Bitcoin

December 23, 2017

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

https://www.inc.com/matt-given/this-1-quote-from-kobe-bryant-is-all-you-need-to-know-about-his-success.html

On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers retired two jerseys. Magic Johnson emceed the ceremony before a standing-room-only crowd at the Staples Center in the heart of downtown L.A. As the two jerseys, numbers 8 and 24, were hoisted to the rafters, the adoring Laker fans showered applause on the Laker greats who wore them. For this storied franchise with a long list of Hall of Famers, it was a fitting tribute. There’s only one twist to this fairy tale. Both numbers were worn by the same man. During Kobe Bryant’s 20-year career, he elevated a Laker franchise that had already seen the likes of Jabbar and Magic. His record wasn’t without its smudges–he was arrested in 2004 in connection with a sexual assault complaint in Colorado, and while the charges were later dropped, his reputation was tarnished. Even so, he remains one of the very early success stories of players who came right out of high school to the NBA. “Those times when you get up early and you work hard,” Bryant said during the number-retirement ceremony. “Those times you stay up late and you work hard. Those times when you don’t feel like working. You’re too tired. You don’t want to push yourself, but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream.” Bryant’s career has mirrored the path many entrepreneurs travel. By any measure, he has made it. But, don’t be fooled: Understanding his approach to the process is the lesson for any entrepreneur. It’s Kobe’s legendary work ethic, which has possibly landed him a position in the NBA Hall of Fame. Even during the run-up to the 2008 Olympics, Kobe would do pre-dawn workouts prior to official practices starting. Now out of the league, Bryant appears to be shifting his attention to the business and entrepreneurial world. He has been known to text successful business friends at all hours of the night and cold call others who catch his interest via a tweet or article.

Bryant told Bloomberg Businessweek:

I’ll just cold call people and pick their brain about stuff. Some of the questions that I ask will seem really, really simple and stupid, quite honestly, for them. But if I don’t know, I don’t know. You have to ask. I’ll just do that. I’ll just ask questions and I want to know more about how they build their businesses and how they run their companies and how they see the world.

It’s this work ethic and intensity, which will accelerate his business experience.

 

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-where-we-are-in-the-life-cycle-of-crypto-currencies-2017-12-22

A few months ago, I had lunch with a former trader who told me: “This is my third asset class. I have traded commodities, then derivatives and now it is crypto. However unlike the precedent waves, Wall Street is late to the party and early investors are very different. They are very technical and sometimes often see crypto/decentralization as a religion. They don’t want a yacht or a Lambo; They want to hodl their tokens.” I think he was right. We are at the birth of a new asset class. As Andreessen Horowitz puts it, “cryptocurrencies are a new asset class that enable decentralized applications”. Or something like that. Some much smarter people than me like Chris Burniske and Adam White already wrote about the birth of the new asset class few years ago. In this post, I highlight the different stages of the birth of the crypto asset class through a simple framework of technology adoption. In a second post (to publish on Medium during the last week of December), I shall discuss why institutional investors are keen on crypto. Finally. I address the adoption challenges for institutional investors.

Paradigm shift->Believers->Converts->Speculation->Retail FOMO->Institutional money->BURST

The first adopters are believers. According to this article as of December 2017, cryptocurrency is in the speculation phase. It should be noted that two advanced projects are still considered to be in “beta mode”

  • Bitcoin: It has become expensive and slow to transact. Even though the number of transaction grows, it is very far from being able to be a real medium of exchange. The recent forks try to provide alternatives and new updates such as lightning aim to enhance the network capacity.
  • Ethereum: The only disruptive-use case ethereum has brought so far is token launch/initial coin offering. It has somehow disrupted early-stage financing. But that’s pretty much it. When people starts to trade/purchase too many “cryptokitties” (a pokemon-style game run on ethereum), the network clogged. Yes. I know. Awkward. But cool updates like lightning, sharding etc.. are soon coming to market.

The author believes there is possibly even more money that can be poured into this asset class. Personally, I do own cryptocurrency, however these articles remain my objective review of topics that are interesting, and I encourage you to do your own research.

This week, I’ve included Best Motivational Video 2018 – Speeches Compilation 6 Hour Long – Motivation By Mulliganbrothers from the Mulligan Brothers YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG

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December 2, 2017

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-blockchain-how-does-it-work-explainer-2017-11

From a ‘castle’ full of bitcoin millionaires to the initial coin offering (ICO) craze, it’s hard to escape the chatter about how some people are building their fortunes off the new world of cryptocurrencies. But behind those cryptocurrencies sits a technology called blockchains, which some people believe could fundamentally rewrite how transactions are handled online. With analysts at UBS estimating that blockchains could be a $300 billion to $400 billion global industry by 2027, it’s clear that regardless of what happens in the bitcoin bubble, blockchain technology is here to stay. Here’s what you need to know about blockchains, the technology that’s set to disrupt the world of contracts, finance, shipping and countless other industries. This article is filled with detailed information regarding blockchain technology.  A blockchain is a digital ledger that is distributed across the internet. This ledger is linked through cryptography, and are bound in a way that can’t be edited. Inside each block is transaction history for every transaction that’s ever occurred on the block. Blockchains are good for two things: recording events, and making sure that record is never erased. Blockchains in essence can remove the middle man through a smart contract or a self executing contract. What makes the blockchain unique is that the network is distributed as illustrated above. With a distributed network there is no one central server to attack. Ethereum is popular with startup companies, and Hyperledger Fabric allows large corporations to create blockchain projects. This article is a pretty in-depth analysis of blockchains, and I believe this technology will ultimately end up changing our future.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gingerdean/2017/06/30/3-ways-to-start-living-on-half-your-income

Living on half your income. Impossible? No. Daunting? Yes. How do we accomplish this? With willpower made of steely determination and making major sacrifices. Add to that a dash of honesty, and you’re on your way. Easy, right? All joking aside, the obvious first step is to cut back on your spending, and the way you do that is by taking a hard look at your expenses. But first, let’s take a look at why anyone would want to save half of his or her income. The author advises that if you’re married pick one income stream to live on or save half of your combined income. If you’re single you’ll want to save half of your income. Three steps to take are: track your spending for 30 days, go on the no spend diet, and automate your savings. The no spend diet involves spending money on only the essentials, and not spending money on anything unnecessary. Should do this diet after tracking your spending for 30 days. After doing the first two steps, automate your savings to deduct bi-weekly or monthly. The author also recommends examining the amount spent when it comes to home, car, and children. Doing little steps can have big returns in the end. It’s important to manage your finances, and it begins with knowing how much you get paid per month, how much you have to pay, when you have to pay it, and how much is left over. When money comes in, go ahead and have a plan for it. What is your long term goal? Does it line up with your vision? What does retirement look like for you?

This week, I’ve included Wake Up Early|End Laziness|Motivational Speech Compilation |Morning Motivation|Success Motivation from the Be Inspired – Daily Motivation YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG

October 14, 2017

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

http://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-gold-opposites-why-you-might-want-to-stock-up-2017-10

Bitcoin is frequently compared to gold. But it’s not an either/or proposition… and I’ll tell you why. Indeed, gold and bitcoin are the only two widely distributed, decentralized methods of exchanging value as currency. There is no central authority issuance like there is with U.S. dollars or any other fiat currency. Likewise, neither bitcoin nor gold can just be “printed” at the push of a button by an anxious central banker. You have to either earn your gold by mining it – which is also what you do to get bitcoin, but with computers instead of picks and shovels – or you can pay cash for it. But there’s one big difference between the two…Gold is the very opposite of new technology. Gold is a physical, tangible and real asset. Gold is a physical tangible asset that has held value for thousands of years. Bitcoin is a code that is store on the internet, and if you lose it, then you lose your bitcoin. I’ve had friends that have lost their private key and as a result have lost access to their bitcoin. Bitcoin is built on blockchain technology and the distributed ledger system and it’s not easy to explain to the average person. Bitcoin will never be gold. Gold is the standard when it comes to being a store of value and medium exchange. But… you should still own bitcoin.  Bitcoin is the ultimate in freedom of asset ownership. The government can’t confiscate it from you, as it did from owners of gold in 1933 in the U.S. under Executive Order 6102. You can cross national borders with bitcoin in your possession on a USB-stick device, a piece of paper… or if you can memorize your private key, with no physical object in your possession of any kind. Whether your bitcoin is worth US$100 or US$100 million, it makes no difference to how you move and store it (which is clearly not the same with gold). You don’t need a trusted middleman to send it, and you can move it around the world, securely, in a matter of minutes. And if you’re looking for gains… bitcoin is a lot likelier than gold to be up 1,000 percent three years from now. Even though its price has soared over the past few years, it’s still nowhere near mainstream yet. So gold and bitcoin both deserve a place in your portfolio. Gold has stood the test of time and is a medium of storing value. Bitcoin’s time, on the other hand, is just beginning. Blockchain is the future, and when you have an opportunity to buy the future and tuck it away, you should take it. If you’re interested in learning how I purchase bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, feel free to contact me.

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-spot-stock-market-bubbles-2017-10

They don’t ring a bell at the top and tell you to get out, but I have to say that I’m pretty sure that I can hear something. I’m not sounding the alarm on the entire market, but I think it is past the point where buying certain very popular technology companies is a good idea.  In fact, I’d go as far as to say that you do not want to own this group of companies today. More on that in a moment. First, let’s look back at some helpful history… I mentioned that there isn’t anyone who rings a bell for us at the top to tell us that it’s time to sell. That isn’t fully accurate, because there are always signs.  The trouble with those signs is that while they are very obvious with the benefit of hindsight, they aren’t so easy to see in real time. In 1929, JFK’s father Joseph Kennedy Sr. picked up on one of those subtle signs and didn’t just get out at the top, he scored a massive windfall on the way down as well. Kennedy had made a lot of money in the 1920’s with the market going up, but it was when he was getting his shoes shined one day that he changed his strategy and made even more money. What happened? While sitting in the shoeshine chair, Kennedy Sr. was alarmed to have the shoeshine boy gift him with several tips on which stocks he should own — yes, a shoeshine boy playing the stock market. This unsolicited advice resulted in a life-changing moment for Kennedy Sr. who promptly went back to his office and started unloading his stock portfolio. In fact, he didn’t just get out of the market, he aggressively shorted it — and got filthy rich because of it during the epic crash that soon followed. They don’t ring bells at the top, but apparently when shoeshine boys start giving stock advice it is time to head for the exits. Why was this moment important? Because someone with no education of the financial markets was gambling with the market, and if the average person with no financial experience is gambling, then when the market starts to turn down, those with financial and emotional intelligence can make a lot of profit. The author goes on to express his concern with the high level of concentration in technology companies specifically FANG+.  In fact, there is the NYSE FANG+ index comprised of Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google, Alibaba, Baidu, Nvidia, Tesla, and Twitter. From September 2014 to 2017, these group of stocks have had a 28.44% annualized return. The author would’ve owned these stocks three years ago but would he own them today? No!  As a group these stocks are frighteningly expensive today. That is generally what happens when stocks go up that fast, they become much less attractively valued. Rather than just take my word on that, let’s look at some facts. Here are the current trailing price to earnings multiples for each of the members of the NYSE FANG+ index:

  • Facebook – 37 times
  • Apple – 17 times
  • Amazon – 242 times
  • Netflix – 215 times
  • Google/Alphabet – 35 times
  • Alibaba – 62 times
  • Baidu – 47 times
  • NVIDIA – 51 times
  • Tesla – Doesn’t even turn a profit
  • Twitter – Doesn’t even turn a profit

 Individually these stocks range from expensive to absurdly expensive. On average though, I’d have to say the valuation of the group is close to the absurd. The average price to earnings ratio of the eight companies that actually have earnings is 88 times. Yikes! Does it mean these companies are bad companies and are going to collapse? No not necessarily, but are these prices possibly too high? Only your fundamental and technical analysis can give you the answer. Again, having financial and emotional intelligence is important when building wealth. As volatile as the stock market, you should watch the prices of the cryptocurrencies, and you’ll see truly volatile swings. Markets are controlled by supply, demand, and emotion. Carefully monitor the market and understand these tech companies to find your entry point, and always ask yourself what is your exit strategy? What are your plans with the capital gains?  Are you willing to lose it all?

If you are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section. Also, learn more about the self-lending principle in the mustard seed section.

This week, I’ve included HOW BAD DO YOU REALLY WANT IT? [SUCCESS] – Motivational Video from the Mulligan Brothers YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG

August 26, 2017

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-first-million-book-2017-8

 There isn’t one single path to wealth.  “I think it’s possible to have a million dollars in the bank even if you’re not an entrepreneur,” said billionaire “Shark Tank” investor Mark Cuban in a new interview with MONEY and Spanx founder Sara Blakely. “There are a lot of strategies for people who work their way up the corporate ladder, or even bounce from job to job.”  While there isn’t a singular job or investment that will guarantee wealth, Cuban says, there is one trait that will definitely help you get there: Discipline.  The Dallas Mavericks owner said the 1988 book “Cashing in on the American Dream: How to Retire at 35” by Paul Terhorst helped him develop discipline around saving and spending money.  “The whole premise of the book was that if you could save up $1 million and live like a student, you could retire. But you would have to have the discipline of saving,” he said. In his book, Terhorst advises savers to dramatically reduce housing costs and forgo luxuries like fancy cars and vacations, even if you can technically afford it.  Cuban’s strategy for savings a lot of cash was through living frugally. Along with his discipline, he looked to take risks. “Part of the risk is maybe putting money into a low-cost mutual fund,” he said. “Or invest in your education — whatever it may be to help you get to the point where you can truly save money.”  Keep in mind that a get-rich formula, and luck will not lead to a seven-figure net worth or early retirement. The key strategy is living below your means, and having a strategy for the extra income. Some key points to remember is that Mark Cuban became a millionaire at 32 after selling his first company and became a billionaire with the selling of his second company in less than a decade later. If you want to attain that high net worth then consider building an asset high enough to sell it. Concentrate on keeping your job to pay your living expenses and consumer debt, and focus on building passive income generating assets.

https://www.unbelievable-facts.com/2017/08/facts-about-bitcoin.html

Since its advent in January 2009, Bitcoin’s presence in the world has increased quite dramatically. Conceived as a cryptocurrency and digital payment system, it is also beginning to take on a more physical form. The decentralized governance of Bitcoin is one the main attractions among people who are skeptical about the efficiency and fairness of a central bank. Now, with several thousands of merchants and vendors accepting payments in bitcoins and ATMs popping up, Bitcoin is quickly becoming an influencing economic force as well in various nations. So, here are some amazing facts about Bitcoin that we are sure you would enjoy reading about. The ten facts are:

The founder of Bitcoin is someone known as “Satoshi Nakamoto.” No one knows who he is, what his real name is, or where he lives. As of 2017, he owns up to one million bitcoins which have an estimated value of $2.7 billion

The first real-world transaction using Bitcoin was done to purchase two large, Papa John’s pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins. As of August 2017, that amount is now worth $27 million.

Unlike what most people think, bitcoins are not unlimited. The number of bitcoins in circulation will never exceed 21 million

The global Bitcoin computing power is 256 times faster than that of top 500 supercomputers combined!

Bitcoin has been sent into outer space.

Bitcoin uses a public ledger called “block chain” for transactions. The invention of block chain made Bitcoin the first digital currency to solve the problem of double spending, an error in digital cash which allows the same token to be spent twice or more.

If you had invested $100 in Bitcoin in 2010, you’d be worth $72 million now.

The largest transaction ever made on the network was for 194,993 bitcoins. That was more than $147 million according to the effective rate in November 2013. The transaction was tagged “Sh*t Load of Money!”

Every bitcoin transaction, no matter how small, uses at least enough electricity to power three average homes for an entire day.

The FBI has the world’s largest Bitcoin wallets consisting seized bitcoins, apart from Satoshi Nakamoto.

These facts are as of the writing of this article. Personally, I’ve started investing in cryptocurrencies. I believe that our world is shifting into a digital world, and the next shift is within currencies. Keep an eye on Ethereum and specifically the concept of smart contracts.

If you are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section. Also, learn more about the self-lending principle in the mustard seed section.

This week, I’ve included THE PSYCHOLOGY OF GREATNESS – 2017 Motivational Video from the Basquiat Picasso YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG

 

May 17, 2017

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-buy-bitcoin-using-coinbase-2017-5

A year and a half ago, the idea of buying the virtual currency bitcoin was laughable. After a rapid rise in value in 2013, the cryptocurrency’s value more than halved by mid-2015. At its lowest point, one bitcoin was equal to about $230. But now Bitcoin is at an all-time high, and rising. Within the last month, the price of one bitcoin has climbed from $1,280 to around $1,480. Given the currency’s covert nature, the average person still may not understand how buying and selling actually works. Using the app Coinbase, which lets anyone trade bitcoins for a small fee, we decided to find out. A brief warning: If you’re going to do this, tell your bank you’re about to buy bitcoin. More on that later. This article provides a step by step process of buying Bitcoin, so I recommend reading the article if you’re interested in purchasing it. The author also has his reservations about using Coinbase, however I personally am going to use this site to buy Ethereum. It is another cryptocurrency. If you’re interested in forming an investment group with me, then contact me.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/7-money-making-lessons-from-the-richest-man-who-ever-lived-2017-05-02

Jacob Fugger was a German banker who financed kings, explorers, bishops and popes — and along the way made the biggest fortune ever amassed by a business person. The grandson of a peasant, he persuaded Leo X to legalize for-profit lending. One of his money-making schemes provoked Martin Luther to write the 95 Theses and kick off the Reformation. He played kingmaker in the 1519 election for Holy Roman Emperor. Jacob (Jakob in German) Fugger and his money gave the vote to Charles V of Spain and put Charles atop an empire as big as Napoleon’s. Fugger was worth about $400 billion in current dollars at the time of his death in 1525 — or 2% of Europe’s GDP at the time. (John D. Rockefeller was close in dollar terms, but his wealth equaled a smaller part of the U.S. economy.) Here are some of his secrets: invest when others fear, be indispensable, know the facts, know the numbers, get a good education, keep cool, and give something back. It’s best to not let fear or analysis-paralysis stop you from making a move when it comes to investing into your future. Do you have a vision? Do you have a mission? Do you have it written out? Be indispensable not just in your work place, but in your life. If you have integrity then people will trust in you and be willing to help you. Do what you say and say what you do, but make sure you think before you speak. Knowing the facts and the numbers will help you stay grounded. Getting a good education will help you draw out the person you are destined to be. Study what you love even if it’s for free, but think about how can you turn it into an income generating asset. How can it generate passive income or any form of income? Keep cool and use your will to stay focused on your plan whatever it may be. However, in the end, look at everything through the lens of eternity and legacy. There’s no sense in amassing great wealth with no plan on how you can help humanity. Fugger is best known as the creator of the Fuggerei, the world’s first affordable housing project. He thought anyone who worked deserved to have a roof over their head. Rent came to one quarter the market rate. The Fuggerei remains in operation and is the largest tourist attraction in his home city of Augsburg. Greg Steinmetz is the author of “The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: The Life and Times of Jacob Fugger.” I encourage you to read a book on a topic that interests, and a topic that is challenging to read to keep feeding one of your greatest assets: your mind.

If you need are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section. Also, learn more about the self-lending principle in the mustard seed section.

For this week, I’ve included MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO – LIVE LIKE A KING from MulliganBrothers YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG