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.