1, When I want investment advice, I get it from:

a) The Wall Street Journal b) The Street Dogs column c) Complete strangers at the video store.

2. When I wake up in the morning, I:

a) Shower b) Get dressed c) Lift my head off the keyboard and start shorting stocks.

3. In order to trade stocks intelligently, one must have a:

a) BA b) MBA c) Mouse.

4. The last book I read was:

a) Madame Bovary. b) How to Invest like Warren Buffett c) Windows 2000 for Dummies.

5. I go to the doctor:

a) Once a year. b) Once every two years. c) When I put my fist through the screen.

6. GE is a company that manufactures:

a) Paper b) Cowboys c) I have no idea but I just bought two hundred shares.

7. When I am in a bar and meet a beautiful woman/man who seems to be attracted to me, the first thing I look at is:

a) Her/his face b) Her/his body c) CNBC screen

8. Beating the spread refers to:

a) The way whipped cream cheese is made

b) The way Honduran peasant women clean their bed coverings

c) Don’t know/care.

9. P:E ratio means:

a) Something to do with, like, stocks and junk like that

b) The number of times an hour that a day trader has to use the bathroom

c) Like I care?

10. A tick is:

a) A nervous syndrome common to day traders

b) Something that often lives in a day trader’s hair

c) These questions are really starting to annoy me, dude!

If you answered (c) to any of the above questions ... Congratulations! You have what it takes to succeed

in the fast-paced, action-packed world of day trading!

VIRGIN TERRITORY

I am often asked if I have found a secret — or at least a consistent answer — to successfully building businesses over my career. So I’ve spent some time thinking about what characterises so many of Virgin’s successful ventures and, importantly, what went wrong when we did not get it right. Reflecting across 40 years, I have come up with five “secrets”.

1 Enjoy what you are doing. Because starting a business is a huge amount of hard work, requiring a great deal of time, you had better enjoy it. When I started Virgin from a basement flat in West London, I did not set out to build a business empire. I set out to create something I enjoyed that would pay the bills. There was no great plan or strategy. The name itself was thought up on the hoof. One night some friends and I were chatting over a few drinks and decided to call our group Virgin, as we were all new to business. The name stuck and had a certain ring to it.

For me, building a business is all about doing something to be proud of, bringing talented people together and creating something that’s going to make a real difference to other people’s lives.  A businesswoman or a businessman is not unlike an artist. What you have when you start a company is a blank canvas and you have to fill it. Just as a good artist has to get every single detail right on that canvas, a businessman or businesswoman has to get every single little thing right when first setting up in business in order to succeed. However, unlike a work of art, the business is never finished. It constantly evolves. If a businessperson sets out to make a real difference to other people’s lives, and achieves that, he or she will be able to pay the bills and have a successful business to boot.

2 Create something that stands out. Whether you have a product, a service or a brand, it is not easy to start a company and to survive and thrive in the modern world. In fact, you’ve got to do something radically different to make a mark today. Look at the most successful businesses of the past 20 years. Microsoft, Google or Apple, for example, shook up a sector by doing something that hadn’t ever been done and by continually innovating. They are now among the dominant forces.

3 Create something that everybody who works for you is really proud of. Businesses generally consist of a group of people, and they are your biggest assets.

4 Be a good leader. As a leader you have to be a really good listener. You need to know your own mind but there is no point in imposing your views on others without some debate. No one has a monopoly on good ideas or good advice. Get out there, listen to people, draw people out, and learn from them. As a leader you’ve also got to be extremely good at praising people. Never openly criticise people; never lose your temper, and always lavish praise on your colleagues for a job well done. People flourish if they’re praised. Usually they don’t need to be told when they’ve done wrong because most of the time they know it. If somebody is not working out, don’t automatically throw him or her out of the company. A company should genuinely be a family. So see if there’s another job within the company that suits them better. On most occasions you’ll find something for every single kind of personality.

5 Be visible. A good leader does not get stuck behind a desk. I’ve never worked in an office — I’ve always worked from home — but I get out and about, meeting people. It seems I am travelling all the time but I always have a notebook in my back pocket to jot down questions, concerns or good ideas. If I’m on a Virgin Atlantic plane, I make certain to get out and meet all the staff and many of the passengers. If you meet a group of Virgin Atlantic crew members, you are going to have at least 10  suggestions or ideas. If I don’t write them down, I may remember only one the next day. By writing them down, I remember all 10.

Get out and shake hands with all the passengers on the plane, and again there are going to be people who had a problem or have a suggestion. Write it down, make sure that you get their names, get their e-mail addresses, and make sure, the next day, that you respond to them. Of course, I try to make sure we appoint MDs who have the same philosophy. That way we can run a large group of companies in the same way a small business owner runs a family business — keeping it responsive and friendly.

When you’re building a business from scratch, the key word for many years is “survival”. It’s tough to survive. In the beginning you haven’t got the time or energy to worry about saving the world. You’ve just got to fight to make sure you can look after your bank manager and be able to pay the bills. Literally, your full concentration has to be on surviving. Obviously, if you don’t survive, just remember most businesses fail and the best lessons are usually learned from failure. You must not get too dispirited. Just get back up and try again!

©2010 Richard Branson

VIRGIN TERRITORY

I am often asked if I have found a secret — or at least a consistent answer — to successfully building businesses over my career. So I’ve spent some time thinking about what characterises so many of Virgin’s successful ventures and, importantly, what went wrong when we did not get it right. Reflecting across 40 years, I have come up with five “secrets”.

1 Enjoy what you are doing. Because starting a business is a huge amount of hard work, requiring a great deal of time, you had better enjoy it. When I started Virgin from a basement flat in West London, I did not set out to build a business empire. I set out to create something I enjoyed that would pay the bills. There was no great plan or strategy. The name itself was thought up on the hoof. One night some friends and I were chatting over a few drinks and decided to call our group Virgin, as we were all new to business. The name stuck and had a certain ring to it.

For me, building a business is all about doing something to be proud of, bringing talented people together and creating something that’s going to make a real difference to other people’s lives.  A businesswoman or a businessman is not unlike an artist. What you have when you start a company is a blank canvas and you have to fill it. Just as a good artist has to get every single detail right on that canvas, a businessman or businesswoman has to get every single little thing right when first setting up in business in order to succeed. However, unlike a work of art, the business is never finished. It constantly evolves. If a businessperson sets out to make a real difference to other people’s lives, and achieves that, he or she will be able to pay the bills and have a successful business to boot.

2 Create something that stands out. Whether you have a product, a service or a brand, it is not easy to start a company and to survive and thrive in the modern world. In fact, you’ve got to do something radically different to make a mark today. Look at the most successful businesses of the past 20 years. Microsoft, Google or Apple, for example, shook up a sector by doing something that hadn’t ever been done and by continually innovating. They are now among the dominant forces.

3 Create something that everybody who works for you is really proud of. Businesses generally consist of a group of people, and they are your biggest assets.

4 Be a good leader. As a leader you have to be a really good listener. You need to know your own mind but there is no point in imposing your views on others without some debate. No one has a monopoly on good ideas or good advice. Get out there, listen to people, draw people out, and learn from them. As a leader you’ve also got to be extremely good at praising people. Never openly criticise people; never lose your temper, and always lavish praise on your colleagues for a job well done. People flourish if they’re praised. Usually they don’t need to be told when they’ve done wrong because most of the time they know it. If somebody is not working out, don’t automatically throw him or her out of the company. A company should genuinely be a family. So see if there’s another job within the company that suits them better. On most occasions you’ll find something for every single kind of personality.

5 Be visible. A good leader does not get stuck behind a desk. I’ve never worked in an office — I’ve always worked from home — but I get out and about, meeting people. It seems I am travelling all the time but I always have a notebook in my back pocket to jot down questions, concerns or good ideas. If I’m on a Virgin Atlantic plane, I make certain to get out and meet all the staff and many of the passengers. If you meet a group of Virgin Atlantic crew members, you are going to have at least 10  suggestions or ideas. If I don’t write them down, I may remember only one the next day. By writing them down, I remember all 10.

Get out and shake hands with all the passengers on the plane, and again there are going to be people who had a problem or have a suggestion. Write it down, make sure that you get their names, get their e-mail addresses, and make sure, the next day, that you respond to them. Of course, I try to make sure we appoint MDs who have the same philosophy. That way we can run a large group of companies in the same way a small business owner runs a family business — keeping it responsive and friendly.

When you’re building a business from scratch, the key word for many years is “survival”. It’s tough to survive. In the beginning you haven’t got the time or energy to worry about saving the world. You’ve just got to fight to make sure you can look after your bank manager and be able to pay the bills. Literally, your full concentration has to be on surviving. Obviously, if you don’t survive, just remember most businesses fail and the best lessons are usually learned from failure. You must not get too dispirited. Just get back up and try again!

©2010 Richard Branson

What should go into a "model portfolio". ?

How should it be chosen?

How often should it be changed? On what grounds?

How should it be tracked to gauge its validity? Against which benchmark?

Would you be interested in a model portfolio being run here on tickertalk?

Let me know...

Take the poll!

http://www.tickertalk.co.za/poll.php?user=stuart&poll_id=6

Whether you are looking to choose a local broker, or one in a foreign market, you would be better off to get answers to some key questions early on:-

Firstly, what are you?

Ask of yourself:-

1. Do you have sufficient web access (speed, continuity, and backup)?

2. What is your Risk level? low or high as a start, but this gets more complicated as you try more types of exposure

3. Will you be actively hands-on? - monthly/daily/yearly

4. Do you know the basic principles of the game? And the details?

5. Do you want to Trade (exploit price-price gaps) or Invest (exploit price/value gaps, and also value change)

6. What do you want to own and trade in - index funds/shares/installments/geared derivatives?

7. Do you understand the cost structure of what you want to do?

8. Can you get access to the answers you don't have?

Then, of the broker (or website):-

1. Who are they ?
2. Can I trust them ?

3. Who do I know to give me references on the brokerage (it should be someone with similar needs to you)?

4. What products to they have to offer?

5. What are the service hours?

6. Do they have automated stop losses for online portfolios? How do they work?

7. Do they offer any research or advice? At what cost?

8. What pricing service is offered – realtime/delayed/end of day?

9. Do you pay to see live pricing? How?
10. What service do they provide - click only/online guides/call centre/email bureau/face to face courses/webinars/sponsored chatrooms?

11. What kinds of online help do they provide? How helpful is their online help or FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)? Does it answer the questions you want to ask? If it doesn't, what are the alternatives to getting an answer? And, how quickly do they email an reply back?

12. Does the firm have a policy on how quickly they state they will return all correspondence? Do they adhere to it?

13. And when you do call the broker, how helpful are the telephone representatives? How knowledgeable are they? Do they conduct themselves in a professional manner? If they promise to get back to you, do they do so within a reasonable amount of time, or do they even get back at all?

14. Do they offer telephone trades as an option to web clicking? Other alternatives may include touch-tone telephone trades, fax ordering, etc

15. What are their costs?

16. Is the cost structure clear, or does it need various scenarios done to make it relevant/comparable?

17. Is it a fixed cost per trade, or a cost linked to trade size, if so is it linear?
18. Will you pay a monthly fee, when your account is inactive? How much?

19. What other fees do they charge? How much does it cost to transfer out your account to another brokerage?

20. What is the minimum balance to open an account? They may say zero, but you need to accept the minimum fixed cost as a % of your account balance.

21. Is the cost structure different for “at market” orders than for limit orders?

22. What are the mechanics of getting access to your (own) money? Can the broker wire the funds to your bank account or will they have to mail you a cheque? What about deposit of funds into the account? Can you do online banking and deposit money into your brokerage account?

23. Is the brokerage free to execute against you for its own account?

24. What complementary services to they have to offer?

25. How much will I have to pay, for you to teach me the mechanics of the market, and enough skills to thrive?
26. How long will it take, and what will be covered in your offering?

27. Do they offer after hours trading? What are the hours of operation for the after-hours trade? Are the commissions the same or do they cost more? Do they offer it online or do you have to place it over the phone with a representative?

28. Do they offer any incentives for opening an account? Do they rebate you for any transfer out fees charged by your previous broker or provide any incentives to transfer your assets over to them? Some brokers provide a certain number of free trades in your account but it may not amount to much if you discover that you have problems trading through them.

And here are some other factors you should consider:

Consider starting out with just an index fund – either at their websites, or if the costs are acceptable, with a broker. These are often best for novice investors who may still need to build confidence and knowledge of the markets. As you become a more sophisticated investor, you can graduate into investing more of your money yourself.

Availability is key. Try hitting the company's website at different times throughout the day, especially during peak trading hours, and market openings and closes. Watch how fast their site loads and check some of the links to ensure there are no technical difficulties.

Price isn't everything. Don't open an account with a broker simply because it offers the lowest commission cost.

Customer service counts. There is nothing more exasperating than sitting on hold for 20 minutes waiting to get help. Before you open an account, call the company's help desk with a fake question to test how long it takes to get a response, and whether that response is plausible.

You are likely to always have some cash in your brokerage account. What interest rate will you earn on this money?

Once you've narrowed down the choice of brokers, you should carefully test each one for the features and services you desire.

-Open up an account with the broker. Don't deposit all your money into the account. Just deposit enough for you to be able to test out the capabilities of the broker. Once you're happy with the level of service, you can always put more money in and transfer all your assets in.

-Place a trade online. Go through the whole process of placing a trade, but with the exception of not wanting it to get filled. That means, place the limit price to something that won't get executed that day. And, yes, that means place a "day" order (a trade that will expire at the end of the day should it not get filled). So, suppose you want to place a buy order for Anglo and the current trading range for it is 290-295. Place a day order to buy at 250 and submit it. It will most likely not get filled, but you will get the feel of how to place the trade. Every brokerage firm will have a different way of placing a trade. You might discover that you don't like the way the broker has drop down menus, or doesn't timestamp your fill orders, etc. You won't know until you place the trade, and track it in progress into their sytem. Can you cancel (or attempt to cancel) a trade? . You will also discover how fast or slow the web page loads and also the trade execution time. My suggestion is to place several different "unfillable" day trades at different times of the day to test the trade executions and web page loading times.

What a Stock Exchange is...

Who would have thought!

For some (like me) gold falls outside the definition of assets, because it doesn't pay you any rent, and if anything it costs you to store.

Nonetheless, people all are cursed with human nature, so the stuff trades like stink.

Here is some perspective on how to go about entering the gold market

Cheers

Stuart

This checklist provides a template for your thinking, when selecting a share to invest in. It doesn't guarantee success, but print it off, and fill in and record your thinking when you get into a share.

Then, when you periodically update or re-balance your holdings, pull it out and re-assess your thinking. It will be a powerful reminder.

Most people shy away from keeping records of why they invested in a certain way, but this can save you from the "What could I have been thinking?" type of anguish later on.

Good luck

Stuart

Cheatsheet

Wed 14 April 2010 was a wednesday, but the Wed actually stands for World Entrepreneurship Day.

Howard Lee Morgan, a "lapsed academic" as he describes himself, sets out here some criteria for what big ideas must have, where to find them, and also some filters to discard or retain an idea, or steps to transform an idea into a company. There is 10 minutes of video, so be sure your modem is in with a chance...and the whole shebang is closer to 20 minutes if you click on "WATCH FULL PROGRAM"

Given the fact that there is enough money in the world (after all every over-extended borrower has got it from a lender), this is grist to the mill of everyone who has an idea which could be converted to value somehow...

Cheers

Stuart

Mark Cuban makes a point here which many wannabe market players forget at their peril and cost. You will do well to heed his message, which i have tried to translate into SA taal...

Cheers, Stuart

''The Best Investment Advice You Will Ever Get''

You might have seen #1 in this mini-series - if not Understanding Asset Allocation - 1 will take you there.

Part 2 now describes what is called a   Constant-Weighting Asset Allocation
 

Strategic asset allocation generally implies a buy-and-hold strategy, even as the shift in the values of assets cause a drift from the initially established policy mix. For this reason, you may choose to adopt a constant-weighting approach to asset allocation. With this approach, you continually rebalance your portfolio. For example, if one asset were declining in value, you would purchase more of that asset, and if that asset value should increase, you would sell it. An easy way to imagine this is to say you are baking, and you have piles - of cake flour, of sugar, of bread flour. Each pile fits nicely on its tile in your kitchen counter. Now if say sugar does well, and you now have a lot more sugar, thats really nice but your recipe will fail - so you rebalance by selling some sugar, and adding the proceeds to the other ingredients. Ditto if you fiund you are short of an ingredient - you will seek to cut down on other ingredients to get back the balance you wanted in the first place.

There are no hard-and-fast rules for the timing of portfolio rebalancing under strategic or constant-weighting asset allocation. However, a common rule of thumb is that the portfolio should be rebalanced to its original mix when any given asset class moves more than 5% from its original value. Often, followers of this approcach will revisit their portfolio maybe six monthly, and might rebalance depending what they find. Continual rebalancing will of course cause continual costs, which it is better to avoid...

The key here is discipline in the rebalancing - after all, if you have designed your portfolio astutely, you will not want price action to disturb the balance you desire.

Cheers

Stuart

You might have missed the first couple in this mini-series - if so  Understanding Asset Allocation - 1 and  Understanding Asset Allocation - 2 will take you there.

After part 2 described what we called a  Constant-Weighting Asset Allocation, we now look at  Tactical Asset Allocation.

Over the long run, a strategic asset allocation strategy may seem relatively rigid. Some market participants feel it forces you to cut winners, and t buy more and more of underperforming holdings. So for people on top of their game, and able to spend a  lot of time and attention, it may be preferable to occasionally engage in short-term, tactical deviations from the mix in order to capitalize on unusual or exceptional investment opportunities. This flexibility adds a component of market timing to the portfolio, allowing you to participate in economic conditions or news flows that are more favourable for one asset or asset class than for others.

Tactical asset allocation can be described as a moderately active strategy, since the overall strategic asset mix is returned to when desired short-term profits are achieved. This strategy demands significant discipline, since you must firstly be able to recognize when short-term opportunities have run their course, and then rebalance the portfolio to the long-term asset position. It is key that you don't get so hooked on running after short term winners that you lose perspective on the allocation you wanted all along.

I would strongly advocate that you do not try "Tactical" Asset Allocation until you have mastered the more stable types, and also until your live trading skills are at a point where they allow you to gainfully tweak the allocations as you chase extra performance. Otherwise, you will lose and I will be glad to own shares in the brokers and/or exchanges on which you are overtrading!

Cheers

Stuart


 

You might have missed the first few in this mini-series - if so  Understanding Asset Allocation - 1 and  Understanding Asset Allocation - 2 and Understanding Asset Allocation - 3 will take you there.

After part 3 looked at Tactical Asset Allocation, we now take that concept even further with what a definition of what is known as Dynamic Asset Allocation.

Dynamic Asset Allocation

Another active asset allocation strategy is dynamic asset allocation, with which you constantly adjust the mix of assets as markets rise and fall and the economy strengthens and weakens. With this strategy you look to sell assets that are declining and purchase assets that are increasing, making dynamic asset allocation the polar opposite of a constant-weighting strategy. For example, if the stock market is showing weakness, you sell stocks in anticipation of further decreases, and if the market is strong, you purchase stocks in anticipation of continued market gains.
 

As can clearly be seen, this is miles away from the stable/passive route of sitting on your chosen hoIdings "come what may". This is far more suited to people who would prefer to take advantage of riding up with winners; and selling out of exposure to losing psitions. In some ways it plays to people of a trading rather than an investing mindset - but they must have good "feel" for price action and winning vs losing sectors, and must be ruthless about having and adhering to an execution framework (trading rules) - the design of their allocation and the rules by which they adapt when price actions are discerned must be clear, consistent, and actionable.

The debate goes on about whether you can pre-allocate your cash, or whether you should simply buy the day's winner every day - but as you can see by now, there are different allocation systems to suit different temperaments and belief systems. 

Cheers

Stuart

You might have missed the first few in this mini-series - if so see them at 

Understanding Asset Allocation - 1 

Understanding Asset Allocation - 2

Understanding Asset Allocation - 3 

Understanding Asset Allocation - 4

After part 3 and 4 looked at the far more active types known as Tactical and Dynamic Asset Allocation, we now table Insured Asset Allocation.

Insured Asset Allocation
With an insured asset allocation strategy, you establish a base portfolio value under which the portfolio should not be allowed to drop. As long as the portfolio achieves a return above its base, you exercise active management to try to increase the portfolio value as much as possible. If, however, the portfolio should ever drop to the base value, you invest in risk-free assets so that the base value becomes fixed. At such time, you would consult with your advisor on re-allocating assets, perhaps even changing your investment strategy entirely.

You can implement an insured asset allocation strategy with a formula approach or a portfolio insurance approach. The formula approach is a graduated strategy: as the portfolio value decreases, you purchase more and more risk-free assets so that when the portfolio reaches its base level, you are entirely invested in risk-free assets. With the portfolio insurance approach you would use put options and/or futures contracts to preserve the base capital. Both approaches are considered active management strategies, but when the base amount is reached, you are adopting a completely defensive and passive approach.

Insured asset allocation may be suitable for risk-averse investors who desire a certain level of active portfolio management but appreciate the security of establishing a guaranteed floor below which the portfolio is not allowed to decline. For example, an investor who wishes to establish a minimum standard of living during retirement might find an insured asset allocation strategy ideally suited to his or her management goals.

 

This approach may appeal to people who want to follow the momentum of winning positions - but what it does need is a plunge to be taken. Firstly it must take some positions, then swiftly retreat if they fall, or add if they win. Alternatively, using the derivatives as mentioned, one could write off a little capital in buying the guarantee for the floor or base value, and then gaily invest all of the balance. 

Either way, it is slightly disingenuous to represent it as having a guaranteed floor or base - you get nothing for nothing in the markets.

Cheers

Stuart

You might have missed the first few in this mini-series - if so see them at 

Understanding Asset Allocation - 1 

Understanding Asset Allocation - 2

Understanding Asset Allocation - 3 

Understanding Asset Allocation - 4

Understanding Asset Allocation - 5

After looking in part 5 at the concept of Insured Asset Allocation, we wrap up with the portmanteau - .

Integrated Asset Allocation
With integrated asset allocation you consider both your economic expectations and your risk in establishing an asset mix. While all of the above-mentioned strategies take into account expectations for future market returns, not all of the strategies account for investment risk tolerance. Integrated asset allocation, on the other hand, includes aspects of all strategies, accounting not only for expectations but also actual changes in capital markets and your risk tolerance. Integrated asset allocation is a broader asset allocation approach, albeit some appropriate mix of the various defined methods set out in the series. Clarity of purpose is clearly required, since an investor should not implement two strategies that are competing with one another.

Conclusion
Asset allocation can be an active process, to varying degrees, or can be strictly passive in nature. Whether an investor chooses a precise asset allocation strategy or a combination of different strategies depends on that investor's goals, age, market expectations and risk tolerance.

Keep in mind, however, that this series gives only general guidelines on how investors may use asset allocation as a part of their core strategies. Be aware that allocation approaches that involve anticipating and reacting to market movements require a great deal of expertise and talent in using particular tools for timing these movements.

Some would say that accurately timing the market is next to impossible, so make sure your strategy isn't too vulnerable to unforeseeable errors.  The so-called "free lunch" of asset allocation comes from the fact that different assets can behave in non-correlating ways. Yes, all ships rise on the tide, but if your capital is spread between various non-correlating holdings, then a market event that is unforeseen (and the future is unforeseen to us all) may impact one or some of your holdings rather severely, but it will not wipe you out.

Either way, whether you follow an allocation approach rigidly or not, I hope this series has cleared up some of the concepts for you.

Cheers

Stuart

Are you on twitter?

Here are some helpful pointers for successful tweeting courtesy of “Be Better at Twitter: The Definitive, Data-Driven Guide,” an article from the Atlantic based on a study :- “Who Gives a Tweet? Evaluating Microblog Content Value,” The originator was Lauren Foster.

• Old news is no news: Twitter emphasizes real-time information, so information rapidly gets stale. Followers quickly get bored of even relatively fresh links seen multiple times.

• Contribute to the story: To keep people interested, add an opinion, a pertinent fact, or otherwise add to the conversation before hitting “send” on a retweet.

• Keep it short: Twitter limits tweets to 140 characters, but followers still appreciate conciseness. Using as few characters as possible also leaves room for longer, more satisfying comments on retweets.

• Limit Twitter-specific syntax: Overuse of #hashtags, @mentions, and abbreviations makes tweets hard to read. But some syntax is helpful; if posing a question, adding a hashtag helps everyone follow along.

• Keep it to yourself: The clichéd “sandwich” tweets about pedestrian, personal details were largely disliked. Reviewers reserved a special hatred for Foursquare location check-ins.

• Provide context. Tweets that are too short leave readers unable to understand their meaning. Simply linking to a blog or photo, without giving readers a reason to click on it, was described as “lame.”

• Don’t whine: Negative sentiments and complaints were disliked.

• Be a tease: News or professional organizations that want readers to click on their links need to hook the reader, not give away all of the news in the tweet itself.

For more on how financial advisers are using social media to get an edge, read “Social Graces” from CFA Magazine. And to better understand some of the risks and challenges that social media pose for your wealthy clients and their families, she recommends the white paper “Family Security & Social Media: Protecting Your Family from Security Gaps in Social Media.”

... I FULLY ENDORSE THE THUMBSDOWN TO FOURSQUARE LOCATION UPDATES...

Cheers

Stuart

 ps - for the more formal, and for any teachers out there, here is a US varsity's rubric for twevaluation:-

http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/profdev/rubrics/Twitter_Rubric.html

 pps - please be sensitive if contemplating use of the pluperfect subjunctive.

 There is plenty of smarts and sophistication in the investing world. A real edge, which I hope you will develop, is the clarity and simplicity of doing better with your money, whatever level you are at.

Understand money. There are three kinds

- your capital (aka balance sheet or store of wealth),

- your earned income (your current (net) income from supply of goods or services, whether you are in business or employed), and

- your passive income - that delightful sustainable trickle from your capital, sometimes described as "second hand money".

I suspect we have participants in tickertalk with a focus on each of these - and the ones wise enough to use some of the second to start or grow the first, and who can also plough some of the third back in, will get wealthy fastest.

Keep it simple. In a way it isn’t about MONEY

–             Money has no (intrinsic) value. 

–             Money is just a medium of exchange – allowing transfer in time and space, and of goods/services.

–             Money is the Lowest Common Denominator. 

–             Its about getting money where you want it – look after what you have, know where you could end up, and ideally get some money to work for you – rather than the other way around. 

–             Money can be a means to an end – but shouldn’t be seen as an end in itself.

And good luck - its a journey, and you must enjoy it.

Cheers

Stuart

Do you get switched on or off by hectic targets?

This blog from consultant Ron Ashkenas on the Harvard Business Review (HBR) blog may help your perspective...

Cheers

Stuart

the two keys for me:-

...ambitious stretch goals need to be deconstructed into lots of short-term stretch goals...
...design the short-term stretch goals [to] force innovation, collaboration, and learning...

Here is the blog:-

"Recently my fellow HBR blogger Daniel Markovitz suggested that stretch goals can be demotivating, and should be replaced by confidence-building "quick wins." Frankly, this is like saying that the taste of food is more important than its nutrient value. It's a false dichotomy. Healthy organizations need both stretch and success to stay alive and vibrant, just like a well-balanced diet includes food that is both tasty and healthy.

 Fundamental Investing - Approaches, tools and techniques
Account holders with online stockbrokers, whether expert or novice, need to manage and build their holdings, and soon realise that investing is a different process to trading. If you would like to be a better investor, you need to know and understand the concepts of investing, and also how to find and apply fundamental drivers that can enhance your portfolio 

Standard Online Share Trading want you to succeed as an investor, and so have sourced and arranged a series of live webinars to help you do exactly that. 

The second live webinar in this series will cover Fundamental investing - Your own investment profile and will address the following:

• Aim at nothing to get nowhere
• Sources
  • Of data and information
  • Of insight and perspective
• Realistic expectations
• An honest approach
• Beng consistent
• Profile examples
• How to establish and tweak your own profile

Join Stuart Thompson, an independant asset manager, on Thursday 4 April 2013 at 12H30 for a 45 minute webinar including Q&A