In Search of the Perfect Investment

Interest rates are edging up. Maybe. Certainly strongly in the last few weeks.

But, in the overall scheme of things, not much.

Interesting how one chart conveys one impression — when a chart of a longer time period conveys another.

Now is not the time to buy bonds, bond funds  other fixed income securities.My favorite bond fund is looking yuchy:

It could fall further, much further. If and when interest rates rise even more. Look at this five year chart.

It’s not the time to sell bonds — especially those paying you a nice dividend and those you intend to hold to maturity — like my muni bonds.

You can put all your money into equities, like we’re all doing. But then you’ll “enjoy” the stomach-churning of the daily ups and downs. Look at the last five days. Up and down like a whore’s drawers:

For equities, there are “strategies”:

+ Keep your finger on the trigger. Get rid of stocks that aren’t working. Don’t fall in love with stocks. I’m in love with Qualcomm because it’s in the right place at the right time — fourth generation LTE. But, despite the stock boom of the last few weeks, it’s actually 1.6% below what I paid for it. There’s got to be a reason it’s doing so awfully. I don’t know what it is. For now, it’s dead money.

+ Don’t borrow on margin. Shakespeare said it, “Don’t a lender or a borrower be.”

+ Don’t watch your stocks daily. That’s the fastest way to the looney bin. Look at the five-day chart above again.

+ Stick with solid no speculative stuff, like BRKA, GOOG, Honeywell, Home Depot, Visa, GILD and WFM.

+ Don’t watch CNBC in hte morning. The main anchor is Joe Kernen, and he can be a irritating early in the morning. Watch the French Open. It’s more fun.

Is it better to walk or run? From today’s New York Times:

Walking and running are the most popular physical activities for American adults. But whether one is preferable to the other in terms of improving health has long been debated. Now a variety of new studies that pitted running directly against walking are providing some answers. Their conclusion? It depends almost completely on what you are hoping to accomplish.

If, for instance, you are looking to control your weight – and shallowly or not, I am – running wins, going away. In a study published last month in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, and unambiguously titled “Greater Weight Loss From Running than Walking,” researchers combed survey data from 15,237 walkers and 32,215 runners enrolled in the National Runners and Walkers Health Study – a large survey being conducted at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif.

Participants were asked about their weight, waist circumference, diets and typical weekly walking or running mileage both when they joined the study, and then again up to six years later.

The runners almost uniformly were thinner than the walkers when each joined the study. And they stayed that way throughout. Over the years, the runners maintained their body mass and waistlines far better than the walkers.

For the full article, click here.

My iPhone’s battery sucks. I can’t carry a second battery, since it’s not replaceable. This $25 solar battery thingee works well. It’s a battery charged by USB and light. which means you don’t have to remember to charge it.

It’s called a Opteka BP-SC4000 Ultra Thin Solar Powered High Capacity (4000mAh) Backup Battery and Charger for Cell Phones, iPhone, iPod, and Most USB Powered Devices. It comes with plugs to charge everything from the iPhone 5 to the iPad  to most cell phones. Amazon has it on sale for $25. Click here.

Another wonderful old person story.
Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Cohen had been longtime close friends. But, being old-fashioned, each went to a retirement home of her own respective religion.

It was not long before Mrs. Murphy felt lonesome for Mrs. Cohen, so one day she asked to be driven to the Jewish Home to visit her old friend. When she arrived she was greeted with open arms, hugs, and kisses.

Mrs. Murphy said, “Don’t be holdin’ back , Mrs. Cohen, how do you like it here?”

Mrs. Cohen went on and on about the wonderful food, the facility and the caretakers. Then, with a twinkle in her eye, she said, “But the best thing is that I now have a boyfriend.”

Mrs. Murphy said, “Now isn’t that wonderful! Tell me all about it.”

Mrs. Cohen said, “After lunch, we go up to my room and sit on the edge of the bed. I let him touch me on the top, and then on the bottom, and then we sing Jewish songs.”

Mrs. Murphy said, “For sure it’s a blessing. I’m so glad for you, Mrs. Cohen.”

Mrs. Cohen said, “And how is it with you, Mrs. Murphy?”

Mrs. Murphy said it was also wonderful at her new facility, and that she also had a boyfriend.

Mrs. Cohen said, “Good for you! So what do you do?”

Mrs. Murphy said, “We also go up to my room after lunch and sit on the edge of the bed. I let him touch me on top, and then I let him touch me down below.”

Mrs. Cohen said, “Yes? And then…?”

Mrs. Murphy said, “Well, since we don’t know any Jewish songs, we fuck.”

Harry Newton who is trying to buy a 24 inch towel bar to match the one in his bathroom. The existing one doesn’t have a manufacturer or model number anywhere on it. Upshot: There are millions of towel bars. Pictures of them on web sites like Home Depot are far too small. Looking at towel bars online gives boredom a whole new meaning. Why don’t manufacturers pay attention and make their customers’ lives enjoyable and get themselves more sales in the meantime?