I will not be blogging here anymore.
I am a very casual blogger. Although I am getting better at writing and publishing posts at a more frequent pace, I am not generating great-quality work that entice people to view my posts. Therefore, in order to get people to view my posts, I have been bouncing around between various blog hosts. My idea was that eventually I would find a community at that host, who would be friendly enough to read and provide feedback and the host would give me enough freedom to customize my site.
The two best hosts that I like the most are Blogger and WordPress.com. Before joining either of these hosts, I did a lot of online reading. Many people have already tried the two, listing out numerous pros and cons of each. In the end, these reviews could not convince me of which I should go to. Sooo, I tried both. It was both fun and frustrating trying to use each system. Here is what I have found. (Note: if you are looking for a list of pros and cons, please go to another blog whose author has done a much better job. I am just giving an anecdote of my attempts of blogging.)
Monday, August 8, 2016
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Investing Experiment: 08/06/2016
My euphoria at seeing my portfolio value rise is finally gone. As of closing on 08/05/2016, I had $1,515.60 in cash and my stocks had a total sum of $9,146.77. Overall, my portfolio was $10,662.37.
There have been ups and downs ever since I started this experiment, however this is the first full week where my portfolio's value went down every single day.
On the bright side! My overall gains since I started with $10,000 is 6.27%! Not bad for a little for 2 months. I'll keep crossing my fingers that after a year, I will have a return rate higher than 5%. I may not have a career working in a brokerage firm, but I have know for a long time that I do not have the nerves of steel to go for the riskier, but more rewarding, investments. Any gains is a win in my book!
To you who discovered this post, would you be satisfied with portfolio return rate of 5%? Or would you want the benchmark 10% rate?
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 07/25/2016
There have been ups and downs ever since I started this experiment, however this is the first full week where my portfolio's value went down every single day.
On the bright side! My overall gains since I started with $10,000 is 6.27%! Not bad for a little for 2 months. I'll keep crossing my fingers that after a year, I will have a return rate higher than 5%. I may not have a career working in a brokerage firm, but I have know for a long time that I do not have the nerves of steel to go for the riskier, but more rewarding, investments. Any gains is a win in my book!
To you who discovered this post, would you be satisfied with portfolio return rate of 5%? Or would you want the benchmark 10% rate?
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 07/25/2016
Monday, August 1, 2016
Summoner Trilogy
Browsing at my local Barnes & Noble store looking for a new interesting realm to explore. I found two books side-by-side with the words "Summoner: Book One, The Novice" and "Summoner: Book Two, The Inquisition." My interest was piqued because the titles imply magic exists in this story, yet the person on the cover was holding a bow and carrying a quiver of arrows.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Flintstones or Neverland?
I stumbled on this article about a home for sale in Hillsborough, California. The original price was $4.2 million, but since there has been no offers, the price was cut down to $3.2 million.
Neighbors call it the Flintstones House. However, as I looked at the pictures, the rounded edges and orange coloring make me think it matches the architecture seen in the game The Neverhood, albeit without the creepy clay men and monsters.
To you who found this post, can you think of another home that matches the "Flintstones House"?
Neighbors call it the Flintstones House. However, as I looked at the pictures, the rounded edges and orange coloring make me think it matches the architecture seen in the game The Neverhood, albeit without the creepy clay men and monsters.
To you who found this post, can you think of another home that matches the "Flintstones House"?
Monday, July 25, 2016
Investing Experiment: 07/25/2016
I started this investing experiment on 5/18/2016, but I did not finish making more portfolio until 5/25/2016. Therefore, I consider today to be the 2-month mark of my investing experiment. Let's see how well I have been doing!
On 5/25/2016, I finished the day with $1,467.63 in cash. The sum of my stocks was $8,264.65. This meant that after starting with $10,000, I had a total account value of $9,732.28. At this point, I was very concerned that it would take a long time to get back to $10,000 even with half of my stock picks giving out monthly dividends.
As the month went on, my account started to pull in dividends - a few dollars one day, another dollar the following week. Those small gains did not help much with the fluctuating market and my total account value went down every time my stock picks went down.
By 6/25/2016, I was amazed. The total value of my portfolio was $10,217.31! My account had $1,490.10 in cash. This meant in one month, I had earned $22.47 in dividends. Not bad, that was almost the amount spent on the commission fee for one of my stock purchases. If I could keep this pace, in 8 more months, I will have recouped my losses from those expensive commissions. Of course, it would not be possible because 4 of the 9 stocks give out quarterly dividends and it just so happened that their payout date was in May/June, so I would not be seeing such a gain until the August/September months. The real reason behind my sudden gain was the market. All of my stock picks were doing very well, reaching a total of $8,727.21.
The day before my 1-month mark, the results of the Brexit vote was revealed and the world learned that UK would be leaving the United Nations. I started to notice many UK-based stocks were dropping and many others were bouncing up and down with each piece of news. And here I was, sitting in front of my computer, just waiting for my portfolio value to plummet.
It is now 7/25/2016. I cannot believe my luck. I have $1,509.17 in cash and my stocks are at $9,287.21, which means the total portfolio value is $10,796.38. Wahoo! Choosing stocks that have performed well over the years or have been relatively stable has paid off. My rank in the "Start with $10,000" game will probably in the 140s. This is amazing considering just two months ago, my rank was in the 600-700s. Kudos to the top ten players who have managed to get 20k and above.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 06/30/2016
On 5/25/2016, I finished the day with $1,467.63 in cash. The sum of my stocks was $8,264.65. This meant that after starting with $10,000, I had a total account value of $9,732.28. At this point, I was very concerned that it would take a long time to get back to $10,000 even with half of my stock picks giving out monthly dividends.
As the month went on, my account started to pull in dividends - a few dollars one day, another dollar the following week. Those small gains did not help much with the fluctuating market and my total account value went down every time my stock picks went down.
By 6/25/2016, I was amazed. The total value of my portfolio was $10,217.31! My account had $1,490.10 in cash. This meant in one month, I had earned $22.47 in dividends. Not bad, that was almost the amount spent on the commission fee for one of my stock purchases. If I could keep this pace, in 8 more months, I will have recouped my losses from those expensive commissions. Of course, it would not be possible because 4 of the 9 stocks give out quarterly dividends and it just so happened that their payout date was in May/June, so I would not be seeing such a gain until the August/September months. The real reason behind my sudden gain was the market. All of my stock picks were doing very well, reaching a total of $8,727.21.
The day before my 1-month mark, the results of the Brexit vote was revealed and the world learned that UK would be leaving the United Nations. I started to notice many UK-based stocks were dropping and many others were bouncing up and down with each piece of news. And here I was, sitting in front of my computer, just waiting for my portfolio value to plummet.
It is now 7/25/2016. I cannot believe my luck. I have $1,509.17 in cash and my stocks are at $9,287.21, which means the total portfolio value is $10,796.38. Wahoo! Choosing stocks that have performed well over the years or have been relatively stable has paid off. My rank in the "Start with $10,000" game will probably in the 140s. This is amazing considering just two months ago, my rank was in the 600-700s. Kudos to the top ten players who have managed to get 20k and above.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 06/30/2016
Friday, July 22, 2016
Emotions and Writing
Writing is something that does not come easily to me. Despite my inability to write best-selling novels, I still enjoy doing it whenever I can. It brings a great sense of achievement to pause and realize you have more than two pages filled with words. Almost everyday, I get an idea of a topic to write about, but do not have the time to sit and put the words on paper. I have various excuses, but the predominant one is the fact that I am too lazy to write and believe that I can write about it tomorrow. Right after thinking this, I know right away that I will probably never write about that topic because tomorrow there will be something else to scribble about and I will not have the same motivation to write about yesterday's topic. The few times I have a pen and paper nearby to jot down notes provide a big help in continuing something, but it is not the same as writing as soon as an idea hits you.
On the other hand, there are a number of reasons I want to write. The biggest motivator is that the fact that my emotions are so overwhelming that I simply cannot wait another moment and must release my thoughts. I both love and hate myself when I am emotional.
I love it because whenever I go back and read previous journal entries, the ones written during my most emotional times are usually the pieces that I can re-connect to the easiest. The words are used in an emphatic way that does not exist when I write in a neutral mood. Being in an emotional state also helps me switch between different writing pieces and I can be quite productive (in a personal sense). I can churn out a number of paragraphs during these times, which is a vast improvement to the 3 sentences I drag out of my brain whenever the emotions are neatly boxed in.
I hate being emotional because it leads to a lot more ups and downs in my life. Opening myself to new experiences leave me vulnerable to disappointment, sadness, extreme joy, etc. This roller coaster of feelings can cause grief to people around me because they are unsure what words will raise my self-esteem or lower it even further.
To you who found this post, is it easier or harder to write when you are emotional?
On the other hand, there are a number of reasons I want to write. The biggest motivator is that the fact that my emotions are so overwhelming that I simply cannot wait another moment and must release my thoughts. I both love and hate myself when I am emotional.
I love it because whenever I go back and read previous journal entries, the ones written during my most emotional times are usually the pieces that I can re-connect to the easiest. The words are used in an emphatic way that does not exist when I write in a neutral mood. Being in an emotional state also helps me switch between different writing pieces and I can be quite productive (in a personal sense). I can churn out a number of paragraphs during these times, which is a vast improvement to the 3 sentences I drag out of my brain whenever the emotions are neatly boxed in.
I hate being emotional because it leads to a lot more ups and downs in my life. Opening myself to new experiences leave me vulnerable to disappointment, sadness, extreme joy, etc. This roller coaster of feelings can cause grief to people around me because they are unsure what words will raise my self-esteem or lower it even further.
To you who found this post, is it easier or harder to write when you are emotional?
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Investing Experiment: 06/30/2016
My choices are doing very well lately. Ever since my ranking bounced up in the middle of June, it has been steadily climbing higher. When I learned that the UK had voted to leave the European Union, I was worried about how the market would be affected. However, since I have very basic knowledge about companies, there was little I could do besides reading random articles about what people predict will happen. I figured this was it, my stock picks are going to go down in value now.
In hindsight, I realize that I did not need to worry as much as I did because my portfolio focuses on companies in the United States so they won't be affected as quickly as stocks overseas. Granted, I still need to worry because businesses and other investors are adjusting themselves as policies and relationships change between countries. I expect my portfolio's value to fluctuate with each new piece of news. Until then, I will treasure the sight of having an account value of $10,423.45 and a rank of 181.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 06/15/2016
Next update: 07/25/2016
In hindsight, I realize that I did not need to worry as much as I did because my portfolio focuses on companies in the United States so they won't be affected as quickly as stocks overseas. Granted, I still need to worry because businesses and other investors are adjusting themselves as policies and relationships change between countries. I expect my portfolio's value to fluctuate with each new piece of news. Until then, I will treasure the sight of having an account value of $10,423.45 and a rank of 181.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 06/15/2016
Next update: 07/25/2016
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