Neville's Digital Surrogate Brain
The portfolio was up $105 today for a total of $9,234, bolstered mainly by some action in Dynegy (DYN). Their quarterly earnings will be coming soon, hopefully the reaction will be positive this time around!
I had another article published today in the Daily Texan newspaper, this time on young entrepreneurs. The article focuses on two entrepeneurial students at UT, the organization Texas Entrepreneurs, an entrepreneurial band and the founded of Alamo Drafthouse.
I read this article in CNN about bloggers losing their jobs because they maintained blogs.
If you maintain a blog, leave your work out of it. Just a heads up for anyone with a job and blog!
I will have spent 15 hours on campus today (Class + editing + work) with nothing to eat (I somehow forgot my wallet), and it’s days like these that make me lose focus of creating new business ideas. I need to make sure and still devote a little time everyday to finding new sources of income.
Today was very busy, some noteworthy points of the day:
–I woke up very sick, but I don’t let sickness slow me down. I sometimes work harder just to prove to myself I can beat the sickness. If I completely ignore the fact that I am coughing, sneezing and feel terrible…I do just fine.
–I have another article in the Daily Texan being published tommorrow. The topic will be Austin Entrepreneurs. I interviewed various UT students and organizations, and the founder of Alamo Drafthouse for the article. Spent a good amount of time writing and editing it today.
–My stock portfolio is up, with some earnings reports rolling around next week which should spice things up. The value of the portfolio was $9,129 at the end of the day.
–I saw a Mercedes CL 55 AMG sitting in a parking lot by my last class of the day. I had to stop and stare in awe. I love cars.
–Found out Texas Entrepreneurs will be doing an “Alamo Apprentice.” TE will be splitting up into groups and actually running the Downtown Alamo Drafthouse. The owner of the entire chain, Tim League will be acting as The Donald and firing people as necessary! Part of the revenue we collect will be donated to our organization. As part of the Texas Entrepreneurs I am really looking forward to this!
Although my earliest class is at 11:00am, I wake up every morning at 8:00am to watch the market opening at 8:30am. The previous night I highlight some stocks that will be reporting earnnings the next morning, then track their status when the market opens.
I do this because I am trying to get a feel for the market through different economies. By the time I am 30 I will have about 11 years of experience. From what I understand, you can have 50 years of experience and the market will still surprise you everyday. I guess that’s why it’s so fun!
Today was somewhat financially unproductive. I really need to increase my income to meet my goal of making $11,000 by 4-31-2004. So far my income has only been from my online business and working. I most likely won’t be claiming too much money in stock as I am mostly holding long-term positions (Unless Syntel (SYNT) surprises me!)
Next week I am visiting the Morgan Stanley office in Austin, and on Thursday the University Investors Assocation has Blue Sage Capital speaking to us. I will also be publishing another article in the Daily Texan about entrepreneuring very soon.
As for now, it’s time to go out and have some fun in Austin!
Three days ago I had $138 in my spending account, now I have $44! Since it’s my last semester here at UT, I have been going out to nicer places in Austin which also tend to cost more. I used to survive on $60 a month!
I believe in spending money, it drives the economy, but I also believe in spending within your means. Any money you bring in should first be subjected to a swipe off the top which goes straight to your savings, the rest you can spend.
My personal system for distributing income is currently:
With Bank of America I have automatic transfers that put the following amounts in my accounts each week:
This all adds up to a decent amount of money every month, but it won’t be near enough for the real world in a few months! I will be opening up two more accounts very soon, so I need to redistribute my incoming money plan.
Syntel (SYNT) has recently been showing a lot of positive volatility lately. Earnnings are scheduled to come out Feb 23rd at 9:00am Central.
The last time I watched Syntel report earnnings I was caught off gaurd by a sudden 25% increase in stock price! I am hoping that will happen again. If I find a good spike in price, I will be selling Syntel as it is not a longterm holding. I think the company will do great in the longterm but it is too volatile and unpredictable for me at the moment.
Check out the 5 year chart. Think the trend can continue for SYNT?
Also, The Kirk Report mentioned me here today. Part of my article on business blogging features the The Kirk Report. As for now, I have to go to a Texas Entrepreneurs ice breaker in Downtown. Ciao!
Today an article I wrote on Business Blogging was published in the Daily Texan, the largest campus newspaper in the nation.
I’d like to thank Murray from Capital Ideas and Charles Kirk from The Kirk Report for their interviews. Capital Ideas was featured in the Personal Finance Blog section, and The Kirk Report (my personal favorite) was featured in the Stock Blog section.
The article was in the Focus section, highlighting the benefits of reading or maintaing a blog for financial purposes. The whole process of writing the article was extremely educational thanks to the staff at the Daily Texan, especially the Focus editor Jonathan McNamara.
At several recent meetings I noticed some common business etiquette mistakes people make. These are a few tips I have for everyone out there:
Tip #1 : Wear nametags on your right side. Since most people shake your right hand, it is easier for people to covertly scan for your name if positioned on the right.
Tip #2 : Remember names. It looks bad on your part to repeatedly ask for a name when you have met the person over and over again. Still having trouble? Try using the their name three times during a conversation. Once when you first meet them, once during the conversation and once when you both depart.
Tip #3 : Carry business cards, everywhere. If you are still writing your phone number on used paper napkins, get some business cards made. VistaPrint.com is a great place to start. Whipping out a simple business card with your name, phone number and email looks oh-so professional.
Since I am graduating soon, I will be hit up for cash in different places when I move and start making car payments.
I need to start new accounts for car payments and general expenses. I already have 6 accounts at Bank of America, and I have never once had a single problem or unpleasant experience with them. I have been blown away at their level of customer service and I really love their online banking system.
In addition to opening up these two accounts, I am looking at acquiring some of the Bank of America (BAC) stock within the next few months. Great company and a great stock!