Super nice. The last ten days — all our picks. Thank you, Harry:
I like stocks that are cheaply scaleable — these endow the cloud.
Based on their forward earnings, all three remain cheap. I plan on buying more of all three this week.
Saying NO is a critical skill to learn
My best “Saying-NO” decision was China. To wit:
President Xi is a dictator who decides on a whim. His whim. He’s never run a business, met a payroll, or had to answer to shareholders, regulators or the courts (or anyone). He has no idea what The Rule of Law is, and clearly doesn’t care. His whims are what count. He encouraged massive real estate madness. That’s now busting big-time. Massive losses. He discouraged technology companies. More massive losses.
Like all autocrats, he has a massive ego. He doesn’t like people who are richer, more successful (and apparently smarter) than he is. (He hasn’t mentioned Taylor Swift, yet.)
From yesterday’s New York Times:
Missing Chinese Banker Resigns After Disappearing
After disappearing nearly a year ago as part of an investigation by the Chinese authorities, the prominent investment banker Bao Fan has resigned as chairman and chief executive of China Renaissance Holdings, the company said on Friday.
Mr. Bao, a deal-making banker for the Chinese internet giants Alibaba and Tencent, went missing last February. China Renaissance initially said it had lost contact with Mr. Bao before later stating that he was cooperating with an investigation being carried out by the authorities in China.
Mr. Bao’s disappearance signaled an escalation in Beijing’s crackdown on the business elite as part of an anti-corruption campaign. It fueled concerns about the lengths that the Chinese authorities would go to bring power players in the domestic economy to heel, while extending its control over its financial regulatory system.
Read more here.
I couldn’t write this blog in China.
I’d be rotting in a Chinese jail.
Other reasons to Say NO
You say YES when you’re confident: You’re on a high. You’ve sold something.
You’re floating in pig heaven. Whatever you touch will now turn to gold.
Maybe the new deal will work out. Most likely it won’t. You don’t know anything about the area, the customers, the market, etc. There are oodles of gotchas — which the guy who’s selling you the deal knows about — but you don’t. You’ll find out quickly enough — after you’ve sent the wire.
What’s sad — at least for me — is that the area I know most about — publishing magazines and running conventions — is dead. Killed by the Internet.
Hence I’m vulnerable to smart peddlers. They are people super great at selling, taking my money and instantly disappearing.
Want examples? I have dozens including from the most prestigious investment bankers on the earth and the littlest incompetents with a silver tongue.
As I write this, I think I could make handsome living giving seminars on saying NO. I’ll charge a percentage of the money you lose — if you still make the dumb investment.
I’ll get rich on your not saying NO.
I need promotion materials.
I’ll pay $100 for every great “How I was dumb enough to lose $XXX on a venture I knew absolutely nothing about” story.
Send your stories.
This should be fun.
How to live forever
You can’t. But you can live better., healthier. Last time (click here) I highlighted four books to read and seven steps to take, namely:
-
-
- Move more.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Get enough sleep.
- Don’t smoke and don’t drink too much either.
- Manage your chronic conditions. (i.e. take your pills)
- Prioritize your relationships. (Get more social interaction.)
- Cultivate a positive mind-set.
-
-
- A reader said I should read this one, also. I did.
It’s a good book. It also talks about losing weight and how hard changing life-long habits is. It argues for gradual, slow changes.
Attia’s book has this wonderful chart:
To buy the book (and you should), click here.
The Indian Drums
Two cowboys are riding the range when they hear the sound of Indian drums.
One cowboy says to the other, “I don’t like the sound of those drums!”
From across the canyon, a voice calls out,
“He’s not our normal drummer.”
Commentary on Life
Life is wonderful
Life is wonderful. This was last night’s gorgeous sunset from our patio in Columbia County, NY:
I’ll be back when I come down from my present high — the sunset, Nvidia, Meta and Amazon. — Harry Newton
