A poem about being in quarantine abroad.

2020 its been a funny old year,

just over half way through,

with nothing to cheer,

just doom and despair,

wherever you look.

Well maybe not quite,

but it’s not far off right,

the biggest challenge for 2 generations,

keeping people locked down,

across all of the nations.

It’s the right thing to do,

this action saves life,

even if it causes temporary strife.

Life as an expat so often a goal,

can be quite lonely and tiring,

thoughts drifting to home,

of family and lands so far away.

Easy to reach in easier days,

this will all end just as quickly as it came,

of that there’s no doubt we know the old game,

but for now we are left with just one little gift,

the homesickness blues…

Is this really the legacy of the early 21st Century?

When did politics change?

I would say there has been an ongoing change. In politics and political styles since the late 1980s.

The seismic change to what we have today. Started in the last election cycles on 15/16.

A diet of fake news and celebrity politics. It’s the biggest change I have seen in my lifetime.

The big question I have on our shifting political culture is this:

Do we want fake news, celebrity culture, and divisiveness to be the legacy of the early 21st Century?

I don’t want to offend the politicians of the past and accuse them of always telling the truth and playing fair.

But what we didn’t see was the grandstanding and celebrity culture. That has invaded politics in the last 3–4 years.

Fake news has also contributed to this change and has a part to play. There is no center ground in politics right now. Everything has moved back to party lines. You are either on the left or the right.

The result?

Division, hatred, and a rise in tensions across society. I thought we had learned a lot of those lessons 50 or so years ago?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all going bad. Some good conversations are going on around how we move forward.

At the same time though politics has become a war against the media narrative. At the same time, an all-out war between the right and the left has broken out.

It’s hard to see meaningful action coming from the government on some of the biggest issues we face today.

Everyone is too busy fighting themselves and the media.

At the moment this is the legacy we are in danger of leaving.

Where do we go from here?

That’s a good question, and in part, it will depend on how we all vote in the next election cycles.

We want to see change. It was clear in the last election cycle, we just didn’t quite get the change we wanted.

That makes sense, radical change often takes a generation when it comes to politics.

This then is the step in the middle. What comes next will be decided by the people.

What we need in the meantime is a step away from fake news and our politicians to move away from celebrity. Just concentrate on the task in hand.

If we can see that happen then the legacy we leave from the first 2 decades of the 21st Century might be different.

A Poem about Political Power

Real Politik a policy of the past,

men who wield great power,

and hide out of the light.

Policy, process, justice,

all formed under their hand.

Today it’s all so different,

fortune, greed and fame,

celebrity in politics,

is the aim of the game.

No one in the centre,

all over on left or right,

leaving the world open,

to a politically influenced fight.

Stability and teamwork,

thats what the world needs,

cool heads and wise people,

to pick us up off our knee’s.

In these global times of struggle,

we need another way,

not more celebrity gamesmanship,

instead a clear path to a brighter day…

A poem about the craft of writing

I’m a writer under nom de plume,

anonymity good for me and you,

keeps the mystery alive from book to book,

and you dear reader on the hook.

Writing comes so easily,

publishing so hard.

it’s hard to share it with the world,

so a nom de plume suits me you see.

I don’t do this for fortune,

I don’t do this for fame,

its for the love of writing,

hence I don’t need to share my name…

A Poem about the business world

The day you either love or hate,

its that time comes around each quarter

the earning call and statement,

your either a savior,

or your slaughtered.

Judged on cash flow and share price,

when times are good its never enough,

when times are bad,

you think they never can get worse.

But here’s the thing in business,

the bubble almost always bursts…

Is a stock pick subscription service worth it?

Investing, as a wealth growth strategy. It’s a well-worn path to take. Whether you invest in a fund or trade them yourself. There are many options to consider.

For many of us though, investing will be part-time and long term strategy. It might be another income stream or a longer-term strategy to gain wealth.

Whichever it may be for you, is there a way to supercharge that potential?

Picking stocks can be hard. So many ratios to consider, plus do you have enough knowledge of the market the company trades in?

I’m very much still learning myself and so I tend to stick with high dividend yield stocks in industries I know. That gives me a recurring income from my investment. Which is comfortable.

But I don’t have enough to invest over the long term for that to change the needle for me.

I need something else to do that for me.

I have the ability the balance sheet, income statement and to work out the ratios. But what I don’t have in say the tech space. Is the ability to understand where a company fits into a market.

Because of that, and after taking advice from others. I have done what I thought I wouldn’t need to ever do.

I’m paying a subscription to a stock-picking/evaluation service. Specifically, one that covers tech and start-ups. That’s where I need some help.

For roughly 100 dollars a year, I can afford to wait it out and see what happens.

Feedback from others seems to suggest it has helped them, grow their investments. As a result, their wealth has increased, and with the insights provided to them. They feel more comfortable investing in areas they hadn’t been able to before.

We all know that in today’s economy we need diversified income. Investments are a sensible part of that income strategy. Some help for less than a year’s trading costs seems like a sensible buy to me.

Over time I’ll update on this and let you know if the service works out for me. I’m also interested in reader thoughts.

What strategies do you use to grow your wealth, and increase knowledge in your investments?

A Poem about Stocks & Shares

Stock, shares and investments,

a financial dividend,

a way to make your money work,

do the leg work for a change.

Little by little they build up,

into something grand over time,

dividends, profits, interest,

all fit in your pocket.

A sizeable investment,

in building up wealth,

and financial health.

Not the be and end all,

money is a tool,

use it to live it up,

or even play the fool.

Or hand it down to others,

make a difference in their lives,

stocks and shares can do so much,

they can really build up,

with a wise and gentle touch.

Want another income stream but don’t want a business?

Income streams

Two words we hear all the time these days. The more you have the better. So the advice goes.

The thing is though, not everyone wants to, or can. Pick up a business or side hustle outside of their job. Whether its time constraints or it’s banned by their employer. This is not a route everyone can use.

So how to build another income stream?

One of the other options, in this case, is to make the money you already have work for you.

• This information is not financial advice. Remember to seek the advice of a professional financial advisor before investing. Also, remember that investments can go down in value as well as up*

Now that we have that out of the way. How can we make money work for us?

By investing it in something worth something more in the future than we paid for it today. Or something that pays us for the money we invested.

Savings accounts used to be an example of something that paid us for the money we invested in them. In that case, interest payments on our savings. Today with interest rates at all-time lows, that’s not the case. Savings are important for many reasons. Just don’t consider them something which will make you money over time.

So what can we make money from investing in?

Well, there are many options, but rather than go through them all. Let’s focus on the big building blocks, stocks, real estate, and assets.

You can, of course, invest in private business as well, but that’s a topic on its own. So today we won’t cover it.

Please also remember that anything you make a profit on, you pay tax on.

Stocks

There are a few different ways to get into stocks and shares. The most common ways are through either an investment fund or through a stockbroker account.

The investment fund model is where you buy a mix of shares. So for example, if you invest $100 per month, your not buying $100 of one stock. You are buying a mix of different stocks for you $100. You pay a monthly or annual fee to the fund looking after your investment, and it is completely passive. Once you select the fund then its hand’s off. They pick the stocks and over time, your investment should be worth more than you paid into the fund.

A stockbroker buys and sells the stock for their clients. In this case, you set up a trading account, and then you can buy and sell stocks through the broker. The fee you pay will either be a flat annual charge or a percentage charge on each sale you make.

There are 2 simple ways to make money from stocks. Investing to see the stock price up, and making a profit. Or investing to earn dividend income. You can do both at the same time.

Investing in the stock for the price means buying at price A and selling at price B. That could mean you have the stock for days, weeks, months, or years. But at some point, you’re going to sell it for more than you paid for it.

Investing to earn a dividend is slightly different. In this case, you might still decide to sell in the long term. But you buy the stock because it pays you every quarter. This is known as a dividend payment. For each share, you hold in the company they pay you x amount of cents each quarter. Over time this can build up and its also a stream of income that repeats.

As with all things investment-related the stock price and the dividends being paid. Will go up and down over time, This is a more hands-on way to invest as you have to make all of the decisions yourself.

Real estate

Generally, people invest in real estate to make money through rental income. This more complicated because you have mortgage costs, bills, and insurance. Which all compete with the rental rate you can get for your property.

Then you have tax on top of that. While it is possible to make money renting a property, its also high risk.

This is not a beginner level investment, it requires a good understanding of the market. But many people do make a successful living from it.

Assets

The last one I want to talk about is assets. A bit like shares these are things you buy today at price A intending to sell in the future at price B for a profit.

This can be anything from gold, through cars, motorcycles, stamps, old toys. The list is endless.

Like real estate though, these need you to know a lot about each asset, the market, etc.
You may also have to pay for the storage or maintenance of that asset while you own it.

That makes assets a little trickier. But in the end, they can be worth it. As an example, I make a good income from buying and selling vintage fountain pens. Random yes, but it makes money, and over time I have learned that market.

If you can think of it, then there are assets people invest in, which are worth buying. You need to do a lot of homework first, and accept that this is going to be a lot harder than simple investing.

Final thoughts

Investing is a great way to open up a new income stream. Just be aware that it does come with risk. As with anything in life if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

It’s best to start small and build up as you gain knowledge.

What we are all told is true, multiple income streams build financial wealth. But for those who won’t or can’t do that through starting a business. There is another way.

A poem about education

Love to learn,

but hate to be taught,

old and wiser,

or maybe not.

Every days a school day,

by my own admission,

to educate myself,

is my life’s ambition.

The challenge for me,

is finding what works,

as being schooled,

for me just sucks.

I have to learn in my way,

at my own pace,

I can excel,

if my own time I don’t waste.

As I get older,

I work out whats best,

learning by doing,

I’ll pass the test.