I’ve been in my current position for about a month now. While I am getting marginally better, the work has not gotten any easier. It’s still a beast. I’m still making foolish mistakes. It sucks to suck, and it sucks to suck for this long. I feel the pressure to perform better by now. Oy. One day at a time. Even though my job is hard as bricks, I still love it and I’m happy to go back every day to try again. One thing I learned at the life insurance job is that every day is a brand new blank slate. Never let the previous day get you down.
Books
- A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel
- For a book that purports to refute claims about stock picking, which is heavily data based, this book was light on data. The arguments strike me as, “Nuh uh!” There is a small portion of the book dedicated to addressing counter arguments. Most of it is, “Nuh uh times 100!” but some of it is, “Ok that part I wrote might have been exaggerated, and it’s the foundation of my thesis, but I’m still right.” It was frustrating to read.
- Listen by Keith Davies
- I’m not a fan of the author’s voice. It’s too casual. I also have a distaste for biographies. I think the author did the best with what he had.
Movies
Song of the month
- Pt. 4 Morning in May by Ludo
- I first heard this song 10 years ago and I’ve probably listened to it 100 times by now. It still gives me goosebumps. If you listen to the whole album, you will cry. It’s a scientific fact.
Stock Trading Performance
- YTD
| % losing trades | loss on losing trades | % winning trades | gain on winning trades | expected return on $100 invested |
Total Gain Realized
|
| 68.75% | -$1,033.67 | 31.25% | $485.11 | -$559.05 | -$548.56 |
Not much movement here. Same old story.
- July
| % losing trades | loss on losing trades | % winning trades | gain on winning trades | expected return on $100 invested |
Total Gain Realized
|
| 50.00% | -$9.92 | 50.00% | $52.08 | $21.08 | 42.16 |
Ha! Finally! A “Green” month. I slowed down on trading and that helped tremendously. Now I just need 13 more green months and I’ll break even.
Meanwhile I opened another Roth IRA where I’m investing in ETFs that track indices (like the S&P 500). I’m going to “race myself” and see which account does better.
- Just keep swimming.
July Survey Results
- The July Survey was a smashing success!
- Check out the results here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSXxdc0aVR27-WhFhjuRKp8R3Ee0KOaTzwcxnCPPHWPBbpaA/viewform?usp=sf_link
- 100% of the respondents think they have lived a good life and still have a good life ahead of them! Yay!
- Good news for people who like bad news: most people wish they had deeper conversations and most people feel lonely sometimes. Additionally, most people think life is hard. I am in complete accordance with you people.
August Survey