World Wealth

So we just received the latest release from Forbes of the wealth of the wealthiest among us. Titles have shifted but the top three remain the same three once again trading spots. For those who were unaware that Mr. Gates was not the number one seed for the year 2008, they now stand correct with the Tech Giant reclaiming is poll position in 2009. With a net worth loss of $18 billion for the financial mess of 08, Mr. Gates was able to brush past good friend Warren Buffett who slipped into second place. The investments genius saw $25 billion dollars disappear as his beloved Berkshire Hathaway stemmed the pains of an approximate 50% loss leaving him with only $37 billion to not play with. Third place was reserved for Mexico’s telecom giant Carlos Slim Helu with a reported $35 billion after losing $25 billion through his company Telemax. The entire list saw some heavy reshuffling, as would be expected, with the total number of billionaires dropping from 1,125 to 793.  Average net worth was down 23% for the elite players of the list.

 

So, what does this information seek to help us with? Perhaps we may not feel so bad with our personal funds feeling the pinch of hard financial times. You could be on the lookout for the $68 billion lost by our top three individuals. Or you have new information to share with your colleagues at work. Whatever it is be sure to fashion your responses in a way that paints your time spent reading as worthwhile.

 

Look into the top gainers for the “Great Recession” we are facing. A 34-year-old Hedge Fund Manager with a gain of $2 billion. All the Bears of this crisis (Soros, Paulson-not Henry, Simons) In total 44 billionaires saw their wallets increase. You see “not” losing money in this crisis is an accomplishment in itself. Actually making any in this environment is a monumental feat shared by a number of individuals.

 

On a personal note, an associate informed me that for the next 5-10 years we would see the worst times in history. Simple deduction and arrogance tells me, that if someone lost money, somebody made money. If you can’t find someone to hire you, do something to hire someone. The greatest game plan of the majority of oxygen users is to find this Holy Grail known as the “job, with benefits.” So what happens when your company fires you?

“But why would they fire me?” Doomsayers are always right, just always on the irrelevant things. Asking yourself the famous “So what?” question, will filter so much information in your life, and you may even realize that lately you haven’t really found any good information. Each time you are left asking “so what?” you will find the information you just found may leave you with nothing more than a wasted moment.*

 

*Note; do not ask “so what” as you read through this newsletter

Our beginnings

Being eager students, not allowing our College education to get in the way of our education, were introduced to the building down near the “little circle” filled with a variety of published written works uncommonly known as “books.” This collector of books was said to be a source of learning, a center of inspiration and understanding. Naturally being inclined to furthering our learning we made our way to the building near the Little Circle in search of greater understanding and learning. 

Entering the building we realize we have been in this building many times before. You pass through the detectors at the door, which are in place to deter theft, take a right at the virtual fireplace, head straight down through the doors before making a left to the computer lab. Violas, you are at a computer. Even if you weren’t to follow these directions the wear of the carpet beneath you clears a certain path. Unbeknownst to us, this was not the computer lab; but the “Library.” (Pronounced ˈlī-ˌbrer-ē, -ˌbrər-ē or you can just say Lie-brie). 

Surrounding the computers we found the books mentioned above. Books and books and more books, all aligned in order on what they call “Book shelves.” Within these books they have “pages.” Surprisingly there were no “edit undo” functions to these pages, no “forward” functions, no page history, and it was all rather simplified. Simple and User friendly, you grab a page and turn it. Wow! Very humanizing. 

Naturally the next question was, “oh, so how do we Google something?”

“You can’t Google a book, you look for books.”

“Oh, Google helps me do that.” We replied.

(Back and forth, back and forth…) 

Well to summarize a short dialogue we learned that you actually have to exert human force in order to finds things. You decide on a topic, you look for the topic, you find the book, and you read the book. We were engaged in this old tradition known as “reading books,” (Pronounced reeding) from which we gained the ideas leading to the revelation of “Finding out that Libraries still exist.” 

So we decided on our topic. Investment Information. What does that mean? We talk about that later in another article, but allow us to run through our thought process. The library holds a great selection of Investment Publications consisting of Magazines, newsletters, and newspapers way beyond the finance realm of College students. They are all current, well kept, and soon to be, well read. Each day we visit our new favorite old building, do our reading and learning, seek to understand what we’ve read and publish a response to our findings. We aim to provide our readers with relevant, vital and entertaining news. With all the recent financial events, people are more aware of the financial markets and are looking for understanding. We look forward to hearing your responses and reading more of your thoughts. 

Much love, 

Finding out…

In China, Talk of Democracy Is Simply That

“It is said that history is written by those who have hanged the heroes.” The call to end the rule of the Tyrant has been the soul of human advancement. From Martin Luther and his 95 theses, to Moses and his celestial appointment, the world has seen empires built upon the backs of people denied a voice. In this age of information which we call our today, an empire has and is being forged or should we say “awoken.” China lay dormant under the suppressive nature of its rulers' tyranny for centuries, now it has seen that same tyranny bring it out of its depressive state. But the praise cannot be entirely given to the Government, for those who have lost their lives in their beliefs would not condone it. A Brutality has been part of this rising nation as media manages to reveal it to the world. It cannot be denied however that the people of China have spoken out amidst the fear. Voices have been heard which in the smallest degree have echoed some answer of Democracy. The events of Tiananmen Square cannot be said to have gone unheard even with the Government denying the allegations concerning the death toll and other technicalities concerning human lives.

Democracy is and always has been a hard road for people to walk down. China is looking for the middle ground between Western Governance which we refer to as “Democracy,” and what they have known to work for so long. “By permitting a relatively open round of political discussion, President Hu Jintao and other top leaders have sought to cast themselves publicly as progressives who are open-minded about ways to improve government practices and reduce corruption.”[1]

As Human beings we fear the unknown and it is these paradigms through which we see things that causes a lack of communication leading to this fear. The rulers of China fear this new threat of Democracy, how can they forsake the model that has brought them so far into this world. The Democratic World is afraid of this Communism. How could it have survived for so long? And perhaps “survived” is too timid a word. How has Chinese Communism thrived for so long? Each view is daunting in its own sphere with neither one looking to give way. When America sought to free itself from the British, the nobles of the Empire most assuredly thought it foolishness to allow this uprising to sail further than the docks of the Boston Harbor. From it emerged the great nation we have today. Now is America in that same position George III was in over two centuries ago? Only time will tell and some will be proved right, and others proved wrong. Rear view vision will remain 20/20 however and fingers of blame will be pointed whether it is in praise or dismay.

History was once that the laborers of the pyramid were created to be forgotten. That Pharaohs name would live forever through their work, without a whisper of their existence, but in this age of information many will ask who really built the pyramids. Was Alexander so great without his followers, did Britain discover the world, what type of leader do the masses need? China may lack an open admittance to allowing some form of Democracy but they have most definitely allowed the people to speak louder than ever before. History has taught us that so called heroes were nothing more than heretics, now we live in a world where heretics are nothing less than heroes revolting against the status quo. Though Democracy may only be talk in China, the talk is being heard more each day.

[1] Pg. 172 “In China, Talk of Democracy is Simply That Christian Soe