HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Ya gotta think we're near the bottom when the local sports radio station brings on a former NHL player, who is now an investment advisor, to discuss the impact of the current financial meltdown on the health of teams around the league.
How does creating more debt help us get out of a problem created by too much debt in the first place?
It will be interesting to see where reality is after the elections are over.
Consider carefully - who do you want in charge of the cookie jar for the next few years?

Regardless of the turmoil of the past few weeks, this has been a year to be truly grateful for so many things - I hope you can say the same.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

STOCK MARKET AFFICIANADOS

naked shorts

I've been an interested observer of the stock market for many years including the years I spent in Winnipeg as a stock broker. Being able to tell the so-called unwashed masses that you are a stock broker has mixed benefits. When times are good, it is a rather popular career to tell people at a cocktail party, along with property developer, software inventor and plastic surgeon. When stock market news hits the front pages like it has lately, those same people tend to look at stock brokers rather skeptically, as though they are to blame for the financial woes that are being experienced.
Throughout these scenarios I have observed that about 90% of people I have encountered have little or no knowledge of how the market works - and that includes the politicians currently vying for your vote. It definitely includes the wags of the media breathlessly reporting the ups and downs of currencies, market indices and commodities. The industry, like most, is couched in a language that precludes the average person from understanding the workings of the market. It forces people to seek the advice of a paid professional or abandon the whole effort all together. If there is a course in high school explaining the financial markets, it is probably a little used optional or at best, something endured rather than presented in a light that could offer real possibilities to each of us.
Consequently, I am thinking about writing a common sense based outline of the stock market for people without any sort of industry based esoteric initials behind their name. Something for the average person to be able to understand and perhaps make use of the markets to help as part of a financial plan and if nothing else, present a starting point to asking questions of those salesmen masquerading as financial planners. What do you think - would it be useful?
At the very least you would be able to drop the phrase, "covering my naked shorts" into a conversation and understand what it means.

GOVERNMENT INTELLIGENCE

How can you tell when you have entered a government building? Above the numbers on the elevator control panel is a sign that reads: " Exit when elevator stops" I'm not kidding, I saw this with my own eyes this morning. And we put these same people in charge of our taxes and how to spend them?????? Election indeed!

ARMAGEDDON NOW ???

throwing the baby out

with the bath water

One of the advantages to being a long term resident of middle age is that I have seen this before. There is comfort in knowing that this too, shall pass. Armageddon Now? I very much doubt it and if it is....who will care? One of the oldest maxims in the investment business is that when there is blood running in the streets, it is time to buy. The only saying older than that is, Buy Low Sell High! Well, it looks like we are here.

The turmoil that we are seeing is the perfect storm since the markets and financial pointy heads are beating down the prices of some incredible companies in a panic that we haven't seen for some time. The possibility is that it might even get worse - a financial bale out package of almost a trillion dollars is still a question of adding additional debt! They couldn't afford the debt they had already built up so adding more will result in what? We may not be at the bottom but we are definitely at the time to start accumulating quality companies and continuing to do so because the long term result will be a financial gain for the strong of heart that will take your breath away.

When everyone else is jumping out of the boat, grab an oar and buy like hell!!!

ACCOUNTING - GOV'T 101

common cents

Elections seem to be rather popular at the moment and just in case you are getting a little tired of the finger pointing, empty promises, negative ads and blame game, perhaps I could offer a suggestion especially considering the economic challenges that abound. How about if we (the electorate and also the people who have to pay for all of this stuff) absolutely require any elected official, at any level of government to manage the business of government the same way they manage their household budget - no exceptions, no excuses and perhaps to add interest (since there is nothing to watch on TV anyway) any politician who does not perform in this way, could be boiled in a vat of good old Canadian oil!

Yea - I thought you would like it too.

DAY OF THE GENERALS

"My knowledge is a mile wide....

and an inch deep"

Recently, I have begun a search to bring added value to readers of my books and blog and am considering something like a monthly newsletter or similar format that would give subscribers more in depth coverage than this blog does. In the process of thinking about this in the last few days, I have made some interesting discoveries. The crux of it is that I know a little about a lot. You could do much worse than to invite me on to your Trivial Pursuit team or join my side in the Home Edition of Jeopardy. I'm an inveterate reader on a wide range of topics from history to geography and science to food and have spent years studying the human condition, economics, politics, sports, the environment, foreign cultures, climate and almost every other topic I can think of. I have been involved in everything from creating and managing hockey tournaments, selling coatings, stocks, office equipment, building supplies and services to flipping real estate, owning and managing various sized companies and writing books. I've travelled all over Canada and the Excited States and even Europe while living everywhere from Ontario to the west coast.

So, on the one hand I have this very broad range of experience and knowledge but when I look around, I see people who have created great success from specializing in their area of expertise and have a storehouse of information to offer to a niche of society. In some ways I think that I have just enough knowledge to be dangerous on an amazing array of topics. I usually find that I have enough knowledge to be fairly opinionated in any number of areas too! We are surrounded by specialists in all sorts of professions and trades - no longer just an accountant, lawyer or doctor but rather, narrowly defined experts in ever decreasing scopes of interest from taxes to mergers and even a lovely area called gastroenterology.

I'm not really complaining about my lot in life but I am wondering how I might share some of the things I've learned with people interested in knowing about a broader range of subjects. Can I actually offer views and information on many different areas of interest as I continue to learn about midlife and some of the adventures that surround us? Is it possible to be an expert on not being an expert? Is there still a value that can be placed on an overview?

MORE LESSONS FROM THE TRAIL

" it's always 5 o'clock somewhere."

There may have been a few libations involved but last Saturday night after a day of adventure, 4 of us were sitting on the deck basking in the glory of ourselves when someone suggested that my book, THE WEST COAST TRAIL: One Step at a Time would make a great movie. They waxed poetic about the thrills, spills, humour and inspiration and ever eager to receive compliments, I listened as they rambled on. One of the participants was my hiking buddy Gord, whose fame has spread after our exploits on the Trail. Since I am totally unknown to any Hollywood producers and for obvious reasons (check my picture) have no interest in testing out the "casting couch," the only thing we could turn to was speculation about the possibilities. At some point, the ladies asked who would play the two main characters in our Oscar winning spectacle and so Gord and I, ever mindful of presenting the right public image, began to offer suggestions. Clearly, the obvious choices we decided would be George Cluny to play Gord, since there was a similarity of hair-do's. The only leading man that could possibly maintain the integrity and vision and thus able to play me, was none other than.........Brad Pitt, due to the similarity in body-types.

The libations may have turned to drinks at some point........