Employee Stock Purchasing Plan and ACATS

Dec 10, 2016
Financial Safety

There is a saying in investing, you get what you don't pay for. That is because the stocks, bonds, and mutual funds that you purchase are all the same; the difference is the fees and services that you pay for. A unique type of purchase is the Employee Stock Purchasing Plan (ESPP). Employee Stock Purchasing Plans offer a lot of positive benefits but if you are not careful, they may cost you more than you think.

My company's ESPP will match $0.15 for every $1 up to the first $1800 I invest.  The company is large, unlikely to experience large growth, and offers a dividend yield of 2.85. Maxing out the ESPP was a no brainer for me. Getting a match of $0.15 meant that I was essentially getting a 15% return on investment immediately. Maxing out the $1800 contribution would earn me $270.

 However, there are drawbacks to the ESPP. The first is that we are buying a single company's stocks, which are more risky than diversified portfolio. When the company does well, then great; but if they struggle, then it is likely that the lost will wipe out any gains even from the company match.
Unlike other plans, this ESPP will purchase the shares at market price during the pay period rather than the lowest price within a 3 month period. This means that the purchase price is more likely to fluctuate, where it could be bought too high when all the employees in the program buy resulting in fewer shares acquired. All purchases are done at market prices, you are not able to set limits or other conditions for purchasing or selling. The company uses the broker Computershare to manage the purchase and sells of it's shares. Computershare does not charge for the purchasing of shares, but they do charge $25.50 for each sell transaction along with a $0.25 fee for each share being sold. The company's stocks are $70 a share at the moment, so if I had bought and sold the shares right away, that $1800+$270 would get me 29 shares. Selling those 29 shares would cost about $33, much higher than most transaction fees from other brokers.

Fortunately the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has a program for transferring shares between different brokers, the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (ACATS). If I can have Computershare purchase the shares, then transfer the shares to another broker when I sell, I can potentially save $33 annually on service fees alone. Unfortunately my current broker Robinhood does not currently accept ACATS transfers into the account. But I did find out that Vanguard does accept shares and does NOT charge any fees for accepting shares, and also that Computershare does not charge fees for sending out shares. So I will soon have my shares sent to Vanguard so that I will not have to pay as large of a fee when selling shares.

Kate Spade

Nov 28, 2016

Grabbed a few shares of Kate Spade (KATE) today. Kate Spade is a sub luxury brand, think of it like a more affordable version of Louis Vuitton. KATE recently dropped by 11.4% putting it's trailing 12 month P/E at 16.41. To me, this appears to be a decent deal, despite all the doom and gloom. The numbers do not appear to be in KATE's favor but I bought these shares on a gut hunch. My wife had wanted a Kate Spade bag, but instead of buying her the product I am buying shares so that if she ends up getting a bag, I can recoup a tiny fraction of what  she spent.

KATE has been downgraded to market perform from outperform, rated as Moderate Buy by TipRanks Analyst Consensus, Thomson Reuters, S&P Capital IQ 3 star, SmartConsensus Report of Hold, And market Edge Second Opinion of Avoid.

Self Reflection Sunday

November sure is an expensive month. With all this talk about Black Friday and great deals and savings, we always end up spending more than we were planning for. Historically Black Friday got its name because that was when stores went from being the red ( losing money) to being in the black ( making money). Of course for people to make money, shoppers have to give up their money. I was very aware of this but I did not escape this holiday financially unscathed. I bought a new laptop, something I find to be a necessity because my current laptop due to its age has prevented me from completing my coding lessons and has dragged when analyzing investments. My hope is that this new laptop will give me the tools necessary to achieve my goals.

My goal moving forward is to use up every dollar of my pay check. I have created an emergency fund so now I am ready to invest more. Every investor has stated that investing early is key to retiring early. Financial goal is to achieve a net worth of $0 by 2018.

Holiday events and parties have hit my workout routine. That combined with cold rainy weather meant that I did not workout this past week. I will get back to working out 3 times a week.

Toastmaster + Big Game

Nov 24, 2016

 

The days leading up to a holiday are always crazy, Thanksgiving was no exception. Despite being late on posting yours past week was actually quite eventful. Last Saturday I got a chance to visit my alma mater for the big rivalry game against Stanfurd ( yes that is the official spelling). It was a cold rainy day but my wife and I were determined to go. We donned our Cal football gear, threw a rain poncho on and made our way to the bleachers. The game started out exciting with Cal scoring a touchdown on their very first try. We were pumped up despite the weather. As the game progressed on, the night grew colder and the rain picked up. Unfortunately this was also the time Stanfurd pulled into the lead. We kept cheering and hollering, pretty much to the point that the guys next to us were getting annoyed. That's okay though, he was a Stanfurd fan. Unfortunately our efforts did not end in a win for Cal but we still had a blast. I was so happy that my wife stuck It out for all 4 quarters and she's not even a football fan.

On Tuesday I had another Toastmasters speech. Unfortunately because I was at the game I did not get to rehearse my speech enough. As such I did not win best speaker for the night. The following was the speech I delivered. My evaluator noted that I had trailed off on parts of my speech. However I did not notice when I had made my delivery; and if I cannot identify the issue then I cannot improve. I will video record my next speech so I can watch it.

"
America’s healthcare system is broken. As a country, we spend more on healthcare than every other nation on this earth. We are struggling as a nation to manage long term health conditions like diabetes. Each year the cost of health care just seems to get higher, premiums costs more, and insurances cover less. Every politician has spoken about the danger of this collapsing system, yet healthcare remains unaffordable to too many. Luckily your friendly neighborhood pharmacist can help provide care and bring down the cost. Pharmacists are medical experts that can help save you and the system both directly and indirectly.

Pharmacists are highly trained medical experts that have a doctorate degree focusing on the appropriate use of medicine. That means that pharmacists help to ensure you are receiving the proper type of medication. And if a medication is too costly, many times we can help you find an appropriate alternative. The differences in nearly identical products can be astonishing. For patients with diabetes for example, one type of insulin may cost $270 a vial, while another may be as low as $25, less than a tenth of the price! So in a world of ever increasing costs, wouldn’t you want to have a $25 product if it works just as well? Insulin is just one example, there are dozens if not hundreds of examples where simply talking to your pharmacists can actually save you a lot of money. 

The bigger impact that pharmacists have is actually the indirect cost savings. Study after study have shown that involving a pharmacist in your health can save a substantial amount of money. A recent study where there was a transition of care from a hospital to a community pharmacy like the one next door, there a reduction in hospitalization of 36.5% and the annual cost saving from avoiding readmissions was $6.6 million. This was a pilot program implemented in only one state, imagine what can be accomplished if it was implemented nationwide. Pharmacists are able to accomplish these types of results because we can help people stay on  top of their medications, we know that people who forget to take their medications are more likely to end up in the hospital. We reduce the number of unnecessary medications, medications that may be taken for years without the patient understanding why. And we reduce the risk of dangerous drug interactions, where you may want to know if you heart medication and your asthma medication are fighting each other, or if that supplement Dr Oz is recommending may actually render your birth control ineffective.

However there are barriers to pharmacists providing exceptional care. Part of the challenge is understanding the value that a Pharmacist can bring and fully integrating a Pharmacist in your health. One of the biggest is that we do not have the authority to prescribe. So if I know that you can save hundreds on dollars every month by switching your insulin product, I could not do that for you. I have to ask you provider, who then has to ok it, then I can make the switch. These added steps and inefficiencies end up delaying care and increase the cost of services. Pharmacists around the U.S have been pushing for these types of prescriptive authority so that we can offer better care for our patients. We have seen some success with the introduction of immunizations and providing birth control. The ultimate goal is to get basic care and medication in the pharmacy and make it more cost effective than an expensive hospital visit. Eventually you may be able to get lab tests ordered, get your asthma and allergy therapies, birth control, immunizations, and  more without having the long waits and high costs of an office visit. 

The cost of healthcare in the U.S is far too high. Pharmacists can play a large role in reducing the overall cost and burden to the healthcare system by providing cost effective alternative therapies, reducing medication related errors, and unnecessary hospital readmissions. Hopefully soon, prescriptive authority will allow us to provide greater care for our patients, so that if you have healthcare needs, all you have to do is see your friendly neighborhood pharmacist.
"

Toastmaster Tuesday

Nov 15, 2016
Social Safety

In this week's Toastmasters meeting, I had the honor of doing the Pledge & Invocation as well as evaluate a speaker.

At the beginning of each meeting, we recite the Pledge of Allegiance, just like we did back in grade school. At first it was uncomfortable doing the pledge during meetings, I had not done it in years. I joined in anyhow and I figure it was a good way to practice public speaking. We literally recite the same phrases week after week, words that were familiar to everyone. This time however I felt that the pledge held special significance. Toastmasters is not a political organization, it discourages speaking about politics, religion, and sex in any matter that can offend others; including any attempt to sway anyone towards or away from a political or religious leaning. However, the members of Toastmasters are affected by politics, and this past election still had an impact on the mood. This was the first meeting after the presidential elections and there was some tension in the air. But when we started reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, things started to feel more normal. We were all supporting the same flag, and for all of our difference, that will always remain the same. After leading the pledge, it was time for the invocation. For the invocation, I wanted to address the source of the tension in the room, the results of the election. If we listened to all the rhetoric in the media, we would think that everyone was either a bigot or a whiny millennial. We would justify our hatred and disdain towards those that were not like us. In our county, it was pretty closely split between those who voted Democrat versus Republican. If we were to believe what we heard on the media, it would mean that the person sitting next to each of us voted differently and was either bigot or whiny. Yet looking around we saw no demons, no hatred, we just saw a strong supportive environment. I implore that each member grab coffee with one of their neighbors that voted differently than they did. They would not have to discuss politics, even very mundane topics will help humanize the other side.

For the evaluation portion, I had a tough job. I was to evaluate a seasoned pro at Toastmasters. She is one of the members that I idolized. She has won hundreds of ribbons and dozens of awards. She conveyed power and enthusiasm for the organization and in every speech that she did. She has  over a decade of experience under her belt and she continues to improve each day. I thought to myself, what in the world can I offer this amazing person. I took a deep breath, and prepared for my task at hand. Before her speech even began, she wanted to set the scene like a banquet dinner. She passed out cookies, cupcakes, and light refreshments for the club. Then as she spoke. It was evident that she was a pro as what she does, hitting all the dramatic notes and pauses with ease. But as she spoke, I noticed something else happening. She began swaying her body, rocking back and forth. If I had saw this motion in a newcomer, I would have thought it was nerves, it was odd that this professional was doing this. At the conclusion, the speaker received a hardy round of applause, again for what was an amazing speech. It was now my turn to take the stage to offer my evaluation of her speech. I congratulated and recognized how she set the scene and her power when she spoke. Then I brought up the swaying and rocking that she had done, the room was agasp. Here I was this newbie of only a few months giving advice to a veteran. My stomach sank, and I had to gather my composure. But everything I had said was true, and the room had to agree. I ended the evaluation with another praise of her speaking abilities to finish off on a high note. After the meeting, I learned that the speaker was having a rough day and she had been rocking to relieve pain in her joints. She had done it subconsciously, and did not even realize that she did it. She thanked me for letting her know, and acknowledge that it was distracting while she was speaking. I was speechless. What in the world was I supposed to say when a such a major figure thanks you for your criticism. I was simultaneously frightened and honored.

I cannot get enough of Toastmasters in my life. It is amazing what these people are able to do and I am willing to give up my Tuesday nights to be there. It is worth every dollar knowing that we all share something in common, and that even the seasoned veterans will offer advice and humility.

Waiting for Oskar Schindler

Nov 14, 2016

I was discussing with a friend on Facebook about the recent elections. He was actively dismissing concerns by a number of minorities about the anxiety and fear they are sensing. It made me curious as to how he as saw the election because he had felt that a number of stories were fabricated and blown out of proportion. Throughout this discussion he said "If I'm wrong, and crazy, racist lunatics start persecuting people like the Nazis did to the Jews, with the full force of government, I'll play Oskar Schindler."

Oskar Schindler was a benevolent Nazi sympathizer. He was credited with saving hundreds of Jews during world war 2. Although likely intended to be reassuring, this statement was incredibly terrifying. 

To his credit, there have been fake news on attacks involving bad actors on both sides. However that does not diminish the number of people using this election as an excuse to act out violently. As proof I pointed to the number of people who had voted for the KKK member David Duke running for senator. David Duke had garnered over 58,000 votes. The Southern Poverty Law Center had estimated the number of klan members to be at 8,000 in the country. In years past KKK membership was declining to the point of non existence, but now it had grown and they had gotten enough votes to get into a political ballot. If the number of KKK members in one state is 7 times more than what was predicted to be in the entire country, then the actual number in the country was likely to be in the hundreds of thousands. Again my friend was not worried and dismissed it, yes KKK was bad but unlikely to be that bad he said. It must be nice to be in a position where the number of klan members is multiple folds higher than predicted and not be concerned. Unfortunately many people that live in this country including Asians, blacks, Latinos, and homosexuals may not have that luxury. We do not have the luxury of wait and see because what we have seen it in the past and the results we devastating. Even if the risk is small the results can be extremely severe and therefore warrant attention. 

My friend thought he would be Oskar Schindler if all hell breaks lose. This tells me that there would have to be a near genocide for this guy to do anything, I sure hope people do something far sooner but that is not in my control. The statement also underlies another message: they will come for everyone but not me. Again this must be a comforting thought that many minorities do not get to enjoy.

Oskar Schindler was a benevolent Nazi sympathizer but that is like saying someone is kindly slave owner. At the end of the day he was still a Nazi member, and at the end of the day we do not need Nazis. We do not need more Oskar Schindlers in this world. I do not want to be on his coveted list. I will not wait for Oskar Schindler.

President Trump

Nov 8, 2016

I will be the first to admit I never saw this coming. I still believe Trump is a terrible human being and if he runs the country like a business then he will put profits ahead of people. There will be lots of angry people and those people will find out what they have to lose. With that said I have to admire what he has accomplished.

One year ago, no one thought he had a chance. News pundits and comedians alike watched gleefully as he entered the race, ready for zingers and eye catching headlines. They salivated and hung on to every politically incorrect statement made and every lie uttered. They predicted over and over again that his campaign would end. They said it would end after insulting the family of a gold star military member, they were wrong. They said it would end after claiming John McCain was not a hero because he was captured, they were wrong. They were wrong when he demeaned women, the disabled, and minorities. Trump was able to sustain his campaign despite doing what would have been career enders for others.

Trump did not lose out on too many votes from those he insulted. Among Latinos he won 29% of the vote. That meant despite threatening to build a wall, deport millions, and repeated insults, almost a third believed he was a better candidate than Clinton. Clinton took the lead on black and women voters but those margins were less than predicted. The same was true of young voters. Trump did extremely well with whites and those without a college degree, far exceeding what was predicted. He even converted historically blue states, the complete opposite of what the pundits had thought. In the end he solidified far more voters than he scared away.

At this point the Democratic party will have to reassess their position on the country. They had the most qualified candidate on the ballot, the support of a popular sitting president, more unity within the party, celebrity endorsements, more campaign money, and an opponent who was terrible on paper and the Democrats still lost. Democrats had squandered every advantage and had taken their electorate for granted. There were too many empty promises, too little accomplished, to put more Democrats in power. Working class whites, men and women were for a Trump. The margin of difference was huge.

Not only did Trump win the presidency, republicans also won the house, senate, and soon the supreme court. This is a glowing sign that the American public disapproves of everything they see happening. Trump has attacked a number of sitting politicians and it will be interesting to see how he runs his administration.

Trump is either the hypocrite in chief or a master tactician. Every insult he hurled at his opponent can be said about him. He attacks Clinton's charity despite using his own charity to enrich himself. He talks about Bill Clinton's affairs despite being married 4 times, numerous sexual assault cases, and bragging about groping women. He complains about the system being rigged and potentially not conceding so that his opponent could not make such a claim when he won. It was as if he had put his opponents in the defensive so much that they could not attack him on those same flaws, his flaws arguably were much more severe.

We are in unprecedented times ahead. The stock market has crashed, news organizations and many people are struggling to come to terms with the results, and xenophobia is likely going to spike. As a minority there is a chance that I will suffer or witness hostility yet to come. But I am not leaving, not running away to Canada. This is my country, my home, and I will define what it is to be American.

Trump is a terrible human being. He has accomplished a great deal but his message of anger and hostility is frightening. The times ahead will be uncertain.

Self Reflection Sunday

Oct 30, 2016
Self Reflection

Another week down and just like that it's the end of October. Time sure flies by quickly. This past week had more high points than low points.

To start off I won best speaker at the Toastmasters meeting, a proud moment considering I was up against a veteran in the club. It was close but I edged him out because he unfortunately had stumbled on a part of his story. That just goes to show that even the experts make mistakes. Due Rio scheduling conflicts I will not be able to attend the next two meetings.

I purchased additional stocks to keep myself on track for investing. Goal is to invest 30% of my income. I have logged my thoughts on buying shares of Ford and why I think it's a good buy. I will eventually compare my personal picks to the S&P 500 and the robo-investing with Wealthfront. I'm currently eyeing another stock to buy but will need to do more research to see if it's worth it.

This week I also received my refurbished LG v10. I have to admit that I was worried to get a refurbished phone but so far the phone has behaved splendidly. It is much faster than my old phone and holds a charge longer. It even fits into my phone cradle in my car so I don't have to buy a replacement. I'm not out of the woods yet though. One of the major issues that other owners experienced with This phone was a bootloop issue that renders the phone useless. The bootloop is a hardware issue that I am hoping was addressed during the refurbishing process but I will not know for sure for several months. Most users report the issue occurring at around the 11 month mark. If this phone last at least 1-2 years then I would be content.

I continued my inertia and got myself to workout 3 days this week. The wife says she notices the difference which is a big motivator.

On the down side I only analyzed 5 more properties, less then my goal of 10. My aging laptop is likely on his last leg and his performance is hindering my own. For now I cannot get a new laptop and I'm considering going to the library to do my research.

Contributed a little to the world that week by giving food to a homeless man. I want to contribute more to charity but I have not been doing a good job. I even forgot to use Amazon Smile instead of regular Amazon.

Goal this coming week is to trudge on. I keep working out, investing, and spend some time in the library.

Stocks and Phones

Oct 28, 2016
Financial Safety

Stocks
Picked up a few shares of Ford Motor Company stocks. Ford stocks recently had a decline due to a massive recall. This meant that shares are available at a discount. The company had higher operating profits than predicted, and can carry this momentum forward. The shares are trading at 5.5 P/E ratio and 5% dividend/yield. Which means the stock is a bargain price stock and it pays roughly 5% returns if you hold the shares. Ford has been around for decades now and it's unlikely to go away any time soon meaning these shares are likely safe for years to come. Although the recall hurt Ford's revenue, Ford is not  the only company recently having recalls. Toyota, Honda, and Volkswagon has had major recalls in the last few years.

Phone
I was so tempted by the release of the LG V20 that I almost bought it. There was a promotion with T-mobile where trading in an old phone will net you $200 of bill credit, a free set of premium headphones, and free tablet. I jumped at the opportunity since my old phone was worth about $30. I went to the store, put a pre-order on the phone, and walked away excited. But as I got home, it started dawning on me what I had just done. The retail cost of the LG V20 was $769, the headphones had a $149 value, and the tablet was only free if you signed up a data plan at $10 a month. Even with trading in a phone, the cost of the LG V20 would be $579, after activation fees and taxes, it would be over $600. The headphones, although nice, were not a necessity, as in I would never have bought them if it was up to me. If I could sell them online, perhaps I could get $100 for them.The tablet was not actually, and therefore I was not willing to spend more money on it. Best case scenario, the new LG V20 would have cost me $500 ($600 for the phone - $100 selling the headphones). The phone was a thing of beauty, and it was difficult but I had to call to cancel the order.

Instead I opted to get a refurbished LG V10 for $249. I was able to discount the price even more by signing up for an Amazon credit card which gave me $40 of credit, plus used my Discover Card to pay the balance with a 5% cash back. This puts the net cost of the phone at just under $200. The V10 is still a nice phone, not nearly as shiny but an upgrade from my current phone.

Toastmasters Tuesday - Gestures, Body Language, and Facial Expression

Oct 25, 2016
Social Group

Food for Thought (Presented at Toastmasters with the goal of emphasizing gestures)

I presented today at Toastmasters, this group is so amazing. I walked in feeling so dead, drained from a busy work day, and having stayed up the previous night to write and prepare a speech; but the people and the energy of the group raised my spirits. I always walk out feeling more alive than when I walk in.

My goal today, in addition to giving a speech was to work on my body language including gestures and facial expressions. I learned from previous speeches to move around the room as I emphasize different points. I started my speech in the middle of the room, on the first paragraph I moved to the right side, on the second to the left side, then right, then back to the middle to conclude. This helped to break up the speech into easily recognizable sections. I also made good eye contact with the audience, and watched them as they watched, so I can gauge their reaction to what I was saying. I was also commended on having good facial expression When I described the food in the speech, I wanted the audience to be able to taste what I was eating. When I was disappointed, I wanted them to see the sorrow in my eyes. I will continue to bring these positive techniques into my future speeches as they are effective way of conveying an emotion.

Some things that I will improve on in the future primarily had to do with the use of gestures. I learned that when I do not know what to do with my hands, I tend to clasp them together and cover myself like a fig leaf. When they are not acting as a fig leaf, they cover my belly. When I hit a pause where I am trying to give an example, I also tend to wave my hands as if trying to pull the thoughts from inside me and present them to the audience. These are nervous gestures, and it was recommended that I should start getting comfortable with just keeping my hands at my sides. I will need to start practicing in a mirror an watching for the habits.

I learned about how I did through my evaluator. She had evaluated me  by isolating each component of body language, gestures, and facial expressions. I thought this was a really effective way of presenting the information, it creates an easy opening and closing statements when presenting the evaluation to the audience. This was a similar technique to one she often employs which breaks down into "what I heard", "what I saw", and "what I felt". What I heard includes positive phrases such a great use of imagery and negative ones like excessive use of filler words. What I saw encompasses body language, gestures, and facial expressions. My goal was to emphasize body language, gestures, and facial expressions which was why she gave more focus on this point for my speech.  What I felt has to do with the overall feeling after the speech was done. What were the highs and lows of the speech.

Today was a great experience and I got some great feedback and a ribbon for best speaker of the night. I am excited to learn from this club each week and I always feel more energized walking out than when I first walk in. My written speech is as follows:


Food for Thought

Savory butternut squash, succulent shrimp dumplings, mouth-watering ribs that just slides off the bone with each bite. I love food, it may be the only thing in this world I love as much as my wife… but don’t judge me wrong, me and food, we have a history, and I have known food for a long time. But to understand where I am coming from, you must understand what food really is. Food is family, food is love, food is an adventure. 

Growing up, mom and dad had always worked in restaurants, where they learned to cook very well. That meant despite our modest upbringing, we always had good food and the family gathered together every night to have a wonderful dinner. Mom always made the best soups, dad made the best noodle dishes. During the holidays we would have the entire family come together, mom and dad would go all out and make the most wonderful feasts, with boatloads of seafood, roast duck, steam fish, and more. We never had much of anything, but we always had good food and good company. When I left for college, I remember having to fend for myself. I was forced to cook for the first time, and I was terrible at it. I knew I hit my low when I made ghetto spaghetti, which is a mix of top ramen with ketchup packets from McDonalds. I know what you are thinking, and it’s not nearly as tasty or healthy as it sounds.  No one wanted to join me for that meal, it was a sad and lonely time. I had to get serious about cooking and eventually through trial and error and more errors, I was able to make pretty efficient use of a rice cooker, a microwave, and a George Foreman grill.

As I graduated from college to grad school, my cooking skills graduated as well. I brought that ability with me to Hawaii where I met my future wife. For our first date, I made her ribs from scratch. I remember at the time I did not have any tomato sauce for a base, so I had to improvise using ketchup. But this time, it ended up much more successful. I am pretty sure that was when she fell in love with me. My wife introduced me to a number of local favorites from the islands. Like Poke, diced sashimi style fish often mixed with a medley of flavors cut from Hawaiian big eye tuna. You will never have fresh tuna the way you can from Hawaii. And Pipikaula, seasoned slow cooked smoked beef,  so so flavorful. Food in Hawaii was amazing, and to this day it is one of the things we miss about the islands. When we left the island to move  to California, I had to show my wife some of my local favorites, like taco Tuesdays…which are tacos you enjoy… on a Tuesday.

Great food can take you on an adventure to new and exotic places. You can try the best hot dog cart in New York to fine dining. To point you in the right direction, you can pick up the Michelin guide.  The Michelin Guide is a highly coveted list of the best restaurants in the world, to even be mentioned is to be honored.  Restaurants are rated out of 3 stars. 1 star means the food is great. 3 stars mean it warrants a trip to the country just to try the food. One those restaurants which I would love to try one day is situated only a couple hours away, the French Laundry located in Napa. Chef Keller at the French Laundry presents incredibly technical cooking with fresh seasonal ingredients and wine parings along the backdrop of wine country. This charming restaurant has been described as perfection at every bite and its 9 course meal can last 3-4 hours. But before you can step foot inside, you will need to prepared to fork over $310 for the Prix Fixe (wine not included) and wait around 2 months praying for a reservation. One of my goals in life is to visit one a 3 star Michelin restaurant, and I think the French Laundry will do. Alas, it will be quite a while before I can visit here. Although my days of ghetto spaghetti  are over, my student loans unfortunately are not. 

I love food. I love savoring each bite of butternut squash, shrimp dumplings, and mouth-watering ribs. I love how food can bring together family and how it can be used to show how much you care and love for someone. And I would love to go on an adventure to sample all the great food this world has to offer.

Self Reflection Sunday

Self Reflection Sunday
Oct 23, 2016

It was a tiring week, worked 7 days in a row, was toastmaster at the last event, and still need to prepare a speech for Tuesday. 

Toastmasters was a thrilling experience. It was the first time I had to coordinate a meeting.. The meeting itself was different, we had to host it at a local Round Table Pizza joint rather than our typical place. Everything was different, from the setup of the room to the acoustics to the lighting. I had always appreciated how well former toastmasters spoke and how expertly they directed their meetings, I wanted to live up to their example. I took notes the week prior on a how a veteran had conducted their meeting, and I crafted my own jokes and descriptions. Prior to the meeting, it was difficult to get speakers to confirm their roles. It took multiple emails to the group and to individuals, and by the time the meeting came around we only had 2 of the 3 speakers we normally have. But the show must go on, and I worked with what we had. The speakers who did show were great, and they were inspiring and funny with a speech about Elon Musk and another on the seriousness of high school drop outs. My prepared jokes were only half successful, I learned that jokes need to be interspersed throughout the meeting rather stacked together. I kept the meeting going with some help form veteran players, and breathed a sigh of relief when it was all over.

I did not analyze properties this past week, work was too draining. Too often I was not able to find energy at the end of the work day to continue. I will not relent though, I will continue to look at more properties this coming week. I must look to my parents for inspiration. They have worked 7 days a week for the last 40 years. I have no desire to work in a job the way they did, but I do hope they pass onto me that level of commitment.

On the up side, I did work out 3 days and I continued with my investments. More chances to learn in the days to come.

Self Reflection Sunday

(Img Source)

Oct 16,2016
Self Reflection

I love the classic story a Christmas Carol. I will always remember the 3 ghosts that appear in the story, the ghost of Christmas past, present, and Yet-to-Come. It has inspired me to write this post in it's honor.

Past
This past week I was successful in working out for 3 days. It was not easy as the rainy season has started so running outside was not an option, I am afraid of getting pneumonia (just look at what happened to Tiny Tim). I do not have time for pneumonia, and my medical coverage is minimum, so I also do not have money or coverage for pneumonia. Instead, I opted to workout at the nearby fitness center. Not quite as enjoyable as being outside but it will have to do.

I was less successful with the property analysis, again due to computer issues. I was able to conduct 50 analyses, but I was not done until today. No real estate team yet, I will have to double my efforts on that front. I will also need to learn how to generate capital for that initial down payment, most of the properties will require 20-25% down payment before the bank will lend out money. Also interest rates are much higher on a rental property than a primary residence, I will need to see if I can attempt to buy a second home, then rent it out. 

Present
I have decided. I will be making a phone and laptop purchase this year, preferably around Black Friday when the deals are out. I realized that the time lost due to my phone and laptop crashing is substantial, though I will still need to gather the funds to make the purchase. Most likely I will be buying a refurbished laptop and an older model phone to save money.

On another financial front, I have started looking into investing with Wealthfront. Wealthfront does robo-investing, where you take a short survey to determine your risk tolerance, and they create a portfolio for you to invest in with automatic adjustments. All the asset allocations are dictated by an algorithm or a computer. Typically I would never use a funds manager because the management fees of 1-2% is much too high. Repeated analyses have shown that index funds will beat mutual funds because the mutual funds eat away any earnings that may have been generated. The reason I am investing with Wealthfront is that the first $10,000 you have in it will be managed free. This means that if the fund is truly able to beat the market, then I will keep all of the earnings. After the initial free managed amount, then the management fee goes up to 0.25%, or less than a quarter of what most funds managers may charge. That 0.25% only applies to any amount above the free managed money. So if you have $10,000 managed free, and $15,000 portfolio, then your management fee is 0.25% of $5,000. If you are interested, you can use my link (Maslow's Wealthfront) to get an additional $5,000 managed for free.

The bank that handles my student loans sent me a letter recently, they are going to increase my interest rate. The interest rates increases roughly every 3 months, and has risen from around 2.85% to 3.75%. Each time that the interest rate increases, I have to reassess whether it is more worth it to pay down the student loan or invest the money. After a few rough calculations, paying back student loans at 3.75% is almost the same as generating 6.5% returns on investment for short term stocks and 5% returns on long term stocks held over a year. Typical stock returns are around 8% so we are getting real close to a break even point. The primary difference would be that paying back student loans is a guaranteed savings, which makes it very attractive. By my calculations, if the interest rate exceeds 4.75%, then it will be better to pay off the student loans. Here's to hoping the interest rate holds steady for a while.

This past week I was able to celebrate a friend's birthday. It is always good to be able to take time away from the debt and worries to be around friends even if just for a few hours. I also attended a Toastmasters International Humorous Speech Competition, and listened to some exceptional speeches. Each person had their own style and it was great watching and listening to them perform. I am proud to announced that members of my club took home 3rd place in evaluations and 1st place in speaking. Both speakers are incredible at what they do, and I look forward to learning from them.

Yet-to-Come
My life financial goal is to become financially independent, being able to work a job but not having to because I have revenue streams available. I would very much like to retire well before age 60 when my 401k and Roth kicks in, but I do have them just in case things turn sour.

For this coming week, I will workout for at least. I was also able to workout today, finally putting me ahead of schedule. I had not been starting my workouts until the middle of the week so starting early should give me more options later on. I will continue to analyze 10 more properties and learn to invest more. Finally, this week I will be the Toastmaster at my local Toastmaster's club. It will be my first time, and I am excited for the opportunity.

Lesson Learned

Oct 15, 2016
Financial Security

Looks like my shares of Goodrich Petroleum are literally worthless. The company had recently went into bankruptcy with about 90% of their debt eliminated (wish I could do that with my debt). I had bought their shares for a penny each, thinking I would be in good position to hold stock once the company emerges from restructuring. However, I did not read the bankruptcy agreement, especially important was the part where the company would cancel out all previous shares. Thus when the company emerged from bankruptcy, shares went from a penny a piece to zero a piece. In the future, I will not invest in bankrupt companies without looking more carefully what the condition for restructuring are. Fortunately my second purchase did not go through, so instead of losing $4 I am out $2. Looks like that will have to be a tax deduction.

Goodrich Petroleum

Oct 13, 2016
Financial Security
 
Picked up an additional 250 shares of Goodrich Petroleum today because the company just emerged from bankruptcy. Total cost $2 putting the total invested at $4.

Check Point Software Technologies (CHKP)

Oct 12, 2016
Financial Safety

Today I picked up a few shares of Check Point Software Technologies (CHKP). CHKP is in the business of IT security including network security, cloud security, and data security. If there is some form of information you need to protect, CHKP probably has a product available for you. CHKP competes against a number of other companies including Fortinet (FTNT), Palo Alto Networks (PANW), and CyberArk Software (CYBR). IT security is a big concern in the modern market, with major security threats includingthe credit card hacks of Target and Home Depot, the loss of personal health information from hospitals, or the email hacks of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party. Cyber security is becoming a bigger part of life, and therefore companies that are poised to protect that information will likely grow in the future as these hacks become more common and more sophisticated.

CHKP has a longer history than most of the other companies listed and they have been shown to be able to generate positive income. That track record gives them a large edge over FTNT, PANW, and CYBR. In addition, the P/E ratio of CHKP is only around 20, whereas the other companies listed could be as high as 200. The price per share is also fair for me, at $75 a share it was easier to pick up multiple shares compared with Palo Alto Networks (who would have known Palo Alto would be so overpriced). One other company that I had considered was Cisco Systems (CSCO) because Cisco is also a long standing company with many security products. However, Cisco has expanded far beyond IT security, which allows it to generate new revenue streams, but because it does not specialize, I believe this makes it less competitive in the realm. Also with the departure of Cisco's CTO and Cloud Exec, there may be some shake up in leadership which may negatively affect the price of the stock.

TipRanks Analyst has rated CHKP as Moderate Buy, Thomsom Reuter rates it as Positive, S&P Capital IQ rates it 3 stars out of 5, SmartConsensus Reports rates it as Buy, and Market Edge Second Opinion is Long.

One thing I did take away from this purchase was that I was able to get these shares for several dollar less than the market price. I was able to do this by setting a buy limit well below the current market price. So during a period of inactivity, the system bought up shares that were likely on a stop-loss or stop-limit sell. Immediately after I bought the shares, the value of the stock climbed back up to the original market price meaning instant positive returns on investment. In the future, this may be a useful technique for acquiring shares at a discount.

Toastmasters Tuesday

"A speech is like a dress, it should be long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep things interesting"
Oct 11, 2016
Social Group

Each time I attend a Toastmasters International meeting I learn something new. Tonight I took on the role of Joke Master and Timer.  I really like how the meetings are introduced with a joke, it brings a lot of levity to the meeting and sets a warm and welcoming atmosphere. I learned that the joke itself does not even have to be great, the audience wants to laugh, and you just need to give them an excuse to. I learned from a previous meeting that the details help to illustrate a good joke and sets the scene for a story.You can read the joke below for a few chuckles.

The role of Timer is also important. Often times when we give presentations or speeches, we have to be mindful of how long we are speaking for. As one of the veterans of the group says "A speech is like a dress, it should be long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep things interesting." She was definitely right about that. Throughout the night, every speaker had to stick to their timing constraints. If was very obvious when someone either spoke too little or went over. Those that did not speak long enough did not appear to have enough to say, walking away before their point was fully conveyed. Those that talked too long had short periods of rambling or odd pauses which made the speech not flow as smoothly. And though it may seem like an easy job, I often found myself behind the time with the queues simply because I was trying to pay attention to the speeches and the stopwatch at the same time.

The Joke
A man wakes up in the hospital, he groans as he's trying to move. To his right, his heart monitor was beeping away. To his left, an IV line was dangling off this left arm. "What happened..." the man muttered.

The doctor in the room looks at the patient then down at his chart. "Your coworkers found you unconscious on the floor, by the looks of it you had a pretty severe heart attack. You are lucky to be alive."

"But...how... how did this happen."

"From the labs it looks like your blood pressure is elevated and your cholesterol is through the roof. What is your diet like?"

"Last week I was on a fried chicken diet... this week I was on a donuts and ice cream diet..."

"I see. If you continue what you are doing, you will likely have another heart attack and you may not be so lucky next time. You need to make changes to your lifestyle, and to start you must go on an all vegetarian diet."

"Ok doc, it's gonna be tough, but if you really think it will help, then I'll do it."

The next day, the as the doctor was walking pass the hospital cafeteria, he spots the man eating a 24 ounce porter house steak. "What are you doing?!" exclaimed the doctor, "You are supposed to be on an all vegetarian diet!."

The man looks up with a fork and knife in hand and a piece of steak in his mouth and replies "I am! This is beef, cows are vegetarians!"

Self Reflection Sunday

10/9/2016
Self Reflection

Welp, I screwed up, this past week I accomplished none of my goals. My inertia is gone...I went from running 3 miles a day, 3 days a week to 0 miles a day, 0 days a week. My analysis of property also went to zero. I did not meet any new people to add to my real estate team and my dreams of financial security has been delayed at least 1 week. How could this have happened, I was doing so well just a few weeks ago. Well life happened. First my computer broke down, failing to boot up multiple times. Without my computer, I had trouble analyzing properties so I sought to fix the issue at hand. Ultimately I had to do a reboot of the system, erasing all the files, and gave the computer a clean start. At first it seemed as things would be fine, but then it failed to load again. I realized that if the computer will only boot up properly half the time, then I should stop having it boot up and simply leave it on 24/7. I know that if I dare to shut down my computer, it may not start again. It is only a matter of time before my 4 year computer calls it quits.

Next my phone started to act funny. My HTC m7, a phone I have enjoyed having for the last 3 years is showing its age as well. The proximity sensor no longer works, the camera has the dreaded purple haze, and the battery can not longer hold a charge for a work day even with power saver on. The battery life is at the point where if it tries to activate extreme power saver mode, the energy that it takes up to activate will shut down the phone. I need to figure out if I can make it to black friday, where hopefully a number of electronics will go on sale and I can pick up a replacement. At almost 2 months away, it is not entirely clear if my phone will make it that long.

This week I ended up spending my time dreading about buying a new computer and phone. Every time I look at one, I keep thinking about how much that item actually costs. A $500 computer actually costs about $900 once you factor in sales tax and income tax. Add it another $500 phone and that's $1800 gone. And that is on the generous side, most new phones and computers now costs $750 or more; meaning it will cost me well over $2000. I am trying to balance out whether to put money into something brand new so that it lasts longer or save some money by buying an older model. What is clear is that if I do not have these things, it is much tougher for me to be productive, and therefore will hurt me in the long run.

What I am happy about this week is that I was able to take time off from work to take my mom to the hospital for her surgery. I am proud that despite how busy life is, I was able to make time for family. And for one day I was able to be by my mom's side and to hang out with my brother. Mom is doing well and recovering at home.

I will not let this bump in the road stop, me I will renew my efforts this coming week. This week's goal is to complete last week's goal.

I Am Glad Donald Trump Ran For President

(image source)
 Oct 8, 2016


I am glad Donald Trump ran for president, and No I am not being sarcastic. Donald Trump is easily the most controversial person in politics at the moment, and that is even compared with the Filipino President Duterte who has legalized street executions. Trump is more controversial because of his platform of being not politically correct, his ability to stay in the spot light despite repeatedly insulting others, and his knack for grabbing attention wherever he goes; and he is able to accomplish this all while being a huge turd. Most people dislike politicians even though the majority will vote for them, and most will say that politicians are cheats and liars but are always insulted when the politician is cheating or lying; but Donald Trump takes lying, cheating, and dislike to a whole new level.

Donald Trump is a terrible racist, and often he directs his attacks at Mexicans. He began his campaign by calling Mexicans criminals and rapists. Some of his supporters may say his comments are not directed at those of Mexican descent who are living here legally, the comments are only for those criminal elements that have crossed the border. The truth is Trump cannot tell the difference. That is why he decried Judge Gonzalo Curiel as being unfit to preside over his Trump University lawsuit. Judge Curiel was born and raised in the U.S. and upholds the law. You literally cannot get any more American or any more non-criminal than Judge Curiel, but Trump only sees Curiel's Mexican heritage and will brand him as a Mexican. Trump will never see Curiel as an American regardless of what Curiel does, how long he has lived in the U.S, or any other factors. The only factor Trump sees is Curiel's heritage and therefore he must be Mexican. Trump claims a conflict of interest saying that the Curiel's heritage makes the case biased against Trump, making his claims based only on race; which is text book definition of a racist. Perhaps he would prefer a white judge, maybe he would receive a favorable judgement that way. But the law is supposed to impartial, so being biased in Trumps favor would not be appropriate either. Perhaps an Asian, black, Muslim, or females judge... no, Trump has insulted those groups as well and Trump would likely cry foul as well.

Donald Trump constantly lies or is wrong. According to Politfact.com, 52% of Donald Trumps statements that were analyzed were deemed to be false or pants-on-fire (meaning outrageously wrong). It is hard to determine if he is lying or is wrong, mostly because to lie would require you to knowingly say something that is not true. With all the controversies and conspiracies that Trump spews out, it is difficult to know whether or not he realizes they are  not real. Whether it is claiming that Obama was not born in the U.S or that Ted Cruz's father had a part in Kennedy's assassination he cannot stop making things up. When confronted with facts and evidence to the contrary, Trump attempts to deny he ever made the comments or simply double down, but his explanations are often worst than his statements. Even when it was shown that Obama was born in the U.S. Trump pursued the issue, refusing to let the conspiracy die. Then he claims that he alone ends the conspiracy and attempts to take credit for ending something he started. Later when pressed on it, he blames Hillary Clinton for starting the entire controversy, attempting to rewrite history, as if people have not been paying attention or the internet did not exist. And yet, he utter every word with confidence, confident but wrong.

Donald Trump loves getting money, and he does it by taking from charities, his supporters, and small businesses that cannot defend themselves in court. Unlike most charities founded by wealthy philanthropist, Trump does not put his own money into his charity the Trump Foundation. Instead he collects money from other organizations, then gives that money away for the publicity. Often times he makes money off his charities. The Washington Post found that in one instance Trump had taken money from another organization, given it to a police union, who had paid to use a Trump property. So Trump put up no money, and got the police union to pay him instead. He was also caught using charity money to buy luxuries for himself, pay for legal fees, and donate to political campaigns; all in violation of federal laws. Recently the New York attorney general had to send a cease and desist order to the Trump Foundation. Trump not only makes money off charities, he also makes money off his campaign for presidency. A large portion of the money that supporters have donated to the Trump campaign have been spent at Trump properties. So win or lose, Trump is sure to make money off the other people's contribution. This is in stark contrast to most other candidates that would avoid such as relationship between personal and politics to avoid a conflict of interest. Finally, Trump makes money by screwing over the little guys. Often times Trump will refuse to pay for services rendered, and when confronted, his team of lawyers would ensure that litigation would drag out for so long that the small business would crumble financially even if it wins. His 3,500 lawsuits are a prime example that those who work with Trump often regret working with Trump.

If Donald Trump does not win the election it would be because of his most damning fault, he does not believe women are people. For months we knew he is comfortable attacking women as slobs and fat despite being nearly obese himself. But the recent revelations that he assaulted a married woman saying “I did try and f--- her. She was married,” and “Grab them by the p---y, You can do anything.” He made these comments while being married to his current wife Melania. After the revelation, Trump claims that these tapes were just a distraction and he promised to do better. The tapes were recorded in 2005, it has been 11 years, and it is pretty obvious that Trump is still a sack a crap and is no better than he was 10  years ago. He still constantly berates and attack women from a former Miss America to Megyn Kelly of Fox News. He calls the tapes a distraction but sexual assault is not a distraction, it is a very serious issue that affects many women in the U.S and in the world. If affects the woman who rides in a taxi, goes to a frat party, hangs out in a bar, or even walks down the street. It is pervasive in the workplace, military, and even at home. Many women live with the fear that sexual assault can come from anywhere. Sexual assault is very real, it is no distraction, and the ease and comfort that Trump talk about it and conducts himself indicates how little he thinks of women to be able to behave that way.

Donald Trump is full of pretend money, he does not release his tax records so it is difficult to estimate his real worth. He claims that he is worth over $10 billion but analysis say that he may really be only worth $3 billion. Trump claims that the majority of his worth is in the Trump name, that it is synonymous with wealth and success. However, after what we have seen, the Trump name is really synonymous with racism, ignorance, greed, and misogyny. This campaign season is likely going to have a negative affect on the value of the Trump name, perhaps knocking him down by a few billion dollars. And without his money, Trump is just another crazy homeless man, yelling non-sense on the street.

It is for all this that I am glad Donald Trump ran for president. The fact is that Trump is a giant turd, perhaps the shiniest turd that was ever polished. Before the campaign season, he was seen a great business man. For years the Trump name brought with it wealth and success. Now we see him a much different light, as a person who takes from charities, violates the law, and demeans other cultures and genders. His assault on women and his denigration of others would not have been exposed had he not ran for president. There is a good chance that more civil and legal lawsuits will be brought against him. Running for president exposed all his flaws for the world to see, and it is likely that he will fall very far from grace and fall very hard. Had he not ran his campaign, it is very likely that he would have gotten away with all the terrible things that he has done and would likely have been able to continue to do. There is a good chance he will be punished for all that he has done and all his future action will be highly scrutinized. That is perhaps the only silver lining I can see in this campaign season. But with all his flaws, he was right about one thing: he has the ability to unify, though that unity is very much against Trump.

Goodrich petroleum

I just purchased 170 shares of goodrich petroleum for $2 (total, not per share) . Goodrich is an over the counter company which means it is not available for purchase via the big brokers, I had to buy their shares through my brother who used Merrill Edge.

Goodrich recently filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, reducing their debt from $40 million to $4. They have enough money set aside for restructuring and wages. They operate over 150 oil and shale sites in the United States. With the slowly increasing price of energy due to OPEC reducing output, I see an upside to this company. One of the biggest upsides is that it can pretty much not go any lower, and it may become a buyout potential if bigger companies want to acquire its property. Also for $2, or less than the price of a cup of coffee, I can handle the risk.

Self Reflection Sunday

"when your life flashes before your eyes, make sure you have something good to watch"
Oct 2, 2016
Self reflection

It is the beginning of October and the weather is starting to get cooler. It is amazing how quickly time passes, often without us realizing it. And the more I do this blog, the more happy I am that I started it those months ago. These reflections have not only given me a way to track where I have been but it also allows me to have a goal of where to head to.

So far I have written 27 articles, far more than I would have ever expected. I have yet to miss a self reflection, good or bad. This past week I continued my inertia of working out for 3 days and also analyzed 10 properties, a few properties had good potential. Thus far I have looked at 39 properties, just short of half way. I also started getting pre-approvals for loans to figure out where I stand for when I am ready to put down an offer. This coming week I want to workout for 3 days, analyze at least 11 properties (to bring my total to 50), and start 1 more pre-approvals process. I will also look into finding a real estate team via a meet up or bigger pockets.

My brother has also given me a challenge. He wants me to document my thought process for buying stocks. So I will jot down why I bought a stock and then look back on it in the future to see if I was correct. This should be a fun and simple exercise but it may help open my eyes to things I had not considered before.

Still plenty of learning ahead, let's make life worth watching.

Self Reflection Sunday

"The days are long but the years are short"
Sept 25, 2016
Self Reflection Sunday

Inertia is a powerful thing, this past Sunday I had promised myself to workout 3 days. Half way through the week I had not taken a step outside. On Wednesday, as tired as I was I forced myself to go out. Many people say the first day is the hardest, but really the second day is harder. On the second day you were already tired out from the first day and you have carry all your aches and pains on this new run. And the third day is harder still, having to carry days 1 and 2. And the 4th and 5th until one day it becomes easier. I doubt that I would ever notice it ever getting easier but perhaps much further down the road I will be able to appreciate how far I have come.

Fiscal responsibility, the requirement to keep you and your household afloat, is tiring. I see friends with many more toys and much nicer things and get envious. I keep looking at my budget and my budget never allows for it, invest first then save then spend. Those shiny toys are never an investment and definitely not a priority, I know they only cost money, and never bring in money. To spend and enjoy now or invest and enjoy later is a difficult. In the long run, investing for later makes more sense. Everything I have learned has taught me that. But the urge to spend what I have for some short lived fun is tempting. Each day having to do it is tougher than the last but I know if I can stay on the path that I am on, then I will be in a much more stable place in a decade. But it will take a decade... a decade of holding tight... no major expenses... no new toys... just slow and methodical. It will not be an easy decade but my choices are to invest and grow my income or spend now be stuck in debt forever. And when I have children, I can either pass on income or pass on debt.


For my real estate education, I have learned that math is a big component of it. Making sure that your purchase is a good purchase the second you buy it is a novel concept. Other people may hope for appreciation to build wealth, but after reading up, it seems good investors have no appreciation for appreciation. Real estate appreciation is icing on the cake, it should not be a factor deciding on whether or not to buy the property.

This past week I was able to run on 3 days and averaged 3 miles a day. This coming week I will continue the inertia and exercise for another 3 days.  I continue to sock away money towards stocks and savings, unfortunately those investments are currently down. I knew the risk I was taking and I have to be prepared to ride out the lows and hope for the highs. In the coming week, I will also aim to analyze another 10 properties. Most people will give up after 1-2 months, but I will promise myself to get through at least 100 properties.

Inertia is a Powerful Thing

"An object in motion stays in motion"
Sept 21, 2016
Health and Well Being

(Image Source)

There was a phrase in the old TV show Bill Nye the Science Guy that really stuck with me: "Inertia is a property of matter." I can no longer remember the rest of the song but the phrase "inertia is a property of matter" for whatever reason is buried in my brain and will likely be with me until I rest in my grave. At the time, I had no idea what inertia even was, the whole concept was confusing to me. Yet the more I learn about inertia, the more intrigued I was in terms of how we can apply it to our everyday lives.

Inertia is the property that an object will keep doing the same thing it has always been doing unless you put in energy for it to do something else. Lost yet? It breaks down to this: if an object is sitting still, it will continue sitting still. If an object is in motion, it will continue to be motion. And this will be true until you put energy to get the sitting object going or put energy to stop the object in motion. The property is true of everything, whether it is a ball or a spaceship.

Inertia is also a property of many people's lives. We often get stuck in our daily routine of waking up, brushing our teeth, eating breakfast, going to work, eating lunch, going back to work, going home, eating dinner, then repeat. It becomes really easy to follow this same inertia every day. However, we may not be satisfied with this routine, and may want to change at which point we would have to confront inertia. Inertia will be working against us, trying to force us back to our same routine. Inertia is why it is so difficult to diet or work out. Our regular routine did not take into account those new things, and we struggle to have energy to do what we had before and take on these new tasks. At this point, inertia is fighting to get this intrusion it out of our lives so we can be back in our old routine. It will take lots of time and energy to get those habits into our daily routine, time and repetition. Once we can accomplish that, then inertia becomes our ally. If we can work our diet and exercise into our daily habit then eventually it will be harder to stop doing it than to just continue. Just think about the last time you did not brush your teeth. How weird was it to walk around all day, possibly with bad breath. We were not born with an urge to brush our teeth, yet it has become such a regular part of our lives that it would be harder to stop. At this point inertia is helping us continue the good habit of brushing.

I recently had an experience with inertia while working out. Unfortunately I have not made a habit of working out quite yet. And when I do not work out for a while, then my desire to work out diminishes substantially, and it becomes harder and harder to get started again. I made myself a promise this past Sunday to work out for 3 days of the week, and found myself half way through the week without having started. So I forced myself to go for a run, feeling my heart race, and my lungs strain. They too were out of practice by this point. I must put in energy to get my inertia going, to the point where working out would be a regular as brushing my teeth. Today was day 1 of 3 of for my workout, and I am happy to say it is done. Hopefully this inertia continues on to a workout for the rest of the week.

Once inertia has started moving forward it will be tough to stop. I can see this applying to the other aspects of my life including learning to invest and honing my skills. I know that if I want to make those changes in my life, then I need to put in energy. Right now it sounds difficult and tiring... and it's late...but I am off to brush my teeth so I know it is doable.

Toastmaster Tuesdays - The High Cost of an ER Visit

Sept 20, 2016

Social  Group

(This was project 4 of the Competent Communications Manual. It won best speech of the night)

Project 4: The High Cost of an ER Visit

 

It is no secret that the cost of an emergency room visit can be very high, astronomical at times. A recent study conducted from 2006 to 2008 showed that the average cost of an ER visit is $1,233 but costs on the high end can be $17,000 for a headache and $24,000 for a sprain. I don’t know about you but thinking about those numbers gives me a headache…whoops there goes another 17 grand. For the average person, a $1200 bill can be a setback, but many have little choice but to use it. Tonight I will not be talking much about the high cost of medical services, though yes it is a big concern, but I will actually be talking about homelessness.  I would like to talk about why homeless people use more medical services, explain how we can provide housing for the homeless, and talk about why providing housing will actually save money.

Homeless people are much more likely to use hospital services than the average person. One hospital reported that 225 homeless people had visited the ER for a combined total of over 2100 times in a one year span, roughly 10 visits per person per year. Without adequate shelter, homeless people are much more prone to infections, violence, abuse, and extreme weather. Small cuts can turn into large infections, repeated exposure to violence and abuse can lead to prolong recovery periods, and extreme weather can lead to permanent damage. Often times a homeless person would get picked up by an ambulance when they are on the brink, taken to the hospital where they are patched up, and then discharged into the streets where they are susceptible to the exact same risks again. The ER becomes a revolving door, taking in patients only when their conditions have gotten to a critical status, spend thousands to patch them up, only to kick them out then have them return a little while after with the same conditions. While many of us may dread spending a night in the ER, many homeless people will pick a safe night in the ER over spending a night in the cold or in the streets.

A solution to homeless people using the ER like an Airbnb would be to build them housing. You may be thinking that we already have housing for homeless people, but often times the shelters are temporary solutions to a very long term problem. Instead we can provide homeless people with tiny houses, houses that they can call their own. Tiny houses are 100-200 square feet homes that are durable. They will keep the person off the street reducing the risk of infections, shelter the person from others, and protect them from extreme weather.. They will have a bed, electricity, and indoor plumbing; luxuries that many currently have no access to. Because of their small sizes, cities can house many homeless people in areas that would otherwise not be utilized such as an abandoned lot. It is much easier to establish a solid foundation once the basic necessity of housing is accounted for. Once a homeless person is able to get on their feet, able to hold steady employment, then they can start paying their own mortgage on their tiny home, and eventually own it. Employment that gets a homeless person to the point where they can pay their own mortgage is what will make this solution sustainable.

Many people may hesitate at the thought of paying to house homeless people. But they often forget that they are already paying to house homeless people. Homeless people typically cannot afford one night’s stay in an ER, meaning that the ER does not get paid for those services. Those services are offset by charging everyone else more. So even if you are not trying to pay for someone else’s housing, you ultimately are if they enter the ER. Tiny homes are also very cheap to construct, costing no more than $10000 or as a 30 year mortgage would be less than $50 a month, meaning you can house a homeless person for 2 years for the cost of a single ER visit. Also by providing housing, homeless people are less likely to end up sleeping in parks and commercial areas where they can negatively affect businesses meaning the community as a whole would benefit as well.

We know that homeless people are more likely than the average person to utilize expensive medical care such as the emergency room visits. Providing homeless people with tiny houses that they can eventually own will provide them a sense of permanence and be much more cost effective. Ultimately, permanent housing allows homeless people a chance to pick themselves up, to have a safe place to go at night, a place to shower and use the restroom, and to reach gainful employment. Because once we take homelessness away from homeless people, then what we are left with… are people.