Are Systems Inherently Fragile or are they Broken - CrowdStrike | Economies | Politics | Health

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
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Just wakin' up in the mornin', gotta thank God

I don't know, but today seems kinda odd

No barkin' from the dog, no smog

And mama cooked the breakfast with no hog

Ice Cube ~ It Was a Good Day

Fragility - Vantage Point: CrowdStrike (CRWD)

CrowdStrike Holdings Inc NASDAQ: CRWD

I was just wakin' up in the mornin' and I already has a few messages. Computer screens around the world were BLUE, literally, and companies were feeling the BLUE. They were finding out that their businesses were coming to a screeching halt. Airlines could not fly, employees could not login, and the government could not operate. The news was a "normal" update from the cybersecurity company, CrowdStrike, contained errors and had disrupted how Microsoft computers were operating. Ahhh who cares. Well, I like to put things into perspective by providing some context. Roughly 70% of computer systems run Microsoft software and I've recently heard CrowdStrike is the endpoint detection solution for a majority of companies. For me directly, it meant that I was not able to log into my company laptop. I had two simple takeaways from this event:

1. Systems are Fragile - It's amazing that one faulty update, that happens frequently, brought companies and their systems down. How does that happen??

2. CrowdStrike's Reach - I know CRWD is big, but I felt their reach firsthand

Value Trading - I've been watching this stock for quite some time and used this opportunity to buy some options in CRWD as the stock fell hard and fast Friday. The day went by and finally at 3:45 I received a message on how I needed to fix my laptop to get logged in. Then strangely I saw a message saying that I had purchased some stock in CRWD. But I had not placed an order? Remember when I said that I had been watching this stock? Well, I had an "open" order that basically would be triggered if for some strange reason CRWD were to drop to levels I thought were worth buying. Maybe I believe that systems can be fixed just like that update I received. 

Fragility - Vantage Point: Economies and Ecosystems

I have often written about the boom then bust nature of economies. In the economic world we call this growth and then recession or inflation and then deflation. The question is why does this happen? Is the system fragile, are ALL systems fragile -- or is the system broken? I'm not here to truly answer the question today, but I wanted to share this question after watching the CRWD issue bring businesses to their knees. From an economic perspective:

1. Economic Fragility - Will debt bring the US to its knees?

    OR

2. Economies Inherently Broken - Is this part of the regularly scheduled program?

How about our crazy weather. For the first time, in a long time my old city Chicago was impacted by a tornado that touched down. Shingles flew off my roof of the home I still own there and then at my current home I think I heard my howling from the fast-paced winds as the house shook. From an ecosystem perspective:

1. Ecosystems Are broken? - Is the rapidly changing climate going to continue to erode coastlines, cause houses to fall of mountainside cliffs, tornados to touch down in the Midwest and cities to flood around the world?

    OR

2. Ecosystems are Fragile - Are systems inherently fragile and this is how it is and will always be?

Fragility - Vantage Point: Politics

I'll let you fill in the section. Is the system broken or is politics inherently fragile? When the US, the superpower of the world, sees an assassination attempt of a former president during a campaign -- are we really just like the rest of world and ALL politics is fragile? Or have we gotten to the point where the system is broken.

Fragility - Vantage Point: Health

Finally, what better sums up fragility than health. I'm watching President Biden on the campaign trail and compare what I am seeing to my experiences with my aging parents. Is that what we are all thinking? This week, I listened to a neighbor describe her husband's response to chemotherapy as he battles cancer and recalled how that hit a similar tune to experiences in my family. 

I've read and continue to follow the stories around Nate Robinson's health. He was literally called 'Superman' as the 5'9 former NBA guard won 2 slam dunk contests catapulting over people. Now he is battling the fragility of his health as high blood pressure and kidney failure have dunked him to the point of depression. His story discusses how the disease may be genetic but also speaks to human desire as he chose to continue playing as he found out about the diagnosis early in his career. I relate so much to his story as I and many others battle high blood pressure and its wide-ranging effects. Are my issues genetic, caused by my choices, factors beyond my control -- or just part of a fragile system to complex to comprehend. Human life is truly amazing -- but I wonder if it's because we ALL share a story of fragility. One disease, one paycheck, one accident and fragility shows its face. But family, friends, memories, and experiences have the amazing effect of pushing fragility to the back of our minds.

These R The Breaks: Joby Aviation | Semi Chips | Cryptocurrency Scarface

 

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)?

Joby Aviation Update (Ticker Change from RTP to JOBY)

I recently wrote about my investment in Reinvest Technology Partners (RTP). Remember that example I gave you of how people pool money together to pay for things like a vacation. Well RTP did that and invested in Joby Aviation. Joby Aviation is now a public company (similar to when a teen becomes an adult or like the corporate version of having a baby) and trades under the ticker “JOBY”. Joby went public so you and I can invest in their stock through our brokerage accounts. It is much more difficult to invest in a company when it is private. 

I won't disclose how I stumbled onto Joby as this is for subscribers, but I was happy to see some of my old friends have invested in this stock. I may have to add Reid Hoffman (founder of LinkedIn) Marc Pincus (founder Zynga) to my Mansa Musa network under my A-Billi Squad. Yes both are billionaires and I was delighted to see they were leading a group of investors that pooled money to invest in Joby Aviation. (Tip: I was an avid listener to the podcast "Masters of Scale" and really appreciate Reid's guidance on how to scale businesses)

The Breaks: The lesson here is to determine who you are as an investor. I woke up this week to a headline "Joby surges on 1st Day of Trading". I smiled like Ice Cube and began humming "Today Was A Good Day". I thought about selling my shares and cashing in on a good day but this is not my trading style (however it may be yours). But these are the breaks: After the initial hype, Joby came down to earth and is now trading under $10 dollars. For a stock like this I like to play the long game and with Uber and Toyota also being big time investors I can't wait for air taxis to hit the mainstream. It may take awhile but "Meet The Jetsons" is coming. Joby make electric air taxis that take off vertically (cool). Pros: So not noisy, cool experience and potentially a traffic reducer. I have a small loss on this investment and that's okay because for high risk - high reward investments, I only maintain a small position (roughly 1-2%) in my portfolio. We call this risk allocation and I want to take smart risks.

Palantir

Palantir just reported earnings. Earning is like when humans get an health check, however; for a public company they usually report their health check 4x a year (or every quarter). Palantir happened to report their earning this week and the stock was up big. This investment continues to be a solid perform.

Trust but Verify:

• I first blogged about Palantir here: https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2020/10/baby-on-board-roku-palantir-draftkings.html  (Note: PLTR was a new kid on the block and many didn't know that it first traded at $7 a share)
• I then reminded you about Palantir here: https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2021/04/when-to-buy-playing-offense-side-hustle.html
• Then here: https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2021/06/how-to-buy-june-17th-prism-invest-in.html

The Breaks: As you've heard me say in the past, while location matters... price matters even more. I've traded this stock 3 or 4 times  in the last year via options and it's been tremendously profitable. In my retirement account, I bought a bit high (around $28) and I'm taking a slight loss right how. I'm holding long term because they are the ultimate conspiracy theory investment. I joke people won't do the right thing, until their backs are against the wall. Take schools and mask mandates. Kids are being sent home in droves and FINALLY schools decide to reinstate mask mandates. Hmmm why stop something that's working. Because we don't want to feel like we have to live like the rest of the world --- reliant upon the reality that we need each other as a community to survive. I wear a mask for both me and you.

Palantir also reminds you of the realities of today. They store data for big government entities and promise military grade encryption in the cloud. Who could ask for anything more...except a Toyota. So they will grow as our need for data and surveillance increases by governments. Why because big brother is always watching 👀

 

Context Logic (WISH)

This is truly a speculation trade for me. I was listening to a momentum investor talk about the activity in this stock. WISH has been a great trade for me, a fling, not something I plan to hold for the long haul. But flings can hurt. 

Lesson: I try to avoid holding flings into earnings season (see definition above) because the combination of a volatile stock and not being in love with that stock can really hurt when they miss earnings (or fail a health check). I've been a tad bit distracted with a growing business and earnings just came out for WISH.

The Breaks: WISH reported horrible earning. But remember price matters. WISH suffered a drop in price of 20%, however; I'm not deep in the red because the loss from earnings was offset by the trading gains I locked in here:

So I will be trading out of this stock, because a good girl gone bad... thank you Jay Z.

Chips & Crypto: Intel, Micron, Coinbase, Circle

I might be called cryptocurrency's Scarface if I would have been an early investor in Coinbase like Nas and mad an estimated $100 Million. But I like value stocks --- stocks that trade for a discount. Remember my candy bar analogy...I only buy them when they trade for 50c. Well Intel and Micron have been on my VALUE radar. Both have been great trades for me. Intel is a value play because it's fallen from grace but still has the name recognition of an aging superstar in sports or Hollywood. Micron, is still a solid stock that seems to deliver. Both have fallen recently in the news and I plan to continue to trade around them (or date). This means, I don't think we have a long term future, like I do with Roku, but we'll be dating for the next year or so. Remember price matters, and I'm watching them closely to ensure my trades stays profitable.

Intel surprised me as it just disclosed they are investors in Coinbase, a crypto currency exchange. So as the value of COIN rises, Intel may have some growth potential that is tied to new generation technology that relies upon a massive amount of chips...too bad right the kings of chips are: Nvidia + Taiwan Semiconductor.

And last, I am an investor in Concord Acquisition Corp (CND). Like RTP and Joby, CND is raising a bunch of money to invest in Circle, a crypto currency exchange and competitor to Coinbase. This is a speculative trade but I'm hoping to be the next cryptocurrency Scarface...like Nas.

Sorry Not Sorry...Don't Mind Me I'm Living a Dream #getthebag

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)

How Netflix Shows Help Me Invest - Mindhunter | Black Mirror | Beats

 

Mindhunter - This show is about the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and how they first formed the Behavioral Science Unit. Simply put, this is the unit that came up with a methodology for investigating the murders that most local police forces couldn't solve. They coined the phrase "serial killer' and how to profile people. Oddly enough, maybe we do operate in "patterns" and when you consider history...it can often be used to solve the most complex murders. The irony in the show is how often people "back then" said this type of thing doesn't happen around here. I guess when it comes to investing, I try to create a profile of the economy. I ask myself what events and triggers are likely to occur because of my profile analysis. I do lots of research, as history tends to tell a story that often and sometimes unfortunately repeats itself. Finally, I look back in time for patterns. Patterns, especially those found in charts historically help me find great entry points to plant seeds --- or invest in companies.  

The simple mind easily complains about the athlete on TV who grinds through a physical game and calls them spoiled brats...the mindhunter wonders who pays all the salaries of the athletes on a team and how can he/she afford that payroll.  Makes you ponder -- if a particular league is 75% one race --- should coaches and executive management look more like the end product.  I guess they've never heard of no taxation without representation. 

More to come from me on Ice Cube's Contract with Black America. Just imagine if the decision - makers (Congress) had a guide to some of the items that could improve life for African Americans. Decent thought Cube, but bend your mind further --- why doesn't Congress simply reflect the represent 15% of the population that African Americans represent. No taxation without real representation. 

In The Dark - This show gets a thumbs up from me. I like the premise of the lead character being a blind person who has a messy life. We all do, so it's refreshing that they add layers of complexity to this show. It even turns the table on of the white savior complex as a black person actually is capable of helping the damsel in distress. While this theme is short-lived,  they go back to a white person saving the day but they tried. I cite this movie, because eventually as a society we are SLOWLY moving away from fake narratives and getting more real. Black people can help and save white people too. The cute white girl that's blind can have a life full of messy complex vices. This is REAL. Just like it's real when states are struggling to make ends meet. It again doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize they will have to find creative ways to balance their budgets. Hence my mindhunter investments into stocks like: Ceasars, Draftkings, and other gaming stocks. Just image that, the culture that holds puritan values so high needs gaming to save the day. It's just reality. When I travel to the United Kingdom, sports betting is prevalent on every corner. I can walk into a store that looks a lot like how a cell phone store is constructed here in the US. Instead of buying an I-Phone you can place a bet. Makes you wonder who is actually "In The Dark". 

Dark - After Black Mirror, the show "Dark" was easily next favorite series to watch. I couldn't spoil this show for you even if I tried. It's a German series that attempts to discuss how life is connected in more ways that we can imagine. I like the premise because as humans we attempt to dumb down life by only talking about the duality of life. What does this mean --- well have you ever heard someone describe things as simply black or white...good versus bad/evil?? This shows turns that concept on its head and blows up the duality narrative of life. We all know the concept is BS but we go along for the ride at every step of the way. What explains gay marriage, legalized drugs and gambling, priests who abuse their power, white supremacists', and so many other complex subjects. Boardwalk Empire shows us that will enough $$$ the prohibition of alcohol can be done away. The three-fifths clause in the constitution shows you how dark the human mind can delve to justify a means to an end. I am pro-business but I also recognize that business invest in the areas that need transformation --- in government we call this entitlements. I believe in social values so why don't we pay government workers private sector rates so that they can put food on the table and fund their own retirements and even possibly rid the system of pensions (or contractual obligations) that now many want to backtrack on and not pay? Why is this all so DARK, maybe because we try to simplify this into a dual world - good vs bad and black vs white...and it ain't that simple.

Black Mirror - Black Mirror is hands down my favorite show and describes my persona to a "T". I couldn't understand why so many don't see the harm of social media like I clearly see it. I've only had "that feeling" I get when I log into Facebook one other time and that's when I played a slot machine in Vegas. I've only done it once and it was crazy how it made me feel. I almost lost my entire $40 dollars and was prepared to go against my principle of adding more $$$ when I hit it $400 large. Then stupidly I thought well maybe I could do it again. I probably gave another $60 dollars back and decided. Enough was enough...I pulled the plugged. That dopamine effect was a feeling I've never felt before until I logged onto Facebook. The need for likes, the need to only post my travels, night outs, and big purchases. Then I decided 5+ years ago, this is overrated. So I don't log on and when I do, you get the good, bad and ugly of my life. I remind people, if someone is giving you anything for free in life --- YOU are the product. 

Beats - Finally, I wanted to highlight the movie Beats. This movie is about making it out of your environment and overcoming adversity. I don't always like the background of the need for music to black people's away out --- but music is in our DNA whether you are African, Jamaican, or African-American. I remind people to expect the road to be hard. The biggest thing I tell people to do nowadays is learn how to be independent. Find a service, skill, product that people need and be supply them with that legally. Negotiate your own terms and sleep better at night because I have no one to blame but me. More to come but I signed by first major business contract just a few months ago. I saw the tactics used against me were signs of systemic oppression because I became woke to how people were making money off of me the "talent". I appreciate the introduction, but why do you get paid tens of thousands of dollars when I'm the consultant and doing the actual work. I will tell you about this journey soon and how I am hiring people of color in an IT landscape that screams for diversity.

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My job is to help the largest corporations in the world to simplify their most complex and riskiest businesses. So I do that for people here when it comes to the economic engine of the world. It's a machine that has patterns. People at as if the world operates in a black and white manner but it simply does not. Right now its simple, the US government has printed 13 Trillion dollars. Most of that has gone to companies. Those companies are skyrocketing as their stocks are going through the roof. Roku is up so much that I am simply making trades each week that will make money betting the impossible will not happen. For example, Roku will NOT increase 30% in one week and if does not, please cut me a check. I usually execute these trade when I am supposed to be most scared --- when Roku reached its all-time high of $239 just in the last week. They want me to be scared to put the trade on but I'm not. I simply do it for the culture -- we can be talk about how wrong the system is or we can Robin Hood it and help our folks. I don't see them listening and trust me a system this rigged ain't changing anytime soon. Here is me slamming Roku. I trust you can do math on my gains. Any trades highlighted in Green means I only held the trade for 7 day, IMO a week. Not bad for a guy with a 9-5 and a side hustle.

Note: I'm masking my trades as I hope to dust off an alert service startup company I had dreams of running over 10 years ago. For almost a year, I've been literally an open book in hopes of teaching and showing people a different way. I'm not here to motivate, just to plant seeds. If we plant enough seeds, change gon' come. 

ALLERGAN (AGN) and Abbvie (ABBV) - Hookup Alert

"Called up the homies and I'm askin' y'all / Which park, are y'all playin' basketball? /Get me on the court and I'm trouble / Last week messed around and got a triple double / Freaking brothers every way like M.J. / I can't believe, today was a good day

~ Ice Cube (Today Was A Good Day)

Like Cube said today was a good day. Despite being busy helping corporations manage their business risks I still wake up and practice. For me, this includes catching a 3 hour business show every morning before I start my work day. I am not an early riser anymore -- no more commutes on the Chicago Metra train or taking the bus downtown to work. Instead I sleep in, record the show, and try to eventually catch up while it's in progress. 📺 It reminds me of when I had to wake up at be at the gym for 6AM practices for basketball. I wanted to have an Allen Iverson --- PRACTICE --- moment but hustle means hard work. And that work ethic has taken me a long way.

While the morning updates scroll by, I log on to my investment account to check on my team.  Yes every sport has a name for this group: roster, squad, farm team, recruits, etc. So just like a coach, I watch film, recruit players, give them try-outs and eventually put them into the game. My goal is to field the Dream Team of investment companies. I do this by being data-driven but like any human I too can get caught up in the young flashy new player (Zion Williamson). Sometimes I tend to want to give the veteran player a longer leash than sometimes is deserved. I like proven winners like LeBron James and Kevin Durant but the trick is to find them as early as possible and hold onto them into the prime of their careers. While this sounds easy, remember:

• There will always be top picks that go bust
• Even the greatest players get traded or play past their prime
• Players make mistakes and get into trouble 
• Rarely do many greats play for one team and exit at the top of their game

I wanted to highlight Allergan (AGN) -- I would drop them in the bucket of a young flashy player. I need to look back to determine when I first bought them but I did see that 2014 is my first post about AGN. Then towards the end of 2014, you'll see I had to part ways with Allergan because they received multiple trade offers. If you remember LeBron's "The Decision", well Allergan was being courted by multiple companies:

Valeant - had a bid for $54 Billion for my player AGN
Actavis - trumped Valeant's offer with a $66 Billion takeover bid of AGN

The deal meant that I had to trade my player but I received cash compensation and even a few shares in the new company.

So like a good coach, I continued to watch Allegan (the acquiring company, Actavis, actually renamed their company to Allergan) over the following years. The maker of the popular Botox treatment stumbled for a few of those years. Somewhat nostalgic, I flashed back to those days of watching Allergan's rise and decided to give sign them to my roster for a much lower deal than before. They had lost a step but once again they showed there was still some value there. My range was between $125 and $140 a share, Allergan soon had teams looking for a trade again. Maybe they were nostalgic, saw value, or wanted to take advantages of those flashes of brilliance.  Along comes a company called Abbvie -- they decided to pay $63 Billion to acquire Allergan and that equates to roughly about $188 a share.

So as I close, I wanted to thank Allergan the two-time world champ on my team. Those long nights of research and recruiting paid off. And hopefully this serves as an example that you two can use everyday skills to invest --- just like I do.