For those who would like to read more...

I may, possibly start another blog where I just say random stuff that floats through my mind. If I do I will likely link it here and keep it "secret" so I don't have to keep track of how much I make in order to keep my financial license. I really miss saying what I feel, and not what I hope people won't get offended by. Although I already do this with my buddy Jefro* - sometimes I want to get all this heavy stuff off my mind in a way that does not involve alcohol.

Anyway, rambling and ruminating at least I ain't player-hating.

*name has been changed to protect the innocent.

no more Reggie blog

So, I'm currently waiting on repairs to my new(er) car.

I decided I'd make a final post just for fun. Since I currently hold my Series 6 license it would be against protocol to continue this blog without alerting every federal agency known to man (SEC, FINRA, SIPC...etc)along with my current employer, that I run it. This is something I definitely don't want to do...I like my privacy.

The other issue is I have just enough knowledge to educate but apparently not enough to give advice. Apparently I need to get a few more Series' with numbers behind them to do that...

I do love to blog though, I just wish I could find a topic I wouldn't mind the government and my boss knowing about. If anyone has any suggestions let me know.

Series 6 -mission accomplished: yes we can!

So I just passed the Series 6 last week and I'm not sure what to do with myself.

One thing's for sure I can't really write about investments and or give advice and get paid to do it. It's against the rules and I have no intention of breaking them.

It's a big load off my shoulders though - passing the Series 6.

If I do continue this blog, it will have to be for the fun of it.

That being said - how fun is that we will be ushering in a new president and hopefully a new age tomorrow!

Series 6 anyone?

So - due to circumstances at least partially out of my hands. I am on the path to getting my series 6. So - assuming I pass - I will be a legit investment representative. If I fail I'll be another schmo talking about finances with no credentials.

Two problems are arising though - 1) the Series 6 is appearing to be a lot more difficult than I was expecting; calls , puts and UIT's Oh my!

2) If I pass, my ability to get an extra job will be severely restricted due to the fact that every time money is made outside of your finance job you have to report it to your employer. Who then reports it to FINRA and the SEC. In other words no 2nd job OR part-time business for me.

I hope it's all worth it. I think a trainee that had been studying for the past month or so just failed when he took it last week. I know a little more than the trainee but only by so much. Hopefully by January it will be a lot more...

Robbed (burglarized) twice...[ramblings]

OK so let's hope that December is a better month than November.

Last week on Monday our apartment was robbed or technically burglarized the 2nd time in less than two weeks. This weekend we just got done moving to a new apartment but, man I am not too happy about being robbed twice - by most likely the same people.

The first time they took a lot of electronic stuff, - digital camera's, xbox, laptop and DVDs.

This past week though they came and stole my baby - my computer (tower) that has basically all of my pictures for the last 4 years, has any manuscripts or old files, was the computer I used for the Internet...(sigh)

So needless to say here I am at the library again trying to check e-mail, blog, check out news etc.

I mean I know it's a bad economy and all but, do you really have to break in and steal my things twice? I hope there is justice in Karmic law or God's law and they get at least half the rage I feel for the thieves right now. The unfortunate thing is since they were using gloves there's basically nothing the real 'law' can do unless they turn themselves in - which isn't likely.

Luckily I did get some $ for thanksgiving but, I'd much rather save it but a house than electronics... only time will tell.

Quote of the Week #58

“The Great Depression, like most other periods of severe unemployment, was produced by government mismanagement rather than by any inherent instability of the private economy.”

Milton Friedman
found on thinkexist.com

Net Worth for October: -3.03%

So I have been really slacking lately on keeping post updated.

Car issues are the primary reason for my 2-month Net worth slide. On the good side, my wife has a job now so I can't complain about that.

On the not so good side - with the economy the way it is, I may or may not be so gainfully employed in the coming months depending on a few external factors.

It might be back to the 2nd job search -once again.

Quote of the Week #57

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."
Barack Obama
found on brainyquote.com

Progress Report for week ended 10/26/08

Goals for October 2008:

1) Find a job for wife by month's end - SUCCESS - my wife found a job this week in childcare. I am much more relieved than I was over the last several weeks.

2) Finish editing of book - SUCCESS - I'm done. I've sent copies to a few friends for advice on editing. Now the plan is to sharpen up a query letter for book agents.

3) Decide on publisher - NO progress here so far

4) Blog more often - Still hoping to improve this goal before the end of the month.


So I have to say I feel a lot better now than I did at the beginning of the month. Hopefully the good news will continue.

Quote of the Week #56

"A man in debt is so far a slave."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
found on brainyquote.com

Quote of the Week #55

"I always knew I was going to be rich. I don't think I ever doubted it for a minute."
-Warren Buffett

found on brainyquote.com

Progress report for week ended - 10/12/08

Goals for October 2008:

1) Find a job for wife by month's end - I'm excited, tomorrow the wife has a interview at a very well known company. Now if I can only get her as excited as I am.

2) Finish editing of book - So far, I've edited chapters 1-3 again started on chapter 4 but it really needs to be re-written.

3) Decide on publisher - NO progress here.

4) Blog more often - Still working to improve upon this goal.

What can I say, I have been distracted by family matters as well as the markets going up and down and today - way up ...I have a feeling they may go back down tomorrow again.

Wow - what a Month so far...DOW=8,579.19

So it's been quite an eventful month so far:

October 1st - The DOW went down -19.59 points or - 0.18%. The Senate votes 74 to 25 for the 2nd try at the infamous 700 billion dollar "bailout".

October 2nd - The DOW went down -348.22 points or -3.22%. The Bailout is sweetened to $850 Billion in order to get more members of the House to vote for the bill.

October 3rd - The DOW went down -157.47 points or -1.50%. The House Approves the now, $850 Billion dollar, bailout.

October 6th - (Monday) The DOW went down -369.88 points or -3.58%. World markets around the world begin to fall before the US markets open. Japan's NIKKEI falls 4.25% , The London FTSE market falls 6%, Austria's Vienna stock exchange falls 8.4%, and Russia's RTS stock exchange start dropping 7% in the first 20 minutes and the Russian markets were frozen entirely after their markets dropped 10%. Needless to say the US followed suit - The DOW closes below 10,000 for the first time since 2004.

October 7th - (Tuesday) The DOW went down -508.39 points or -5.11%. The DOW goes to it's lowest point in nearly 5 years.

October 8th - (Yesterday) The DOW went down -189.01 points or -2.00%. "BIg BEN" Bernanke as he's called announces a 1/2 point rate cut - the DOW and the other indicators continue treading downward.

October 9th - (Today) The DOW went down -675.97 points or -7.30%. And then, there's today...the ban on short selling -which had been enacted temporarily in light of short-selling's affects on company's like Lehman brothers and AIG - was lifted and Morgan Stanley's stock headed south -26% and many financial stocks followed suit.

Did I mention my 401k has lost a good 5-6% too? Yesterday I called up my 401k provider and politely asked them to cut my losses and invest mostly in 'safer' things. Lord knows what tomorrow will bring - good thing I'm not planning on retiring anytime soon nor do I plan to rely solely on my 401k to do it.

Quote of the Week #54

"Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your project or service, and that bring friends with them."

-W. Edwards Deming
found on brainyquote.com

Progress Report for week ended 10/5/08

Goals for October 2008:

1) Find a job for wife by month's end - I applied to 10 jobs over the weekend on my wife's behalf. She received 2 phone calls back today and has 1 "pseudo-interview" set up.

2) Finish editing of book - The plan is to work on this a little bit tonight but, we shall see.

3) Decide on publisher - need to get the book together - i.e., step 2...before I can honestly begin talking about publishers.

4) Blog more often - I am not doing that great a job at this goal right out of the blocks but, hopefully I'll improve it this week and next.


So many things going on - so many things to be distracted with. I think I just need to find some zen-like focus and get the necessary stuff out of the way while letting the unnecessary stuff (and there is a lot of it) fall to the wayside.

Quote of the Week # 53

"Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success."

-Dale Carnegie
found on brainyquote.com

September 2008 Net Worth = +0.69%

Wow, I just eeked by on the positive side given the market going down took a nice chunk out of my retirement.

It's nice to know last minute Wedding money is still coming through to go into savings.

Now, I can only hope that next month will be a nice increase. With the market these days and an unprecedented, presidential election around the corner, only time will tell.

September results/October goals

So here are my goals for September:

Get computer fixed or get a new computer - SUCCESS - I got my computer back last week after 4 weeks of waiting.
Begin sharing funds for family budget - SUCCESS - is in effect no because my wife is still unemployed.
Finish final editing for book (no really I mean it this time) - FAILURE - Shoulda, coulda, woulda - I need to buckle down it's just hard to get motivated to do side projects when the main thing is my wife's lack of a job.
Work on mutual savings goal with wife - FAILURE - This is a goal is still postponed in the short term while my wife looks for a job.

I am frustrated on a few fronts right now. The stock market tanking on Monday is not really helping the situation. Hopefully the bill will get passed even though it's helping out fat cats.

Goals for October 2008:

1) Find a job for wife by month's end

2) Finish editing of book

3) Decide on publisher

4) Blog more often

I could go into more detail but right now I'm not exactly in the greatest of moods - that being said I'll update a bit later.

Quote of the Week #52

“Young men are fitter to invent than to judge, fitter for execution than for counsel, and fitter for new projects than for settled business.”

-Francis Bacon
found on thinkexist.com

Progress report for week ended - 9/21/08

So here are my goals for September:

1. Get computer fixed or get a new computer - SUCCESS - I just got back my computer today finally from the dork squad. It turns out that my apartment management doesn't contact you when they have packages unless you have not picked up the item in over a week. They received my DELL disks last Friday. I obviously made the mistaken assumption that they would call or drop a note by if they had something that had been sent overnight, I thought wrong.
2. Begin sharing funds for family budget - SUCCESS - has started but it's basically me creating a budget for myself because I'm doing the majority of the spending as my wife still remains unemployed.
   
3. Finish final editing for book (no really I mean it this time) - So now that I have the computer back I plan to devote a large chunk of my time to get this book editing done and over with. I think I had possibly a chapter or less left when the computer went down last time. I might run it by a couple good friends first and then off to the publishers I shall go.
   
4. Work on mutual savings goal with wife - This is a goal that will be post-poned in the short term while my wife looks for a job.

Although My wife returning to the world of the 'employed' is a priority, I have to say that getting this book out of the way just to say it is done is a major priority that I have in my sights right now. I'm saying my silent prayers but I also have faith that this can open up other doors and opportunities for me in the long run.