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
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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

What You Need in Life -- Invest Like a "Middle Child"

 

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)	Search My Blog

The Pillars - The Miseducation

In my culture, lessons are taught by the elders to the community and especially to the young children. Ironically, one thing has not changed over time which is song is a form of communication used to narrate stories.  This is still on display today with the power of music artists sharing stories through song  If you have read my blog you know that I like a flashback and reference songs that were defining for a generation.  When I thought of this post, a song came to mind popped in my head that defines success.  Success for many could be summed up through the hit track "Money, Power, Respect".  Many will believe this song was a track by Lil Kim.  Simply, before there was a Nicki Minaj or Cardi B there was Lil Kim eviscerating hooks like she did for the L.O.X on this track.  No disrespect to The L.O.X or Lil Kim, but my generation and generations before that bought into the wrong message:

See I believe in money, power, and respect. 

First You get the money. 

Then you get the power. 

After you get the power, MF will respect you

Song: Money, Power, Respect; Artist(s): The L.O.X ft. Lil Kim,

While Lil Kim described one way to obtain respect, she forgot to tell you that this way is not sustainable for everyone.  So I challenge, what you need in life --- are the pillars.  We need to strengthen our mental fortitude through education.  Those are skills that can never be taken away from you.  We need to use our skills to invest in our own assets.  By being independent, no one can dictate the terms to how you live, especially if you live within your means.  I'm proud when I see people discussing the pillars in our community here a few recent examples:

I believe J. Cole's has unplugged from the Matrix and understands the Pillars. He's on the same mission, Check out his lyrics from the track "Middle Child":

What good is the bread if my brothas is broke?

What good is first class if my brothas can't sit?

That's my next mission

That's why I can't quit

Just like LeBron

Get my brothas more chips

I think Kanye read my post on Master P. Go back and read how I wrote that over 20 years ago he inspired me to be independent, black owned, and bout it bout! People are finally understanding the stakes. Yes, Kanye you are the talent, why don't you own your own masters sir. Don't be afraid brotha because as a producer, artist, businessman, and family man you owe it to yourself, family and community to negotiate your own terms as long as you know your worth. Thank you for seeking out Master P and as I've told many people, you will grind for years but you must flip the switch to negotiating own your own terms when the time is right. I look at all my business deals closer, eliminate the middle men, and because it's my business I can choose to keep the money in my community and invest in people who share my values.

For years I've been talking about living within your means and prioritizing ownership and investing in assets that appreciate.  I was pleased to see the rapper Plies make this comment:

Finally, I'm hopeful people are listening.  I read a great story and about a business man, named Young Bleu.  He talked about his goals of being an independent music artist and how he already owns a few assets: a house and a restaurant.  And the thing I love the most about his article was an example that he gave: Young Bleu Interview courtesy of HipHopDx:

"I’m going to put it like this. Just say as a rapper, you got $400,000 in your account. You don’t got a house, right? Now just say that your label say, “F&ck you.” You know what I’m saying? “F&ck you. We don’t want to do nothing with your shit right now. We don’t feel like we want to do shit with you right now.” All right. You got $400,000 right? Okay. A nigga come up to you and say, “Man, shit. I can get your record going. Shit, we can go and do radio 150,000, 200,000.” Okay, there’s always a chance that this shit might not go as planned. So now you only got $400,000 but nowhere to go besides what someone says they can do for you.

Now if you already had a house, you already had cars paid for, why would you spend the $400,000? You know what I’m saying? If all else fails, you have a home to go back to. But if you don’t you’ll be scared to spend that money if you felt like, “Damn. Shit. If I blow this shit, it’s over and I’m back at the bottom. Shit, I’ll probably be back staying with my mama. Goddamn.” You feel me? If you got your shit in order, you will be more comfortable spending money, you know what I’m saying?"

Sound familiar?? All I can say is well said young brotha. This young man understands the game.  If you dissect his statement, he says: "what is the point of having so much capital (or cash) in your account and you own nothing.  If you own a house and have assets to fall back on (especially if this house was paid off), then when someone approaches you about doing business you are more likely to take prudent risks and make more investments knowing that you have something to fall back on.  As he eloquently stated, if you don't own that house (or some asset that appreciates) you will be scared to spend that money. I have a 9-5 job and a side hustle for income; my assets range from: 2 homes, have a individual retirement account that I could live off of and I use my brokerage account as war chest and make numerous investments every day...I'm not scared because I approve every investment. I can't wait to invest with J Cole, Master P, Young Bleu, Kanye if they share my value (b/c I don't always see eye to eye with some folks). But if we can agree people of color need their contracts rewritten, need independence, and they need investment...then let's do business.

#pillars, #independent, #Master P, #Young Bleu, #MiddleChildInvesting, #J Cole #educationispower