failures.
That is why after reading Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki, I feel the fear of the common people.
They know that the world is different, and they fear being priced out of everything. They do not know what to fear. At least I know what to fear, since Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki tells us in very simple words.
Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki is a good worth reading and re-reading. It should strike fear in your heart, while at the same time offers hope that it is possible to get rich, despite the fact that the rich and powerful control the world.
Friday, December 17, 2010
For or Against Wikileaks
Many politicians feared Wikileaks.
They thought that whatever they had said in confidence was safe in the hand of the hearers and the respective government agencies.
They thought that their embarrassing remarks about some persons or countries would remain hidden in some dark corner until the exposure by Wikileaks.
This brings us to an interesting question: who should we blame?
Should we blame the founder and employees of Wikileaks? Should we blame the persons who transfer the secured documents in the hands of the Wikileaks? Should we blame the politicians for talking too much and telling too many lies?
In the first place, if the politicians had worked toward the betterment of mankind, and kept their mouth shut about the affairs of other countries, there would not have so many things to leak out.
The leakage of confidential information through Wikileaks probably would not hurt international relationship.
Another factor is in the storage of confidential papers. If the information is too confidential, it probably should not even be stored in the computer.
Everything stored online has the potential of leaking out. Even if the information is stored in paper, there should only be a set or two sets at most. This will ensure the confidentiality of the document.
The governments in the world should think seriously about the internet security and processes. If Wikileaks can find a way to publish these confidential information, that means a thousand other resourceful persons can get hold of the same documents as well. The only question is what they are doing to it?
Not everyone shares the same thoughts as the founder of Wikileaks. Some people may keep the secret papers in order to sell the information to interested parties.
Will Wikileaks disappear for good? The website Wikileaks may disappear for good. However, there is no guarantee that other people will not start a similar website.
The fact is that it is not hard to steal information from the US government, as proven by Wikileaks.
If it is easy to steal information from the US government, it is not hard to steal confidential papers from other governments and reveal to the world at large.
The most important thing is that secrets must not see their ways into print. If printed copies of conversation are not kept, and nobody hears them beside the parties involved, there is simply no way the content of the secret conversation leaks into the cyberspace.
I think Wikileaks serves as a warning to all nations. It is time to reveal processes and procedures for storage of secrets. It is also time to stop talking so much about the affairs of other neighboring countries.
They thought that whatever they had said in confidence was safe in the hand of the hearers and the respective government agencies.
They thought that their embarrassing remarks about some persons or countries would remain hidden in some dark corner until the exposure by Wikileaks.
This brings us to an interesting question: who should we blame?
Should we blame the founder and employees of Wikileaks? Should we blame the persons who transfer the secured documents in the hands of the Wikileaks? Should we blame the politicians for talking too much and telling too many lies?
In the first place, if the politicians had worked toward the betterment of mankind, and kept their mouth shut about the affairs of other countries, there would not have so many things to leak out.
The leakage of confidential information through Wikileaks probably would not hurt international relationship.
Another factor is in the storage of confidential papers. If the information is too confidential, it probably should not even be stored in the computer.
Everything stored online has the potential of leaking out. Even if the information is stored in paper, there should only be a set or two sets at most. This will ensure the confidentiality of the document.
The governments in the world should think seriously about the internet security and processes. If Wikileaks can find a way to publish these confidential information, that means a thousand other resourceful persons can get hold of the same documents as well. The only question is what they are doing to it?
Not everyone shares the same thoughts as the founder of Wikileaks. Some people may keep the secret papers in order to sell the information to interested parties.
Will Wikileaks disappear for good? The website Wikileaks may disappear for good. However, there is no guarantee that other people will not start a similar website.
The fact is that it is not hard to steal information from the US government, as proven by Wikileaks.
If it is easy to steal information from the US government, it is not hard to steal confidential papers from other governments and reveal to the world at large.
The most important thing is that secrets must not see their ways into print. If printed copies of conversation are not kept, and nobody hears them beside the parties involved, there is simply no way the content of the secret conversation leaks into the cyberspace.
I think Wikileaks serves as a warning to all nations. It is time to reveal processes and procedures for storage of secrets. It is also time to stop talking so much about the affairs of other neighboring countries.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Watching TV is a waste of time
Watching TV is a waste of time, and waste of resources.
At a time when everyone is thinking of ways to make more money, and to save more money, it is surprising that nobody tells you to quit watching TV.
If you can spend 4 hours every day watching TV, you are wasting more than 28 hours per week. What do you get out of 28 hours of TV watching?
Do you make more money from TV watching? No. If you had spent the time working overtime or on a part time job, you would have earned a few hundred dollars.
Do you gain knowledge from watching TV? Maybe some of the times, but not all the time.
You do not gain financial knowledge from watching TV. The advertisements entice you to spend money, not to save and invest money.
The more time you spend in front of the box, the more you desire to spend money on nonsense.
You cannot get rich if you watch too much TV.
You cannot get out of debt if you keep the habit of watching TV after a work day. Most of us lead a very dull life. We simply do not know what to do if there is a blackout.
We feel frustrated at the lack of electricity, since we cannot watch TV or play computer games.
It seems that we cannot live without the companionship of the box.
What can you do if you want to get out of debt, and improve your personal finance?
The first way is to read more books about investment and budgeting.
You need to learn how to stretch your dollar. You need to know how to choose quality products so that these products can last a longer time.
You need to know how to eat healthy so that you do not need to give money to the doctors.
You need to know how to invest so that you have enough money to last you till the end of your earthly existence.
You can borrow these books from the library. At the same time, you can use the Internet as the virtual classroom.
When you learn a new technique of investment, you can sign up for free online stock trading demo account, and practice the art of stock selection.
Once you have embarked on the journey to better yourself, you will find that you simply have no time for watching TV.
You start to think of your time in dollar value. If you watch 4 hours of TV, and your hourly rate at work is $20, you imagine the loss of $80. The fact is that if you have spent the time working, you would have earned $80.
$80 does not seem such a large sum of money, until you add up to an annual base. The amount becomes larger when you add in the interest rate.
That is the actual value of time lost on watching TV.
At a time when everyone is thinking of ways to make more money, and to save more money, it is surprising that nobody tells you to quit watching TV.
If you can spend 4 hours every day watching TV, you are wasting more than 28 hours per week. What do you get out of 28 hours of TV watching?
Do you make more money from TV watching? No. If you had spent the time working overtime or on a part time job, you would have earned a few hundred dollars.
Do you gain knowledge from watching TV? Maybe some of the times, but not all the time.
You do not gain financial knowledge from watching TV. The advertisements entice you to spend money, not to save and invest money.
The more time you spend in front of the box, the more you desire to spend money on nonsense.
You cannot get rich if you watch too much TV.
You cannot get out of debt if you keep the habit of watching TV after a work day. Most of us lead a very dull life. We simply do not know what to do if there is a blackout.
We feel frustrated at the lack of electricity, since we cannot watch TV or play computer games.
It seems that we cannot live without the companionship of the box.
What can you do if you want to get out of debt, and improve your personal finance?
The first way is to read more books about investment and budgeting.
You need to learn how to stretch your dollar. You need to know how to choose quality products so that these products can last a longer time.
You need to know how to eat healthy so that you do not need to give money to the doctors.
You need to know how to invest so that you have enough money to last you till the end of your earthly existence.
You can borrow these books from the library. At the same time, you can use the Internet as the virtual classroom.
When you learn a new technique of investment, you can sign up for free online stock trading demo account, and practice the art of stock selection.
Once you have embarked on the journey to better yourself, you will find that you simply have no time for watching TV.
You start to think of your time in dollar value. If you watch 4 hours of TV, and your hourly rate at work is $20, you imagine the loss of $80. The fact is that if you have spent the time working, you would have earned $80.
$80 does not seem such a large sum of money, until you add up to an annual base. The amount becomes larger when you add in the interest rate.
That is the actual value of time lost on watching TV.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Fatal Flaw by William Lashner
I read through Fatal Flaw by William Lashner within two days.Fatal Flaw by William Lashner is a legal thriller, featuring Victor Carl the criminal defense lawyer.
The school mate of Victor Carl, Guy Forrest, is accused of murdering his lover, Hailey Prouix. The problem is that even Victor Carl believes it so. Victor Carl agrees to act for Guy Forrest with the intention to set Guy Forrest up for the death penalty.
Victor Carl is romantically involved with Hailey Prouix as well.
Blinded by his own fatal flaw for Hailey Prouix, Victor Carl nearly sends Guy Forrest to his death. Guy Forrest is really an innocent party. 
When I read the first half of Fatal Flaw by William Lashner, I was angry and disappointed with the stupidity of Victor Carl.
However, the second half of Fatal Flaw by William Lashner is very exciting. Once Victor Carl realizes that Guy Forrest is innocent, Fatal Flaw by William Lashner reaches a turning point.
I like the courtroom scene in Fatal Flaw by William Lashner best of all.
The opening paragraphs for the courtroom scene set the stage for an exciting legal thriller:
“It was a quiet, rain-swept night on Raven Hill Road,” said prosecutor Troy Jefferson in his smooth prosecutor’s voice. “The kids were asleep, the cars were parked in the driveways and by the curb, the houses were dark. Everything was locked up tight, safe and sound. An unlikely night for -”
“Objection, Your Honor.”
I was standing at the defense table, Guy Forrest sitting to my left and Beth, with a white plaster cast on her wrist, sitting to his. Judge Tifaro peered over her half glasses at me. The eyeglass chains hanging from her temples give her pique a schoolmarmish edge. “We’re only on the fourth sentence of Mr Jefferson’s opening, Counsellor. Don’t you think your objection is a bit premature?”
Victor Carl manages to get the real killer to testify in the court proceeding, and clears Guy Forrest of the murder charge.
There are a few outstanding characters in Fatal Flaw by William Lashner.
One is Beth, the partner of Victor Carl. She manages to nail the truth of the murder by pointing out that Hailey Prouix was not the intended victim.
The next is Detective Berger. He guesses the truth about Victor Carl’s involvement with Hailey Prouix.
The third is Phil Skink, the private investigator who knows how to act for a few opposing parties without violating his ethics.
Since Fatal Flaw by William Lashner is a legal thriller on love and money, there are many interesting quotes on love and money:
Quote 1 from Fatal Flaw by William Lashner
“Maybe the only things worth belief are those we can’t see with our eyes, but with our hearts. Maybe that’s what makes belief at all special in the first place.”
Quote 2 from Fatal Flaw by William Lashner
“Maybe it’s time to quit reacting. Maybe it’s time to sit down and stop running from where you are and decide instead where it is exactly you want to go.”
Quote 3 from Fatal Flaw by William Lashner
“There’s no difference. A bit TV. An SUV. Someone new to love. It’s still something outside yourself, so it will never be enough. There is always more to crave, and more and more.”
Quote 4 from Fatal Flaw by William Lashner
“What is love when it is based on myth, on a false image, on the lies we tell ourselves? What is love when the imaged objected of the emotion bears no relation to actuality.”
Quote 5 from Fatal Flaw by William Lashner
“There is inevitably, I suppose, a gap between all we ever wanted and all we ever will have, and that gap can be a source of bitter regret.”
Quote 6 from Fatal Flaw by William Lashner
“What would true lovers need with a hand-carved mahogany bed supporting a canopy of blue silk hanging over all like the surface of the heavens? Such luxury is only for those needing more in their lives than love.”
Quote 7 from Fatal Flaw by William Lashner
“I was ready to lose everything for a hope I now knew was false. I now knew it was false, impossible, ruined already by my own hand, and still I had no choice.”
Quote 8 from Fatal Flaw by William Lashner
“What does a degenerate gambler do when the luck dies and he loses everything, when he knows the tide has turned and he has no chance at all? He doubles the wager and bets his life.”
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Rich in Wits: Saki
Saki (real name was Hector Huge Munro) was a British writer rich in wits. He passed away in 1916 but his short stories continue to enlighten and entertain us. His understanding of human nature was reflected in his writings.
Human nature never changes, that is why his writings are still so enjoyable and so refreshing to read nearly a century after his death.
The copyright for his writings had expired and available for free download at Project Gutenberg.
Below are the excerpts from 3 short stories of Saki, followed by my comments on them:
Excerpts from The Schartz-Metterklume Method
“I wish them not only to be taught,” said Mrs. Quabarl, “but interested in what they learn. In their history lessons, for instance, you must try to make them feel that they are being introduced to the life-stories of men and women who really lived, not merely committing a mass of names and dates to memory. French, of course, I shall expect you to talk at meal-times several days in the week.”
“I shall talk French four days of the week and Russian in the remaining three.”
“Russian? My dear Miss Hope, no one in the house speaks or understands Russian.”
“That will not embarrass me in the least,” said Lady Carlotta coldly.
My comments
Since Mrs Quabarl likes her children to “feel that they are being introduced to the life-stories” of famous men and women, and presumably to experience the historical events. I propose to set alight London today, so that children can have a real-life experience of the Great London fire of 1666.
I am perfectly willing to gather all the children in town to re-enact all the great battles of the world. The resulting bruises and black eyes will keep a lot of children out of mischief for a week. Our dear doctors and nurses will be happy to take care of all the broken bones and whatever other injuries the children sustain.
I suggest to all the husbands reading this article to send your beloved wives to learn Russian. You will appreciate my advice very much when your wife starts to nag in Russian instead of English. Even when your neighbors drop by and hear your wife nags at you non-stop, you will have the same sentiment as Lady Carlotta “That will not embarrass me in the least.”
Excerpts from The Match-Maker
"They say one always pays for the excesses of one's youth; mercifully that isn't true about one's clothes. My mother is thinking of getting married."
"Again!"
"It's the first time."
"Of course, you ought to know. I was under the impression that she'd been married once or twice at least."
"Three times, to be mathematically exact. I meant that it was the first time she'd thought about getting married; the other times she did it without thinking. As a matter of fact, it's really I who am doing the thinking for her in this case. You see, it's quite two years since her last husband died."
My comments
Many women today are still not thinking when they get married. In fact, not just women, men too get married without thinking.
I dare say that many get married with both their eyes blind, both their ears deaf and their brains dead. By the time they start to see, to hear and learn to think, they are getting ready for divorce.
As Saki had correctly pointed out, after the third marriages, they would finally learn to “think” about getting married.
Excerpts from Tobermory
"Cats have nine lives, you know," said Sir Wilfrid heartily.
"Possibly," answered Tobermory; "but only one liver."
My comments
We are worse than cats. We have only one life and one liver. And God never provides any spare parts. The spare parts supplied by the clever doctors are not perfect and so expensive.
We live longer than cats too. The “only one liver” has to last a pretty long time. So folks, please take better care of yourselves and your “only one liver”.
Human nature never changes, that is why his writings are still so enjoyable and so refreshing to read nearly a century after his death.
The copyright for his writings had expired and available for free download at Project Gutenberg.
Below are the excerpts from 3 short stories of Saki, followed by my comments on them:
Excerpts from The Schartz-Metterklume Method
“I wish them not only to be taught,” said Mrs. Quabarl, “but interested in what they learn. In their history lessons, for instance, you must try to make them feel that they are being introduced to the life-stories of men and women who really lived, not merely committing a mass of names and dates to memory. French, of course, I shall expect you to talk at meal-times several days in the week.”
“I shall talk French four days of the week and Russian in the remaining three.”
“Russian? My dear Miss Hope, no one in the house speaks or understands Russian.”
“That will not embarrass me in the least,” said Lady Carlotta coldly.
My comments
Since Mrs Quabarl likes her children to “feel that they are being introduced to the life-stories” of famous men and women, and presumably to experience the historical events. I propose to set alight London today, so that children can have a real-life experience of the Great London fire of 1666.
I am perfectly willing to gather all the children in town to re-enact all the great battles of the world. The resulting bruises and black eyes will keep a lot of children out of mischief for a week. Our dear doctors and nurses will be happy to take care of all the broken bones and whatever other injuries the children sustain.
I suggest to all the husbands reading this article to send your beloved wives to learn Russian. You will appreciate my advice very much when your wife starts to nag in Russian instead of English. Even when your neighbors drop by and hear your wife nags at you non-stop, you will have the same sentiment as Lady Carlotta “That will not embarrass me in the least.”
Excerpts from The Match-Maker
"They say one always pays for the excesses of one's youth; mercifully that isn't true about one's clothes. My mother is thinking of getting married."
"Again!"
"It's the first time."
"Of course, you ought to know. I was under the impression that she'd been married once or twice at least."
"Three times, to be mathematically exact. I meant that it was the first time she'd thought about getting married; the other times she did it without thinking. As a matter of fact, it's really I who am doing the thinking for her in this case. You see, it's quite two years since her last husband died."
My comments
Many women today are still not thinking when they get married. In fact, not just women, men too get married without thinking.
I dare say that many get married with both their eyes blind, both their ears deaf and their brains dead. By the time they start to see, to hear and learn to think, they are getting ready for divorce.
As Saki had correctly pointed out, after the third marriages, they would finally learn to “think” about getting married.
Excerpts from Tobermory
"Cats have nine lives, you know," said Sir Wilfrid heartily.
"Possibly," answered Tobermory; "but only one liver."
My comments
We are worse than cats. We have only one life and one liver. And God never provides any spare parts. The spare parts supplied by the clever doctors are not perfect and so expensive.
We live longer than cats too. The “only one liver” has to last a pretty long time. So folks, please take better care of yourselves and your “only one liver”.
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