The Stock Book That Helped Me Understand the Market

 Over the past several years, I contemplated whether or not I should take the time to learn about the stock market and just recently dove in.  I read books about Warren Buffet, books by Benjamin Graham, and studied everything I could find pertaining to "savvy" investors, but only one book really stood out and helped me on my path to understanding the market.  The Neatest Little Guide To Stock Market Investing by Jason Kelly.

The book starts out with a clear and concise explanation of basic market terminology.  Then, Jason Kelly highlights the master investors of our time and goes into depth about each of their strategies.  Each section has a recap of the things the reader needs to remember so taking notes is a breeze.  Finally, Kelly blends each of the master's style into one big picture hybrid style for the reader to use.  Think of him as the Bruce Lee of investing.  He openly admitts that failures will happen because it is impossible to always predict the market accurately.  Kelly's honest opinions about investing set his book apart from the rest and help to keep the reader thoroughly interested.  To this day, I find myself using this book as my reference guide to the market and as the "bible" to my overall strategy.

Investment professionals and newbes to the market like myself can gain a substantial amount of insight from this book.  Happy readings and thank you Jason for another awesome book.

Finding Your Way

Life is a collage of decisions and when you make ones that point you in the direction of happiness, the odds of you finding it increase.  The reverse is also true.  Decisions that point your life towards a world of crime, insecurity, and poverty will ultimately take you there.  The trick is to know where you want to go and to find your own way of getting there.  I am a fan of following in the footsteps of others when those footsteps help you to find your own footprint in the world.  We can't expect to become successful solely by mimicing the lives of our heroes.  Going in the same direction is more important than following the exact same path.

How do you find your way?

The first step is to know yourself and to be comfortable with expressing who you are at any time.  It is easy to forget the assembly line droids, fashioned to mimic their brethren.  They are the lackluster and deprived of individuality, but no one can deny to the beauty of a shooting star in the night sky.  Why?  Because it is a rare gem that only crosses the eyes of a beholder for a instant, but can remain in his memory for a lifetime.  You must strive to be more like shooting stars and less like your robot brethen who are bred by televison fads and Eurpean fashion.  It is better to be gazed at with wonder and ridicule than to be overlooked as something of unimportance.

Next, you need to find a path that will take you to where you want to be.  Following the path is not as important is as knowing the direction it leads because occasionally, you will need to travel through the bush or hike a mountain to rediscover it.  Find a person who knows the terrain well to coach you through the marshes and the quicksand.  You will find that experience and insight are life's most valuable resources.

Finally, you must use the experience you've gained to contribute to the life of another.  There will always be other people just like you, trying to find their way in the world.  It is your duty to give them the love and care that was given to you.  Despite your views on religion, faith, or ethics, paying it forward should make sense to the ambitious mind.  After all, your cup can only become so full.

Kickstarter Project: Echoes of Eternia

There are only 17 days left to help fund what seems to be one of the best-looking retro style RPGs in years.  Echoes of Eternia has a classic RPG design, but will have many new-age elements with respect to storyline and plot.  The project is being promoted on Kickstarter.com and funded by people like you and me.  You can access the link by CLICKING HERE. 

As a backer of this project, I deeply want Ryan Harmon and his team to succeed in making this game successful and fun.  Ryan will be posting updates about Echoes of Eternia every Sunday so that backers can watch as the game grows from an idea to a reality.

For the price of a cup of coffee, you can help support this wonderful game.

Kickstarter is an amazing site and I suggest that you check out all the projects it has to offer and see if there are any that you'd like to support!

There is Somebody Out There Just for You

I am not a believer in fate, but I do believe that everyone has their perfect match in life.  Each of us has a counterpart in the world that is perfectly tailored to meet our wants and needs.  On a side note, there are no perfect people, but there is somebody that is perfect for you should you choose to find them.  I don't believe that the stars will align and allow everyone to find their perfect person, but a diligent pursuit is worthy endeavor.  A friend of mine once told me that he knew from the first minute he saw he wife, that she was the woman that he would spend the rest of his life with.  I used to shrug off such ridiculous coincidental miracles, believing that they were simply fairy tales trapped in children's books.  Every so often, even the most elaborate fairy tale can come true leaving us faced with an inexplicable opportunity for love and companionship.

The question is not if somebody is out there for you.  The question is whether or not you will be fortunate enough to find them.  Then, if you do, will you have the courage to brave the unknown and pull each of your lives together?  Many people never have the backbone to seal the deal.  It ends up being left of the table to fester and rot while they pursue the fruitless endeavors that keep them totally in their comfort zone.  These are the unfortunate souls who look back on their lives with regret, yearning to relive the past and make different decisions.  We get one crack at life, and when your perfect match stumbles into your world leave doubt by the wayside and pursue the emotions of your heart.

Christofer

SEGA: A Company of Innovation

Fun Fact: The name SEGA is derived from the first two letters of the words SErvice GAmes

SEGA is probably my favorite gaming company of all time.  It has created games that I will love forever and games that I will share with my children in the future.  I remember when my father bought me my SEGA Genesis.  I spent hours playing Sonic the Hedgehog and falling in love with the colorful scenery of Green Hill Zone and its timeless music.  Genesis was a console that could rival any.

A few years later, I was one of the fortunate people who had Sega Channel.  I say fortunate because even at its height, only 250,000 people had access to the futuristic was of gaming.  In 1994, with the Internet still nothing more than an infant, SEGA teamed up with Time Warner and TCI to deliver games over regular coaxial cable.  Subscribers, like me, had access to 50 different games at a time, sneak peaks at up and coming games, and unique music and artwork.  It was a child's dream.  So how did it fail?  SEGA released the SEGA Channel far too late in the in the consoles lifecycle (5 years in).  The idea didn't have enough time and innovation to gain momentum with consumers so when the SEGA Saturn came out, things fell apart.

In 1999, SEGA came out with the Dreamcast.  Every Dreamcast was shipped with a modem to allow players to browse the web and play games online through SegaNet.  The Dreamcast set the standard for future consoles and online gaming.  Due to lack of resources and heavy competition from Sony, SEGA had to discontinue the console in 2001.  The Dreamcast marked the last console SEGA would ever make.  Nevertheless, IGN ranked it as the 8th greatest video game console of all-time from a list of 25 due to its innovative nature and pioneering technology.

Today, SEGA is still developing games.  One of its most recent successes includes Sonic Generations, a retro flashback to the good ole days of SEGA's true blue mascot.  The game consists of 20 years of sonic history and includes many iconic levels like Green Hill Zone, Chemical Plant, and Casino Night.  Since its release on November 1 of last year, Sonic Generations has received rave reviews from fans and critics alike.  As a company, SEGA is always changing and adapting to becoming bigger and better than before.  I can only image what gaming would have been like if SEGA would have had the resources to market the Dreamcast better and release more games or if SEGA Channel had been released in 1990 instead of 1994. 

Regardless, SEGA is and always will be a company that is ahead of its time.