It’s been a year now since I started the MBA and there a few interesting nuggets of info I can safely share without compromising the secrets of the cult of capitalism.
> You probably already know this, but it’s good to remember that it’s important to use specific and exact language when describing things. Too often lazy words like “quality” and “competitive” make their way into the things we write. Throw them away and say what you mean.
> Day trading is for suckers. Some quick math:
Say you buy a stock, paying $19.99 to make the trade at E*Trade. You spend $2000 to buy 100 stocks at $20. You’re out $2019.99. Later the stock goes up 5%, woo hoo! You sell the stock for 2100, but it costs you 19.99, so you’re left with 60.02. Pretty good right? Sure, except that’s taxed as income. Taxes take off 25%, so you really have a profit of 35.02.
So what happened to your 5% profit? 35.02/2000 = 1.75% Seriously, that barely beats inflation. Put it in a mutual fund, it’ll do better. Better yet, buy and hold.
> Most people who are pissed off about something just want to be listened to, so stop offering advice and just listen. The occaisional “gee, sounds like you’re pretty frustrated” is all they need to hear to know that you’re listening.
There’s more, so much more, but I hope it’s apparent that there has been lots of learning and I’m looking forward to the next 2 years.
Glad to see you are alive and kicking and made it through year 1.