Beat the Street

With most of the global emerging market indices soaring to their alltime highs, every tom, dick and harry wants to take home his share of moolah. But its not every ones cup of tea either. It takes a bit of discipline, paitence and rationale to be a good investor. Investor is the one with no hurry to withdraw his investment from the stock he believes in. Traders form a very different bunch than investors. I wouldn't talk of them as I've a poor trading record.

The most complex thing in life is to keep anything simple! Similarly, success in stock market can be ensured by the following simple rules of investment. They are simple yet difficult to practice.

1. Have time on your side - Starting to invest early is always better. Give a fair length of time to the stock believed in. Let the power of compounding take over.
2. Logical picking of the stocks - Enter the stocks that you understand and comfortable with. Rumour mills are not enough to pick any stock, do your own research. This is not always easier to ignore your favourite analyst's recommondations, but always be convinced about the pickings. A lot of investors sit around to debate, whether a stock is going up, instead of checking the company and it's fundamentals. Importanty, stand by the stock as long as the fundamentals are in tact.
3. Invest in mutual funds - For those with no time to hand pick their stocks or no appetite to test their wits against the market, mutual funds are an excellent way to stay invested. If one has hand-picked stocks and performing below the market's then mutual fund could be a better option.
4. Don't try too hard to time the market - Have time on your side instead of timing the market. The indices are very unpredictible and bitchy.
5. Diversified portfolio - No investment in stock market comes with a assured returns. They are inherently risky. Good investors minimize the impact of failure by investing in more number of stocks and/or sectors. A failure or two will impact much lesser in a diversified portfolio. Off late Sensex has had a burst of sectorial rallies, always leaving the diversfied portfolio something to cheer about.

Beyond 1's and 0's

Manier times I have wondered myself being other than what I'm. Now that calls for an intriguing argument over what I've described myself in my blogger, orkut profiles (I am what I am). We'll keep it for another rainy day.
But then, what else I could have been, had I not been what I am today? It's often asked but seldom answered. Because, we as individuals tend to slip into our comfort-zones unknowingly. We start believing that, we are meant to be what we are. And thats when an introspection looms large over me. During both the job changes that I've had, the introspection had taken over. Now I'm at a similar phase but not quite the same yet. But I intend to curb my instincts(if any) hoping to have a fair run with my current job.
Well, I was off the topic yet again!! My what-I-could-have-been is a very short list in deed, But my what-I-couldn't-have-been is mighty long. Anything thats in my shorter list, is what I think I can do fair justice to. Sure, I'm yet to explore many more horizons to be having any list of those sorts.
With due respects to my limited dexterity, had I been a workman (be it plumber, carpenter, builder, etc) it would only be mess. My workshop days during my engineering know it better. Cook, Ummnn...perhaps yes, if only there were no dishes other than sandwitches and boiled eggs ;) To sum it, I'm a little too weak to take up anything that expects a little bit of dexterity.
Now, what-I-cud-have-been. Businessman - Yes, the acumen, alertness, interest-to-own something have always been there. Oops, I'm alreay running out of thoughts. May be a Teacher,doctor as well.
Now there is this, I-would-love-to-be list. A marathon runner, sportsman (preferebally, a footballer - they get best of the babes ;) ) TV-host, CEO of the most innovative company, a yogi, Stock market analyst, (Friends say, I'm quite there ;)) & the list goes on......... It apparenty has that-I-cant-be? No hang on, lateral careers have been the talk of the town off late. Who knows, I might just manage to be on-of-these in the future ahead.

Till then, I've a job on hand to be lived upto. Back to work.....

Date with Hypothyroid.

Back in may this year, my body developed an unusual affinity for idleness, mind began to follow the suit. The office hours were lethargic than ever before ;) The eyes appeared to be in search of more n more sleep, senses on a vacation, body like a disobedient servant, reflexes that challenge jersey cattle, speech thats unclear, I weighed more than before, I felt 10 years older. Period.

All that in a course of month's time. My own reluctance to believe that there could be something wrong with my health, kept me away from the doctor for a while. But finally, hypothyroid had it's way. I was at the doors of Sagar Appolo, anxious.

The doc was an elderly gentleman, in his early sixties. He seemed a little too determined to prove, that young engineers aren't done a great favour by the so-called-easy-bucks they make. My body was tested against all the available sanity measures. And one test case failed gleefuly as though to prove my Hypothyroidism and fuelled my doc's argument.

It did get me a little low before I could digest my limitation. Luckily, Hypothyroidism isn't threat posing enough. Thanks to the Medical Science. Now I rely on my prescription to supply me that elusive harmone on a daily dose. Now I've developed a concious care for my health. Cheers to Hypothyoroid ;)