How to Buy June 17th | Prism: Invest In Ourselves | Prism: Diversify Your Brand

 

Investing In Yourself – Using Pillars to Build Your Core	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/urbanomics-pillars-path-set-for.html
Setting Budgets + Saving for Black Swans	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2013/02/personal-finance-budget-101-free-credit.html
	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2019/11/hey-henry-high-earner-not-yet-rich.html
How to Open My First Brokerage Account	https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2015/04/personal-finance-101-starting.html
Diversify your Life (Mind, Body, Soul, + Investments) HOW TO SEARCH MY BLOG:	Get Updates to Your Email When I Create A New Post:

Also Coming Soon - a series on #HowtoInvest. People have been reaching especially after the spikes in Gamestop, AMC, and other stock to learn the basics. I self taught myself how to invest beginning at the age of roughly 18 and have never stopped. To be a good investor and ensure you are not gambling (speculating), I'll cover (hardest parts of investing in RED):

Budgeting 101 - How to Fund Ur Investments?

Why Stocks as an Investment?

What is Ur Investment Profile + Personality?

How to Pick Stocks?

When to Buy Stocks?

How to Enter My Trade?

How Many Stocks Should I Own?

When to Sell Stocks?

Am I Speculating (Gambling)?

Investing in Your Health

More to come on Investing in Your Health in Pt 2. But I wanted to send major love to Naomi Osaka. I'm proud she had the courage to walk away from this year's US Open when things didn't feel right. Her health and mental health is vital for herself, family, and career.

How to Buy + Sell Stocks

Over the last few month's I've given you most of the tips, that I've come to use over the past 15+ years of trading stock. I learned by trial and error and shared these examples so that you jump over my potholes, not step into them. Similar to the pillars, I've simply learned to invest by having discipline. 

1) I defined my personality which shaped my investing personality. In life, I like deals and buying things on discount so my investment style is the same. On Wall Street, they call this value investing (in my last post I dubbed in the "Cost Conscious" model). I have also realized that I am drawn to the underdog and redemption story. I personally believe through my life experiences that people have herd mentality and will often follow group think, tribal ways, and even bullying as we are wired to not appreciate outliers. I've be drawn to not drink the Kool-Aid and that has led me to companies that have  made bad decisions and received the occasional black eye. Go back thru my investments: Lululemon, Gamestop, AMC, and countless others needed a second chance. I simply did my research and bought enough stock that I am willing to lose (key concept). I don't have a gamblers nature, so this keep me sane.

2) I read and studied about investors, that I believe shared my personality. My thinking evolved over time and the #1 rule I share with people when they first start their investment journey is your first stock should be something you would be willing to invest $10K in EVEN if you only have $500 to invest. Prioritize investing, do a bit of gambling and you'll be ok.

I have a list of stocks that will be SOLD by tomorrow because they are expiring within a defined timeframe I set. Here is a summary of why I bought:

Novagold (NG): - My Paul Revere Trade - Inflation is coming and this is why houses, lumber, gas, groceries, and used car prices are skyrocketing. Awhile back, I bought Gold which tends to do well as inflation approaches.

Palantir (PLTR) - Being in Cybersecurity, I believe in data analytics. My cynical rationale is the government wants to collect LOTS of it. Hmmm, I wonder why. They will continue to land big government contracts which means $$$$

Par Pacific Holdings (PARR) - My Paul Revere Trade - Inflation is coming and this is why house, lumber, gas, groceries, and used car prices are skyrocketing. So if you can't beat up join up. When I go to the pump I don't mind...I have a hybrid electric vehicle which means that I'm not filling up often but I bought this Houston-based oil and gas exploration and production company so WHEN you go to the pump I benefit from high gas prices.

Magnite Inc.(MGNI) - The trend is online and this online advertising technology firm is my play on that trend. Magnite is SO NICE...I traded IT TWICE

Roku - I've traded this so many times...enough said

Micron (MU) - I bought this semiconductor stock because there is a shortage in semi chips. My Econ 420 class paid off. When there is a LOW supply of something you buy it --- WHY because the demand will go up and so will the price. 

Intel INTC) - I bought this semiconductor stock because there is a shortage in semi chips. My Econ 420 class paid off. When there is a LOW supply of something you buy it --- WHY because the demand will go up and so will the price.

Pershing Square Tontine Holding (PSTH) - This was my GAMBLE, notice out of all my trades I bought what I could afford to lose here. This is a SPAC investment and I am betting on my a-billi buddy, billionaire Bill Ackman. This investment will be buying a 10% stake in Vivendi Universal Music Group. So yes, I am technically the boss of some of your favorite music artists. 

Prism - Invest in Ourselves

1) Rich Paul (LeBron Jame's Agent) - Candid Interview About Business, Negotiation, Seat at the Table: 

Why I'm Reading: A great read on how to negotiate when the room doesn't look like you.

LeBron James’s Agent Is Transforming the Business of Basketball | The New Yorker

2) Black Wall Street + Tulsa Race Massacre: 

Why I'm Reading: History shows we can rise up, if we invest together.

9 Entrepreneurs Who Helped Build Tulsa's 'Black Wall Street' - HISTORY

Music - Longevity + Building Your Brand

1) Mount Westmore: 

Why I'm Reading: My takeaway is these rap legends have achieved longevity by diversifying their income. Don't rely on just one job. It will come to an end. Invest, Own Homes, Sell Products...or get disrupted.

One Surreal Night With the Rap Veterans of Mount Westmore - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Did You Say Narcos...Or Anadarko

Interesting?!? When they interview sports stars, is it odd they often say: "If I could do anything else I would be a rapper.   Then the big NBA game comes on and I see E-40 cheering on Golden State, Drake court side in Toronto, and YG and 2 Chains on the court at the end of Los Angeles games.  Well to take a page from their playbook, investors wanna be both!  My investing game in basketball terms feels like I'm in a zone.  Or maybe more like I'm playing zone...like the defense.  The zone defense is known to be safe or even cautious as it does not require the players to exert a lot of energy when defending but requires you be consistent, diligent, and opportunistic.  I am cautious on the markets as they continue to grind higher.  I still think the business climate (due to the tax cuts) and job hiring is trending up. Further, I think the market will melt up even more IF a deal with China (any deal) gets done.  But I think signs in housing and other areas tells me, the dynasty is almost over.  So what does my zone defense look like?  Well here is a run-down of my zone defense portfolio in Game 5 of a 7 game series:

Coaching (Doc Rivers, Phil Jackson, Lenny Wilkens) - Like the great coaches listed here, I try to remain level headed, even zen like, on where the market currently is. I feel like we are in Game 5 or 6 of a 7 game series. So I'm coaching my team (oops my portfolio) to be ready for the downturn...we don't like being blown out.

Guards (Chris Paul, Damian Lillard) - Like CP3 and Dame, my PG is small but packs a punch! So my point guard is Collectors Universe (CLCT), this is a small cap company that I have been overweight for a VERY long time. And they don't seem to disappoint. They had a bad quarter and Wall Street punished them awhile back dropping them from $30 to eventually below $15. If you've been following us here you'll remember when we picked then up during the recession of 2008 at the $4 dollar level. And for us they mint coins...almost literally and grade "mint-condition" baseball cards and collectibles. So that means steady cash streams coming in, a nice dividend and an appreciating stock.  If you read the previous conference calls, part of the bad quarter was slow China demand and a big time investment in a new corporate HQ. Well guess what, those costs related to the HQ are behind them and the last two quarters have been positive. I picked up more shares after the HQ build-out because for a small cap company I felt it made a difference in their earnings. I like my PG so much that I bought more Collectors and put it in my 401K plan for the long-haul. Cheers to CP3, Lillard and CLCT!!

At the other guard position, I rotate the Young Guns. This group is spring loaded and receiving trade offers as other teams want my players. If this were International football (or what Americans call soccer) these players are hitting the the transfer window, or season where other teams pay top dollar for my players:

Anadarko Petroleum (APK) - I picked on Andarko as Chevron was showing interest and now there is a bidding war that has ensued. And look who jumped into the fray... my mentor Warren Buffet is lending money to Occidental Petroleum to outbid Chevron. If was just announced because some investment firm tracks jets and saw that the Occidental jet flew to Omaha...really who has that much free time!!! The Narcos are circling Anadarko. Looks like my draft pick may get bought out soon.  My guess is Occidental wins out with a sweeter bid and the Buffet brand name (we'll see).

Arconic (ARNC) - An earlier trade fell thru but this player has been working on his skills. Dropping down to about $18, and putting up big numbers by bouncing back to the $22 range. I may be getting suitors coming to the table soon and now they pay more than the $23 range to buy this stud out.

Tesla (TSLA)- Like the Nets Guard De'Angelo Russell, everyone has an opinion. So after the terrible earnings call, I took a chance here. Some may second guess my value call, but along with Ron Baron, and others, I just personally think Tesla is a transformation company that will explode. Mr. Russell who was left for dead...is now a NBA All-Star this year due to his hard work and transformation. For example, I drive a Plug-In Hybrid BMW X5 e40 (fully loaded 😎and 600 mpgs) and trust me the experience is nice, I'm sure the Tesla models are even nicer because they dominate the electric vehicle space.

Qualcomm (QCOM) - When I want to play a savvy veteran, I turn to QCOM. Again some questioned the value here when they were battling Apple the goliath of the tech industry. I wish I would have gave QCOM a bigger contract because they went to Game 7 with Apple and won a $4.5B settlement!! A stock in the mid-50s exploded up into the $80s leaving me happy for the player and bummed I didn't invest even more. What a shocker.

JD.com (JD) - This stock is like a chance on the player suspended for taking performance enhancing drugs, TWICE. First, the tariff issues with China took all the steam out of this stock. Then the 2nd item was the CEO was accused of assault and battery. The stock was hovering around $30 and then tanked into the low 20s. It appears the Minnesota prosecutors did not choose to prosecute after new videos surfaced recently appearing to help the CEOs case.  Now basically breakeven, this player may spring back into Player of the Year discussions if the China negotiations with Trump are finalized.

On the bench: I have one player preparing to pack his bags: Celgene (CELG) - they were acquired and soon we'll part ways with a nice contributor.

And Sprint (S), Sprint keeps getting offers to play overseas for T-Mobile but the FTC (like the stock version of the NBA Commissioner) is telling me that the deal is unfair. Funny he doesn't say that to Verizon or AT&T the biggest cell phone carriers. Let a player get his money Commish?!?!  Approve the deal and let me bask in the glory of my draft pick prowess.

Next time, I will go into my Development League team: Newell Brands (NWL), Stitch Fix (SFIX), and Colony Capital (CLNY)