When to sell your shares
…Or not to buy them in the first place.
+ When the founders leave. Think Intel and Microsoft. Sometimes this rule doesn’t work — like Apple (when Steve died). But it took ten years after Bill left for Microsoft to begin working. The rule is still working with Intel. Want to know how bad Intel’s management was/is? Watch 60 Minutes from last night. A rerun is here.
+ When the company buys a something in an industry it clearly knows nothing about — e.g. AT&T’s purchase of DirecTV or Verizon’s buy of AOL and Yahoo, which it’s now selling.
+ When there’s talk of accounting irregularities.
+ When it’s clearly obvious that none of the reviewers are recommending your products any longer. Are you listening Whirlpool?
+ When competition suddenly heats up. At one stage there was Netflix and no one else. Now there’s Hulu, Disney, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Peacocks, Paramount, etc. At one stage there was Tesla…. There’s still only Tesla (since we just bought one). But next year, there’ll be 40+ makes and models of electric vehicles.
+ When the stock has gone parabolic and there’s nowhere for it to go, except down. This one is hard. If in doubt, take some of your profits off the table. Play with the house’s money.
+ When the CEO tells fibs on bubblevision. Emergent’s CEO recently did. And look what happened:
How well has FAANNG done this year? And who did the best?
Nvidia wins. Who knew?
Weird world.
How to cure cramps
From my friend, Hank, the marathoner:
Most cramping issues can be prevented by adding a little capsaicin to your daily diet. As in hot sauce.
I read stuff on it, and followed through. I would routinely get leg cramps, calf and quad, in the last 2 miles of half marathons as well as wake up in the middle of the night to stand up and break cramps. Not any more.
A couple of Nobel Prize winning scientists looked at the problem and concluded the issue was neither dehydration or loss of electrolytes. They came up with a product called Hotshot. I needed it for a race I was about to run, but it had just begun production and was unavailable. I looked at the ingredient list on the product and realized that capsaicin was the smallest ingredient. So I just took a bit of hot sauce before the race. It has a reasonable half-life so you only need to have it once a day at dinner time. I never looked back.
I had an uncle who was a medical researcher. He once told me that if he solved the cramping issue he would get a Nobel Prize. Turns out a couple of Nobel laureates beat him to it.
How to protect your PC
Windows 10 comes with Windows Defender Firewall software that purportedly protects your laptop from viruses, ransomware and other nasties.
Suffice it doesn’t.
I bought Bitdefender Internet Security. Forty bucks will buy you software to protect three of your Windows laptops. It may be my best investment ever. It’s already saved my tushy.
Buy yourself a heavy duty cell phone case
I’m seeing lots of cellphones with cracked screens. Put that one in the same bucket as “Beware of the final step going down. Everyone falls on it.”
Can you believe people fall for this?
This popped up on my iPhone:
7 European countries Americans can now visit
Oia town cityscape at Santorini island in Greece. Traditional blue dome and white houses. Greece, Aegean sea.
Most of the E.U. remains off limits, but you can visit Greece, Iceland, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Cyprus. and Georgia.
Read more in the Washington Post. Click here.
My personal philosophy
+ Perseverance works. Keep pushing. Keep mulling. There’s always a solution. And it’s always better.
+ When God closes a door, she always opens a window. When you get outbid on your “perfect” property, you’ll find an even more perfect one the next day.
+ Health is all that counts. Less food. More exercise. Daily napping.
+ Encourage the family to follow their dreams — even if they’re different to yours. In fact they will always be different (and better).
My early morning tennis game just got cancelled. That’s why you’re being suffered to idle early morning thoughts.
Favorite cartoons from Australia
Read the cover carefully. It’s the pop-up edition.
Please help!
Does anyone know how to stop extended car warranty phone calls?
Teaching appliance salesmen?
I wish someone would teach salesmen how to sell.
I ask:
“Will the Miele dishwasher you’re trying to sell me take the front panel from the previous Miele you sold me 12 years ago?”
Getting the answer has taken the last three days. I still don’t have the answer.
Anyone know of a good Miele dishwasher salesperson?
Proud grandfather moment
Sophie, 6 3/4, reading the kids section of the New York Times, which I sent her.
I’m now scrounging to get back issues. Is there anything grandparents won’t do?
See you soon. Harry Newton
