I'm Not a Player, I just Trade Alot | Side Hustle 101 | Prism: Appraisal While Black

  

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. 

How to Trade Stocks

So knowing when to sell stocks OR anything in life is arguably the hardest thing to do. When should you sell your house, stocks, car?? The second hardest question to answer is how should I find stocks to buy. A closure to some recent trades and why I bought and sold these positions today:

Cost Conscious 

VIACOMCBS - Stock price dropped because cable is steadily declining. I'm not trying to teach an old dog new tricks, I just like buying things on a discount. Won't hold forever because streaming is the future but they also have a streaming option and people that make content still get paid well. This is just an income producing trade as I own the stock as well.

TAPESTRY - Retail was crushed by COVID-19. I've owned the maker of  "COACH" bags and purses and finally being rewarded. I own the stock and this is just for income. 

DAVE & BUSTERS (PLAY) - This stock was so beaten down last year and I've been holding strong. It's an investment on re-opening that's paying off handsomely. I own the stock and this is just for income.

High Risk/Reward 

MICROVISION - For my Reddit WallStreetBets Crowd! I jumped on this stock, don't know anything about it. It's my gamble trade...and this time it paid off. But I didn't invest alot...only what I can afford to lose. After this tiny win, not sure if I'll be back in MVIS. But this is throw away $$ if I had lost.

KRATOS - Of my 8 trades, Kratos is the only one position currently trading at a loss. I heard a tip and took a gamble on a stock I know nothing about. I thought about holding but...I don't want to own something I don't really believe in. Throw away $$

Techy 

ROKU - What can I say, ROKU is so nice, I traded it trice. It's the gift that keeps giving. I own a nice position in ROKU and these are pruning trades. In addition to my main position, not pictured here I try to trade ROKU as frequently as possible to earn income. I own a ROKU streaming bar, cut the cord a year ago...and not going back.

Here are my trades closing today:

Side Hustle 101 - 

1) PPP: 

Why I'm Reading: 

I qualified for PPP and I'd like to think that I'm putting that money to good use. I focus on hiring and employing people in underrepresented groups for the Cybersecurity industry. For a small but growing side hustle 4 persons of color have been paid by doing business with me. I've had one of my best years due to this small scale up in business. This is all without a website and proves that it's more important to give people a service they need. I plan to use the PPP money to build a website, expand and hire more people. I also learned I don't I don't qualify for full loan forgiveness as I was part of the First Loan Draw, but recent PPP loans do. I know, life is not fair but you won't here me complaining. So here an article on Loan Forgiveness:

ppp-loan-forgiveness

2) Boosting Your Business Using Social Media: 

Why I'm Reading: 

Haha, business is good and I don't even have a website. So my future plans will be to use social media to get that bag. 

3 Social Media Requirements

Prism - Appraisal While Black

1) Bias in Housing: 

Why I'm Reading: 

I try not to argue much nowadays, but to those who don't understand the systemic forces of racism, here is a solid article of how a system is not always equal:

Appraisals While Being Black

When to Buy: Playing Offense | Side Hustle 101: Pay to Play | Moral Vote

 

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:

Coming soon is a post on Health -- The Body. You have to invest in and know the data about your body. Like many people of color, I get nervous about hospitals and doctors. Thanks to my corporate job, I was exposed to annual exams and blood tests. Unfortunately, when I made the shift to being an entrepreneur I didn't keep up with my annual exams. And it may be costing me...stay tuned for a future post on Health and how that impacts your Wealth. 

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)?

When To Buy A Stock - Go On Offense 

Learning From David Tepper (Street Cred: #ABilliSquad Member Net Worth: $14.5B, When He Speaks Markets Listen, Owner: Carolina Panters; Charlotte FC (Major League Soccer): David has been a buddy for a long time. If you search my blog, he was instrumental during the financial crisis of 2008. When many were scared or unsure, wondering if the horrible housing bubble would ever end...David spoke calmly about what the Federal Reserve was doing and the fact that it was "Game On". He signaled it was time to be less afraid and start investing and that's what we did here. By following David's advice, we start investing around the lows of the market and our stock portfolios benefitted greatly.

So I wanted to share the following snippet from David for my "When to Buy A Stock" series:

"Tepper says big market corrections create big opportunities for investors and they need to spot those opportunities to become successful in investing.  

The investing legend advises investors to remain updated on all the market information and conduct thorough research before investing in a company to understand the best opportunities available."

Source: By Anupam Nagar ETMARKETS.com

Thanks David and in case you didn't completely follow what he meant, here is a "Detail" breakdown:

Market corrections create big opportunities - For us regular folk that don't speak Wall Street, he's simply saying to find opportunities to buy stock when the market is off its game.

What is a Correction? Try these example(s): 

a) When LeBron James, Serena Williams, or Tom Brady has a bad game (aka: market correction), INVEST -- they are ballers and will bounce back.

b) When you stand in line for hours on Black Friday freezing waiting for low priced deals (aka: market correction), INVEST -- buy that TV because those rock bottom prices are temporary.

This week I have 8 stocks that will expire profitably:

Tegna (TGNA) - Bought months before the elections when they media companies were at their lows. This is a hedge the stock will trade higher, as I have a big position in TGNA

Navistar (NAV) - Shareholders, like myself, approved the takeover from Traton. Small, but nice profit made here

P****** - This is a subscriber alert stock. We have a big position and continue to go on offense in this position.

Wabash National (WNC) - Small position, our play is to if things can continue to re-open...trucks will be on the road.

Viacom (VIAC) - Still on offense in this position. Read my previous posts

Roku (ROKU) - Still on offense in this position. Read my previous posts; This is a hedge and will be profitable by the end of the week

Snap (SNAP) - Small position, Snapchat is finding ways to make money off advertising and it's working

Palantir - I keep hammering this stock. I told the doctor who took care of me that Government, Cloud, and Security are forces that are converging.

Roku - So nice, I traded it twice 👌

#getthebag

Side Hustle 101 - Know Your Worth

1) Someone's Listening - Skipping College Sports Isn't Insane 

Why I'm Reading: Someone's listening. To keep it short, this article is about a league being developed to COMPENSATE high school athletes in a development type league prior to them being considered or drafted for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Again, I've been a broken record - NCAA makes money, colleges make money, coaches make money (and have radio shows)...the players are one injury away from devastation. On top of the fact on 3% of college athletes will make it to the professional leagues. I can sincerely say they ARE NOT being paid their worth.

Link: The game plan: Elite players find paths to pros besides NCAA (msn.com)

Prism - Voting is a Moral Issue

1) When I Lost I Shook The Opponents Hand --- I Didn't Get Revenge 

Why I'm Watching: The Ken's did an amazing job a few weeks ago. They used their muscle to alert the business community of a troubling development. A business community that was slow in it's initial response because businesses usually stay outta of it. Laws being developed across the country after record voter turnout. As a technology subject matter expert, I find it interesting we can use our mobile phones to securely gamble on sports and even purchase lottery tickets. Oddly, voters lines remain long, drop boxes are constantly argued, and more not less restrictions are being placed on this pillar of democracy. Making "progress" in our voting process doesn't mean you have to be progressive. Thank you Ken Frazier and Ken Chenault.

Video: 

Subscriber Update: W.R. Grace (GRA) Going Up | Prism - Colorful Leadership | Know Your Worth

 

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:

Coming soon is a post on Health -- The Body. You have to invest in and know the data about your body. Like many people of color, I get nervous about hospitals and doctors. Thanks to my corporate job, I was exposed to annual exams and blood tests. Unfortunately, when I made the shift to being an entrepreneur I didn't keep up with my annual exams. And it may be costing me...stay tuned for a future post on Health and how that impacts your Wealth. 

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)?

Subscriber Alert - W.R. GRACE Update

All the way Up!!! 

Google's data analytics is scary. If I mention, write, research, or track a stock I find news updates every now and then in my Google feed related to stocks I own. Being a cyber guy it gives me the creeps, but when I do get news I can use...I'm less grumpy. This update popped up in my feed:

Unsolicited bidder for Columbia-based chemicals company W.R. Grace raises offer to $4.6 billion - Baltimore Sun

Source: LORRAINE MIRABELLA (BALTIMORE SUN | APR 01, 2021 AT 7:02 PM)

The price for a company I JUST did a reveal on to my subscribers has gone up. W.R. Grace & Co. has someone trying to slide into the DM and they just won't go away. 40 North Management LLC raised its offer to hook up with W.R. Grace & Co. to $70 per share in cash. When I bought and posted about this company it was in the mid $50s. Please don't hate, participate and sign up.

Here was that article where I "revealed" my W.R. Grace Co trade and even showed you my actual purchase transaction in my stock account: No Hail Mary Needed - WR Grace

We bought in November 2020 and based on this deal price we just made $15 for every share we own. If you're not good in math: 100 shares x 15 = $1500 and I'm sure you get the point if you own 200, 300, shares.

Time to find another stock to trade. 

Prism

1) Are we "Including" Underrepresented Groups 

Why I'm Reading: I am proud to see Corporate America's push towards increasing the numbers and roles of women in Corporate America. They make up 55% of the population, and I'm a firm believer of no taxation without representation. However, I also implore Corporate America to DIVERSIFY this mission and truly expand this all underrepresented classes. Being in a position where I negotiate deals with corporate employers, I chose not to accept a deal because a local company had no (I mean zero) people of color represented on their board. I applauded the fact they had 4 white women on their board but I was shocked when they were touting their board diversity...and I didn't see what diversity meant to me. Let's not get technical here...I shouldn't have to change terms and ask for their board to also be more "inclusive" to have minority and age representation. At some point, corporations and boards will need to have diversity across gender, race, and age to truly represent the values this country is trying to live up to. 

I'm reading this article because it is about Ms. Mellody Hobson the only African-American chairperson to lead a board of directors among S&P 500 companies (a listing of 500 US blue chip companies). It also celebrates Rosalind Brewer who was recently named the chief executive officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. Congrats to these two and keep doing big things.  Quite simply, my question is why only 1?

Link: Starbucks’s Mellody Hobson, the Only Black Chairwoman in S&P 500, Says ‘Civil Rights 3.0’ Is Brewing - WSJ

Side Hustle 101 - Know Your Worth

1) Paying College Players Their Worth 

Why I'm Reading: I have been a huge advocate of people knowing their worth. Educate yourself, provide a service to the community, and ask for the appropriate compensation for your time...unless your volunteering. People from all backgrounds have rebutted my argument to pay college players over the years. To quiet the crowd, I ask why can teenage tennis players get paid for their play (see player and age in brackets): Martina Hingis (age: 12); Coco Gauff (age: 15) or golf players can get paid as long as they qualify for the respective golf tournament, even baseball players can go professional right after high school. Only FINALLY, is the world rallying around a stance I've taken for over a decade. Pay the damn players and allow them to make money and be compensated off their image. This means if I play college sports and you sell a jersey with my name and number...I get paid. As a former High School Athlete of the Year, I was blessed to have a choice to go to college on a sports or academic scholarship. Being a math guy, I may have miscalculated but I knew that only 3% of all athletes ever go pro. I loved playing football and crashing into each other...but I also loved my health and realized I was going to be successful at whatever I did. I'm reading this article because if further proves that college athletes should be paid, are not treated fairly, need to understand their worth, and are being taken advantage of because they are black and brown in the big money earning sports. THIS IS FREE LABOR...and I don't play that. If a young athlete gets injured their value diminishes immediately and most aren't going to school to focus on academics...they are there to make money for the program. Keep it real and pay them.

Link: Frustrated by conditions in Indianapolis, players renew their call for more on eve of NCAA Tournament - CBSSports.com

2) Negotiate Your Own Deal "Own Your Masters"

I've also big a big fan of "owning your own masters". The second link is a partnership people Apple and UnitedMasters that is trying to help musicians do just that. If you don't understand your contract don't sign it. Cut out the middle man and you'll be surprised how much you bring in. I use this rule when investing and it's treated me well.

Link: Apple Supports Independent Artists With New Investment - WSJ

Side Hustle 101 - AR/AP | Pay Debts Like a Lannister

Side Hustle 101 Series

Starting Your Own Small Business
https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2018/12/side-hustle-101-start-your-business.html

Running a Small Business
https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2019/02/side-hustle-101-own-your-business.html
https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2019/03/side-hustle-101-are-open-for-business.html
https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2019/03/a-21-savage-look-into-business-income.html

How to Manage Small Business Risks
https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2018/11/side-hustles-101-risk-vs-reward.html

Small Business Benefits
https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2018/12/side-hustle-101-pay-yourself-first-with.html

Small Business Diversification
          Keep Your 9-5 Job: 

https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2019/11/hey-henry-high-earner-not-yet-rich.html

Know Your Worth: 

https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-you-need-in-life-invest-like.html

Know When You're Speculating: 

https://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2020/10/oh-snapchat-whats-difference-between.html

This past week marked another significant milestone in building a side hustle that earns more than my main hustle (or 9-5 job).  Over the years, I've documented the slow build up of how to start, run, and manage a small business. A key part of this process is managing risk, something I help large corporations all across the world do. In particular I am building a business that helps me diversify my risk. 

My goal is to never be reliant on one source of income. 

My other goal is to add value to people's lives and this world.

I'm well onto my way of achieving these goals as my side hustles are getting close to eclipsing the relevance of my main hustle. Secondly, I continue to build a professional services business that is growing without a website, any marketing or overall push --- remember I have a 9-5 job. I landed my first major contract in San Antonio, Texas and this leads me to my second goal. I'm proud to be an employer --- I'm not just responsible for myself but my business has given someone a job and that speaks volumes. This person is well qualified but with the backdrop of a nation divided, my focus is on hiring people of color, veterans, women (in particular single moms), and anyone who wants to work hard while giving back to others. 

Due to the fact that I have to pay employees and vendors I wanted to quickly discuss how you manage your cash flow, prepare payroll, and make payments. First, I always remind people to understand who you're doing business with and get all terms documented in a contract. Being a risk manager, I review all my contracts and remove terms that ARE BAD FOR MY BUSINESS.

Cash Flow (Sales | Invoices | Receivables)

Sales - Review my Side Hustle series above and knowing your worth goes a long way into negotiating a sale of your product or service. My firm charges at a range where it's a win for my client, my employee, and myself.

Invoices - Next, I'm careful to invoice my customers on time and per the terms we agreed upon.

Receivables - Finally, I'm a hawk on knowing when and IF we got paid for the services we provided.

Payroll

If you have W2 employees, the best bet is to get a good payroll software here to help you ensure that you are deducting payroll taxes according to state and federal laws. If you only have 1099 or Corp2Corp relationships, you can accomplish this with requiring those relationships to invoice you according to a contractual agreement you've established.

Payables

You've seen me write before, I pay people according to the agreed upon terms "Like I'm a Lannister". Yes as in the dubious Lannister family in Game of Thrones, notoriously known for paying their debts or obligations. I keep my employees and vendors happy if I am paying them on-time and of course the right amounts. I've used a few companies this week to help me receive my cash timely and pay people time. I'll list a bunch (which include a few I use):

• Paycom
• Intuit Quickbooks
• ADP
• Paychex
• Gusto
• Your Bank

To keep things simple, for

Cash Flow and Receivables --- I channel The Notorious BIG on the song Get Money. Good contracts and tracking how much and when you're owed will ensure you'll never have to say the following lines: "Guess you could say your the one I trusted / Who would ever think that you would spread like mustard?"  

Payroll - Get help here, you're dealing with the laws. Don't be cheap on getting this right, as there are plenty of online software.

Payables - Paper or Plastic?  Believe it or not checks are the primary option for free delivery of payments to you employees or vendors. NOW you see why this area is ripe for disruption by startups. (hmmm maybe that will be my next startup company). Expect to pay a fee here to deliver payments directly to a bank account (direct deposit) --- but it reduces the risk of lost checks...and saves time.

#sidehustleseries   #paydebtslikealannister   #dontletcontractsspreadlikemustard  #paperorplastic #sanantonio