What a year! The S&P 500 is up 29%.
But, wait there’s more.
Last night I went to my Vanguard account. I eyed my two favorite index funds/EFTs — the two that I’ve nagged often on this blog about. Here are the incredible results:
Look carefully, Vanguard shows its S&P 500 fund up by 30.37% this year. But its VGT EFT — the one I wrote about all through the year — is up a whopping 46.67%.
Technology was hot and it worked for us.
A big part of our success has been my focus on staying away from areas NOT to invest in. I’m very proud of this. Inter alia, we stayed away from:
+ Marijuana. (Check out GDC’s miserable performance.)
+ Bitcoin (now down to 35% of its high)
+ Gold, silver, “precious” metals, mining and miners
+ Oil and energy
+ Retailers of other people’s stuff and REITs
+ Ultra-high dividend payers — too high spells future problems
+ Miracle cures — especially for cancer
+ Hot IPOs, e.g. Uber, Lyft, SmithDirectClub, Zoom, Pinterest, Slack
+ Funds pushed by the likes of Goldman Sachs and single-person operators with the alleged “magic touch”
+ “Emerging” markets. Here’s why: My father put money in Mexico. It was earning 13%. Then Mexico devalued. I put money into a venture fund in India. It also devalued and now the present Indian prime minister is really bungling the country: Read this horrible story: As Protests Rage on Citizenship Bill, Is India Becoming a Hindu Nation? Several people have been killed as unrest spreads to new corners of the country. Many see the passage of a new law as anti-Muslim. Which it is. — Read the gruesome New York Times story here.
As Lebanon’s economy drowns in debt, Syria’s begins to sink as well
Politicians in both countries seem unable to cope. Click here.
But above all, I said NO a lot more often in 2019. As the market rose, more hair-brained schemes dropped on my desk — including ones in quantum computing and cure-all dietary supplements — stuff to eat that never touched the FDA, its scientists or its labs.
Bottom line: When you buy a dietary supplement you have no idea what’s in the bottle (despite the label) and no idea how capable the factory is where it’s made. I could grind up peanuts and kale, add corn oil and call it a miracle for enhancing brains.
By the end of 2019, I finally figured that my brain is what it is and it’s not getting any better — despite Prevagen.
I updated my portfolio. It’s in the right hand column on the blog. Click here.
More gift ideas (for you, your family and friends)
+ Glasses from EyeBuyDirect. Quality is superb. Prices are really cheap. And the service is out of this world. I own a million of their eyeglasses. Click here.
Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 for Contrarians and the Curious
These 15 books will challenge your assumptions and could change how you see the world.
Click here.
I’ll enjoy this issue for the rest of the year. I’ve already found wonderful pieces on how Maduro stays in power in Venezuela, talented new Chinese pianists, how eels make babies (no one knows) and a sad piece on Boeing that includes:
“Since March Boeing’s response has been an ugly mixture of remorse, evasion and swagger, as it gambled that it can get the MAX, and its business, rapidly back in the air. On December 19th that strategy ran out of runway when the firm announced it would suspend production of the stricken plane.”
+ More gift ideas from Men’s Journal (which has a zillion)– here.
The Men’s Journal‘s full list of great Christmas presents is here.
I wouldn’t ride in Manhattan day or night without one on the front and one on the back. They see me — even the drivers from New Jersey. Buy it from Amazon here.
Life is good. Things are improving
Someone put a short video together of the 20 good news stories you didn’t know about. It’s heart-warming. Check out the pandas.
If you have a bit more time, take these two books to your Christmas retreat:
You’ll learn why and how the world is becoming a better place. I loved Sapiens. I read every word. I’m half-way through Homo Deus. Start with Sapiens. Click here.
My Christmas plans
Tomorrow, half the family is schlepping for a week to Anguilla. I’m included. I’ll try writing something from there. Don’t count on it. This will be me tomorrow:
Well, maybe. Most likely I’ll be playing UNO with the kids in the shade. I like UNO. Once I won. Mostly the kids win.
It’s a wonderful time to be alive. The end, for today.
Thanks for your thoughts on the sectors.
Bitcoin is up 150% on the year. THat’s three times as much as your Vanguard IT fund!
Be careful Harry, im sure you saw this in the news, but a friend was attacked in Anguilla and was defending himself but is being charged with murder
https://www.darientimes.com/news/article/Scott-Hapgood-story-hits-home-for-couple-robbed-14869846.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dt_online_today&utm_term=news&utm_content=briefing&fbclid=IwAR0bkALUn6sC96uSoit1gtxl0efUKw5PijgFCJyzT_7tQS5NeSbZNzB8qEc
https://qmap.pub/
Read it an weep…….
Your filthy evil democrat party is FINISHED!!!
Harry if you think the truth hurts now then you need to take my advice and prepare for when Trump tweets “The Storm Is Upon Them”…..
……let’s see just how full of shit I am.
Oh yea, Rudy Giuliani is a lazy corrupt fool…LOL!…good luck.
The Hunters Become The Hunted
Q
2020….The year that Donald Trump personally throws the evil corrupt democrat party and their lucifarian media into the Trash-Bin Of History.
Watching Barry Soetoro, Michael LaVaughn Robinson and Eric Holder hang is going to Biblical.
Watching Julian Assange expose the evil DNC for the death of Seth Rich is going to be epic…..”Guccifer 2.0” LOLOL!!!
Remember Harry—-Trump isn’t a “witness,” no-no-no he’s the DEFENDANT…..LOLOL!!!……..you’ll understand soon enough.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz will take most of the evil dems remaining in the House of Representatives down, think Awan brothers.
Who is Bill Maher? Who is Hugh Hefner? Who is Jeffery Epstein?
Harry if you have a pair of red shoes get rid of them immediately!!!
The Great Awakening
Trust The Plan
WWG1WGA
Future Proves Past
Dark To Light
Trump2024
Q
P.S. Who is Vladimir Putin? hint: you stupid libs have no idea.
Harry save this post for Dec 20, 2020 and post it in that days blog. Let’s see how I do…….LOLOL!!!