-
Balance and Obsession
Peter FitzSimons in Saturday’s Sydney Morning Herald had this great quote: “While it’s important to have balance in your life, it takes a certain obsessiveness to be outstanding.” Former Hockeyroo coach Ric Charlesworth in the latest issue of Inside Sport. And this, dear friends, is the key problem with modern sport. I won’t comment on…
-
10 ideas on starting with no job
With damn hard WORK (not JOB) how to go from 0 to 5 investment properties. Assumptions it wont happen fast unless you’re lucky – in which case you didn’t need to follow any plan. You will work harder than anybody with a job to get the same initial results. I’d guess it will take about…
-
What a Mustache!
I put faces to names this evening. I was at the launch Steve Navra’s of NavraInvest’s Navra Blue Chip Australian Share Retail Fund, (more on that later), when I met a bunch of neat people who hang out in the Somersoft Property Investors Forum Interestingly one of the guys had a surname that could translate…
-
Communication Technique
One of my distributors got angry at me today. Actually, my phone manner pissed her off. Specifically, she said the way I “hmmm’d” while she spoke sounded like I was eating an apple and reading a magazine. At the time I was trying to make her feel heard (!). In a dispute use the communication…
-
Use all your resources
I just realised I had a copy of Options as a Strategic Investment (2nd Edition) on my bookshelf. Doh! I first read it years ago when Australian options markets were not as liquid for small investors. I have some light bedtime reading coming up. That link is for a Google search in case you’ve never…
-
Dangerous forecasts
I caught myself making a dangerous forecast this morning. CNBC’s anchors were speculating on the length of the war in Iraq. I expect a short war and my attitude was reflecting it. “No way this thing will drag on for months”, thought I. How many times do I remind myself to deal what what is…
-
Applying for a loan
Last week I was talking to an couple with a nice portfolio of investment properties and direct shares. They had just financed their latest acquisition after a mountain of hassles. For smart people they were stuck in an eighties view of finance. They called their bank and got rejected. They then called a friend’s finance…
-
Property Myths Exposed
This article by Peter Thornhill for Westpac’s Online@W was challenging. Peter used to be General Manager of MLC and is definately biased toward equities. Westpac really should admit their marketing bias in presenting these stories too. I ‘d like your reactions to the article as well. I actually agree with the Peter 100% on the…
-
Double standards
I was talking to the lawyer the other day. A contract on a property purchase I am negotiating has a few nasty special clauses. The contract called for a directors personal guarantee (to complete) should a corporate purchaser fail to complete. These clauses were once rare, but you can’t keep secrets in contracts, so they…
-
Flock of eagles
It’ll never work. Not now. Not here. And definitely not for you. It works “over there” but that’s different. If you haven’t been spun a variation on this theme, click comment now and tell me your secret. Even with the most supportive family, friends and collegues the world is full of people who tell you…