Good morning.
Even though interest rates are at zero percent, the stock market still wants to see more stimulus—and soon. After negotiations broke down on Monday for putting more money into the hands of Americans, stocks slid to lows of the day.
Add in the upcoming election as well as the ongoing earnings season, and it’s easy to see why the market is likely to be in for a volatile few weeks. While many investors may not like volatility, it tends to be where traders get better returns.

Now here’s the rest of the news:

October 20, 2019

What’s Wrong With the World!  I can’t begin the list without thinking … Darren Hardy!

Sometimes we don’t have to look beyond the reflection in the mirror to begin this discussion…

Old can be new!  😉

                                                                          Good morning.
The stock market has gotten bullish going into earnings season.  With many big banks, airlines, and other large firms reporting this week — not to mention a number of develop-ments in tech stocks — there’s a good chance for a rally in stocks to all-time highs once again.
Sure, the economic backdrop remains dour.  Unemployment seems to be stubbornly high and unlikely to move substan-tially lower anytime soon.  And election uncertainty could weigh.  But as long as America’s major corporations are faring well, the market will continue with its upward move.  As the saying goes:

“Small hinges swing large doors.”

Now here’s the rest of the news:

Two weeks ago ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) lost its position as the largest U.S. energy company to Florida-based utility NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE).  NextEra, has been moving to cleaner electricity … becoming the largest producer of wind and solar power in the world.
But ExxonMobil’s bad news didn’t end there.  At times over the past decade, ExxonMobil was worth as much as $225 billion more than Chevron (NYSE: CVX).  For years the biggest of the U.S.-based “Big Oil” companies, ExxonMobil’s size advantage disappeared on October 8, 2020, when Chevron’s value closed the day higher than ExxonMobil’s.

“Whichever offends you … defines you!”

October 13, 2019

Smile, Laugh And Be Healthy

Mackay’s Moral: Cover your mouth when you cough.  Never cover it when you smile.

At least six people have taken credit for this poem, but it’s worth sharing in any event.

Smiling is infectious; you catch it like the flu.
When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling, too.
I passed around the corner, and someone saw my grin,
When he smiled, I realized, I’d passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile, then I realized its worth.
A single smile, just like mine, could travel round the earth.
So if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected —
Let’s start an epidemic quick and get the world infected!

A friend passed along a Coca-Cola ad done by a Belgian advertising agency with the tagline, “Happiness starts with a smile.”  The commercial takes place on a cramped subway as people are boarding the train after a long day at work.  Everyone is silent and keeping to themselves.  It is not a joyous occasion.

Suddenly the camera focuses on a hired actor who randomly starts smiling while looking at his iPad, then begins laughing more and more.  Everyone on the subway takes notice and starts smiling and laughing.

Smiling is a bonding agent.  It builds bridges to other people around us.  It keeps us from remaining aloof and separate from one another.  It just goes to show you that smiling and laughing are contagious.

I read in “Self” magazine that 94 percent of Americans polled said they noticed a person’s smile during a first encounter.  People were less likely to notice others’ bodies or eyes.

There are so many benefits in smiling and laughing.  A genuine smile and laugh increases the production of serotonin, the happy hormone, and dopamine — feel-good endorphins that slow cortisol production and diminish feelings of stress, anxiety and depression.

Years ago I saved an article from “USA TODAY” explaining that we learn in childhood how to get along with people, “people skills” such as listening, remembering names and smiling.  It’s amazing how people’s moods and words are misjudged because they look too serious.  A smile shows that you like yourself, you like your current place in the world and you’re happy with the people you’re interacting with.

You should commit to making others smile every day of the week.  The first Friday of October was designated World Smile Day for just that purpose.  It was created by commercial artist Harvey Ball, creator of the ubiquitous “smiley face,” who believed that all of us should devote one day each year to smiles and kind acts.

Smiling and laughing provide a workout.  One smile uses more than 16 muscles.  During a bout of laughter the body increases its oxygen intake, which is just as good as taking a few cleansing breathes.  That’s why smiling and laughing are my favorite exercises.

Researchers in Germany instructed a group of people to laugh on demand to measure their core muscles.  The data showed that laughing enhanced core muscles as much as — and sometimes more than — when those subjects did back lifts or crunches.

Want another reason to laugh?  Results from a California study published by AARP showed the positive impact laughter has on short-term memory.  Participants were separated into two groups.  The first group watched a 20-minute comedy video, while the second group sat in silence.  Both groups were given memory recall tests before and after the 20-minute period.  The group that watched the comedy video scored much higher.

Even if you don’t have anything to laugh about, you should force yourself to laugh.  This is the finding of a study done at the University of Illinois that shows how smiling can influence your mood and outlook.  Researchers divided people into three groups to observe their reactions to a humorous cartoon.  The first group was asked to hold a pen in their hands.  The second group was asked to put the pen between their lips, forcing a frown on their face.  The third group held the pens between their teeth, forcing them to smile.  Guess which group found the cartoon to be much funnier — the third group.

The publication “Bits & Pieces” surmises from the AARP article that “If you smile, you’ll find something to laugh about.  If you laugh, you’ll exercise your core, take in more oxygen and feel happy….”

Laugh and be well.  😉

                                                                    Good morning.
Many analysts still expect some market volatility ahead of the election.  And chances are it’s still a tight race.
Yes, a WSJ/NBC poll over the weekend gave former Vice President Joe Biden a staggering 14-point lead over President Trump.  However, many have pointed out that the poll methodology appears to be overstating Democratic voters compared to actual results in recent elections.  The real market volatility may not be known until the election is over, but a big drop seems unlikely.

Now here’s the rest of the news:

October 06, 2019

Shared Thoughts…

“You wouldn’t have the dream if you didn’t already have what it takes to make it happen.”
—Marie Forleo

Selling future benefits is hard.  No one wants to buy life insurance.  No one wants to exercise for months to get fit.  Humans worry about now.  Tomorrow?  Ah, let’s not worry about that now.

What can we say to change this?  How do we get our prospects to think about the future?  Let’s try some better messages now.

Health: “Getting older?  Yes, it is coming.  And there will be a huge gap between the people with great health, enjoying their lives and those trapped in the medical system of doctor appointments, paper-work, and frustration.”

Saving for retirement: “With our current jobs, it is already too late to save enough for our retirement.  We missed our chance by not saving 20% of our salaries when we were 25 years old.  That means we either work the rest of our lives until we die or, start a small part-time business now, so we will have plenty of money when we want to retire.”

Skin care: “Got wrinkles now?  Then they are our wrinkles for life.  But we can stop new wrinkles from forming with this.  Do you think now is a good time to prevent more wrinkles?”

Utilities: “Still overpaying on those utility bills?  Let’s get online now and stop them from overcharging you again next month.”

It is fun to get prospects to think of the future, but also to act on the future.
We just have to give our prospects a better message…  🙂

                                                                              Good morning.
Stocks continued to move higher, even as total Covid-19 deaths neared the 1 million market globally.  That may have to do with the lower overall mortality rates now that more data is in, or from decreased chances of another big lock-down, which would allow the economy to recover.
Or it may simply be the result of stocks getting so oversold in the short-term that they hit correction territory and were due for a bounce.  So far, there’s no sign of the rally taking stocks back to all-time highs, but it’s a nice relief from a sea of red.

Now here’s the rest of the news:

September 29, 2019

Each DarrenDaily message usually expires in 72 hours … not here … I like to go back and hear it over again and again to re-enforce its great message.  Darren is speaking now about:

Finding Exactly What You Want No Matter What

Terrific Message to cherish for life!  😉

                                                                        Good morning.
Nothing ever moves up or down in a straight line… but it can often feel that way.  February’s market selloff into March was steep and scary, but there were some rallies in there.  And the March-September rally had a few down days as well.
In the current selloff that started this month, we’ve seen some large rallies already.  And stocks are still near all-time highs.  On a short-term basis, the past few days has moved shares toward being oversold in the short term, as evidenced by a number of traders starting to show interest yet again.

Now here’s the rest of the news:

Science Doesn’t Lie  My jaw dropped yesterday, when I heard key government policymakers on television confidently proclaim we’re in the midst of a V-shaped recovery and the coronavirus is contained.  This rah-rah cheerleading is destined to end in tears, because it’s divorced from reality.
I’m an optimist by nature and I certainly want the pandemic to go away.  However, I don’t embrace delusions and neither should you.  The coronavirus outbreak is impervious to positive spin and continues to batter the economy and corporate operating results.  The latest empirical data from Johns Hopkins (as of Tuesday) indicate that the pandemic is resurgent.  Politicians lie, but science doesn’t.

September 22, 2019

Gold Is NOT the Best Bet in Precious Metals
By Dr. Steve Sjuggerud

Bronze… Silver… Gold…

You already know the next metal in the sequence.  Just about everyone does.

It’s platinum — the king of precious metals.

Sure, American Express has the Gold Card.  But you know what card is above it — the Platinum Card.

Platinum is universally known for being above gold… It’s the ultimate award level.  It’s how you know you’re getting the best of the best.

But it‘s more than a marketing shtick.  Today, it’s an investment opportunity in the making…

Only the shiniest of objects catches my attention!  🙂

                                                                          Good morning.
On Wednesday, the option market was alive in financial stocks as several companies saw unusual option activity like JP Morgan, Regions Financial and the SPDR Financial ETF.  Also, several gold stocks saw significant bullish breakouts like Gold Fields.  This movement is certainly looking forward to inflationary policy coming from the Fed.  The stage is being set, now it is time to deliver.  [Robert H Schuller quote:]

“Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.”

Now here’s the rest of the news:

There is No Price Inflation (As Long as You Don’t Eat) by Robert Wenzel
Food prices are soaring.  Meats are up 7.1%, dairy and related products are up 5.7%, non-alcoholic beverages are up 5.1%, limited service meals and snacks are up 4.8%, tobacco and smoking products are 5.0% and medical care is up 5.3%.
What is driving the general index down is declines in goods we are not using anymore, or are using a lot less.  Airline fares are down 23.2% and energy is down 9.0%
But the goods people are actually buying are way up.

September 15, 2019

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you are right.” —Henry Ford

How Visualization Can Become Reality

Following is one of the best stories I’ve heard of the power of directed visualization.

Major James Nesmeth was just an average weekend golfer, shooting in the mid- to low-nineties.  Then, because of events beyond his control, he stopped playing for seven years.  Never touched a club.  Never set foot on a fairway.

When he did start playing again, he shot an astonishing 74!  He’d knocked 20 strokes off his average without having swung a golf club in seven years!  For those of you who don’t play golf, this is an astonishing feat for any golfer.  For someone who hadn’t even played, it’s unbelievable.  Not only that, but Major Nesmeth’s physical condition had greatly deteriorated during his golfing sabbatical.

You see, Major Nesmeth had spent those seven years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.  During almost the entire time he was imprisoned, he saw no one, talked to no one and experienced no physical activity.  He realized he had to find a way to keep his mind occupied or he’d lose his sanity.  To save his life, he learned to visualize.

In his mind, he selected his favorite country club and started to play.  Every day, he played a full 18 holes at this imaginary golf course.  He experienced everything in great detail.  He saw himself dressed in his golfing clothes.  He smelled the fragrance of the trees and the newly trimmed grass.  He imagined different weather conditions — windy spring days, overcast winter afternoons and sunny summer mornings.

It took him as long in imaginary time to play 18 holes as it would have taken in reality.  Not a detail was omitted.  Seven days a week.  Four hours a day.  Eighteen holes.

And after seven years, he shot a 74.

Whenever you have doubts about its benefit, remember the story of Major Nesmeth.  🙂

September 15, 2018

Self Development

Self development, some-times referred to as personal development, is a journey that brings huge rewards and fulfillment.  Some people get an early start and become aware of personal development when they are young.  Others (like me) don’t really become aware of personal development until later on in life.  Whether you find out about personal development early or later in life, here are 2 important things to remember.

Part one — No ShortCuts [of a two part post]

In this journey of life, there are no shortcuts.  Improvement happens because of work.  If you want to become successful you must get through a ton of crap.  Some people wallow in it and spend a lot of time trying to get through the crap while others roll up their sleeves, take action and get to work in order to get through the crap as fast as they can.  Either way, there is no shortcut.  No one can do the work for you.  Just like you can’t hire someone else to exercise for you to lose weight, no one can do the work for you in order to become a success.  If you get your dreams before you deserve them, then the Universe will simply take it away from you.  That is why over 70% of lottery winners end up being dead broke within five years.  It’s not because they are stupid, it’s because they lack the stewardship to keep the money.  Had they built and earned the money on their own, they may have built the stewardship of keeping the money as they earned it.

Pretty cool eh?

Did This Help You?

Catch ‘you all tomorrow’  😉

September 15, 2017

Another great day!

As Esme and I took our final pictures here at the Balancing Rock location, on the isolated island … I think back now … to how privileged and special we were … to be here!

Returning to the others in Digby, I was a reminded, of just how close we were from death, at any one moment.  Yes!  “One slip away!”

REW

Good morning.
Back in the early 2000’s people would trade stock splits as a strategy.  Buy the announcement and play the pre-split run.  Looking at how Apple Inc and Tesla Inc performed, so far so good.  The theory was that the companies would experience a post-split depression where the price underperformed.
In the current scramble to get money in the market, these names have shown a resilience to the normal and have embraced the exceptional.  The fact is people are going with what has worked so well for so long and it looks like there’s still room to add more.

Now, here is the rest of the story:

5 Tips for Staying Sane While Working from Home
Thanks to our current circumstances, many of us are working from home — whether you want to or not.  And even if you’re used to working from home, chances are that right now is anything but ordinary as other family members who aren’t usually around may be home too.  It can be a tremendous challenge for many of us to work from home during these unsettling times.  With that in mind, we wanted to share some of our top tips for working from home productively without destroying your health or sanity.

#1: Establish a routine… If you don’t have to show up at the office at a certain time and you don’t have anyone watching, it’s tempting to just let go of having a schedule at all.  This is usually a mistake.  In fact, having a regular routine may be even more important when working at home.  Consider:

• • Waking up and going to bed at a regular time
  • Getting dressed before work (just as you would if you were leaving the house)
  • Scheduling your week with periods for work, exercise, meals, rest, and personal/family time

This will help create some much-needed stability and focus in a very chaotic and challenging time.

#2: Take breaks… This is always important — not just when you’re working from home.  The Pomodoro Technique is a popular time-management method, for example, that involves using a timer to break work into intervals, usually 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks (for example, 3 – 5 minutes).  During the breaks:

• • Do some bodyweight exercises
  • Go outside
  • Do some stretches
  • Refill your water
  • Play with your kids or pets
  • Give your spouse/significant other a hug and words of affirmation

Taking breaks helps to release the pressure valve and keep you fresh and productive throughout the day.

#3: Create and maintain boundaries… When you’re working from home, it’s all too easy for work to simply take over every waking moment (and maybe some sleeping moments too!) of your life.  It’s critical that you establish boundaries between your work and personal life — for your own benefit, and your family’s too.  This can involve:

• • Setting a time to start and end time for work each day
  • Putting away your computer, phone, etc., when you’re not working
  • Communicating with your family about when it is/isn’t okay to interact during the work day
  • Turning off notifications on your phone when you’re not working
  • Doing a digital detox/screen-free day on Sundays

#4: Eat well… Again, this is something we ought to be doing no matter where we work.  But it’s particularly relevant when working from home, because the pantry and refrigerator are always just a few steps away.  Establishing set meal times (see #1 above) can go a long way toward preventing stress-related overeating.  Since you’ll be at home, do your best to make healthy food options convenient and readily available.  On the flip side, limit temptations by not having junk food around, or at the very least, create obstacles to accessing it (i.e., out of sight, out of mind).

#5: Go easy on yourself… Working from home can be a big adjustment if you’re not used to it, and that’s even more true given our current circumstances.  You were probably not prepared for this.  You may not have a home office or a dedicated work space.  Your may have kids at home, rather than at school.  The house might feel crowded and not conducive to work.  Maybe you’re under a lot of stress with work, facing financial difficulties, or dealing with illness in the family.

Many of us are being stretched in countless ways, and in a situation like this, it’s important to cut ourselves some slack.  It’s okay not to be as productive as you normally are.  It’s okay to spend more time with your family.  It’s okay to do a little more self-care than you typically do.

And if we allow ourselves to simply go with the flow, we might be surprised at what we discover.

Stay Strong,

September 01, 2019

Darren Hardy shared in his Daily Motivational Message: An Elite Winning Strategy

Watch it here and share your thoughts below!

Wasn’t that good … G R E A T … 😉

September 01, 2017

Lao Tzu once said, “To see things in the seed, that is genius.“

Well for me … to travel and see a new part of the World, even to explore a new Province in Canada, is my genius.  Pls allow me to share a few Kodak moments… (’bout to discover Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland).

Worked this morning, but by noon I was on my way home!  Packed my bags … and wicked off to the airport, (by Mike and Donna), with my wife by my side and ‘tickets in hand.’  Halifax, NS — here ‘we’ come!

Big thanks guys…

REW