Birkshire's Reach

As I drive around my little northern Ontario town...I see samples of Birshire Hathaway's reach....on so many blocks....it's awe inspiring to note.

On the one side of the street is a Benjamin Moore Paint Shop...on the other side is a Tim Hortons...
and a Dairy Queen.

Inside the nearby McDonalds restaurant as well as many other pit stops through my town, there are Coca Cola pop  fountains, either self serve or served by the seller....or Coke products sold in bottles or cans in grocery stores and convenience stores. Coca Cola has always had a big following in this neck of the woods.

Scattered across this wee city are HR Block tax prep offices, which have roused from their seasonal slumber with pencils sharpened and calculators loaded up with fresh Duracell batteries charged.

Then we go across town and there's a Burger King....poutine anyone?
 If you stroll across the parking lot, you might shop for the kids for a brand new Spalding basketball at our local Canadian Tire Store. You may roll on up the street and shop for Fruit of the Loom sport socks at our local Walmart. On the way back to your car you may run into a friend who invites you to her Pampered Chef home shopping party.

I am sure that when I delve into the minority holdings that Birkshire Hathaway possesses, it may become even more all consuming. I find it compelling how Birkshire's holdings cover so many different categories of consumer staples....and yes, in this town, poutine is definitely a staple!

Impressive and strategic and awe inspiring all at once.

Enjoy your investing journey. If you enjoy stock market-ish nonfiction research.....learning about someone like Warren Buffett is a good place to start. It is quite intriguing to study the formation and growth of his investing mastery.

Peace,
Carla.

P.S. if you like recommended reading lists....you may wanna start with
"Tap Dancing to Work" by Carol J. Loomis

Making You Mad? Just might be the right choice...

When I was a teenager...I couldn't fathom even the most simplistic financial books. It wasn't that I couldn't have understood them with time and focus...it was just that I really couldn't care less about that subject matter. I had  many other fish to fry....and finance, economics or the stock market wasn't on the list. The calmness and patience required to read through a heavy economics hard cover sounded like death by a thousand pages.

Then 2o years or so passed by....marriage, children,  jobs, spirituality and philosophizing. I began to forage my way through simple books about the economy, personal finance and the stock market. I read authors who made me laugh. I also read authors who made me steaming mad. Yes, foot stompin....tear your hair out...pacing the floor kinda mad. It was the authors who made me mad who kept me learning....kept me problem solving until I made sure I understood the point that was being made. I may not have agreed with that writer, but at least I could say that I understand his/her line of thought.
Being understood....is a hugely vital human need. Writers need us to understand what they are trying to say....even if we don't agree with them.

I began to wonder about economic visionaries. I began to see so much untapped potential amongst my beloved Canadian populace. Folks who were highly intelligent, were not requiring anything significant of the blessed brains they had been given. Some folks I know well, with keen quick intellects allowed their minds to....begin to atrophy. When you don't have a challenge to rise up to meet, you begin to step back....to fall back to the lowest common denominator.....which for some....means beer, pizza and worrying about who is wearing what or driving what.
 Boring boring boring.

When you can do more with your life....why not do it? Why not try?

And so, because I at least had the confidence to acknowledge that God had given me a mind that deserved further development, I began to select books that pissed me off. I began to select books written on levels and layers way beyond my ken. I stopped beating myself up for dropping out of university. I began to watch online classes from M.I.T via Online courseware, just to see if my mind could swim in their leagues. I may have been doing the doggy paddle in those oceans of higher learning, but at least I was in the same body of water. I was a student again...with no tuition fees and no visits to a fussy registrars office. I became a happy clam again.

I write often about reading and it's importance in my life and in my self led educational journey. I like to post lists of my fave authors. I like to toot the horns of bloggers that I have come to trust over the years.

But rarely do I talk about how I pick the those authors. Sometimes I choose authors that make me so very frustrated....that seem to talk above and beyond me in such a tantalizing way that I simply must rise to the occasion and at least try for a good few weeks to figure  out  what all their fussing is about.  As Seth Godin would say....I try to get the joke.

Then, after a season of bad hair days , coffee spilled on overdue library books  and one too many coffee cups gathered around my computer...I rest. I am content. I actually got the joke. I rock.

How you craft your self led learning journey is one thousand percent up to you. It is not for me to tell any body else what they should be learning. That would defeat the point of calling it
SELF led learning.

SELF led learning....means to it's very essence, that you alone must choose. You will hunt and gather those epic books. You will scrape the dusty corners of the net for some forgotten genius who frustrates and inspires you, that you just can't get out of your mind. You will find that novel idea that was inspired by God to propel you forward....to your next step....to your destiny.

Don't give up on the journey because you don't hear anyone telling you what your next step should be...... The silence is indeed golden....  It is your empty room. Your blank page.
No need to be hasty. But do push forward. Push ahead.

Peace,
Carla.



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The Fuss About the Consumer Price Index

I keep bumping into commentary about the inaccuracy of the way the Consumer Price Index ( CPI)
is calculated in our modern times. Apparently during President Obama's reign, it was not permitted to include the cost of food or the cost of gasoline in the calculations of the CPI....hence making the economy appear more "consumer friendly" than it actually was.
(see pg 163 of Second Chance, the book written by Robert Kiyosaki)

What is your take on this? Do you feel like the Consumer Price Index is a reliable metric by which to measure how our economy is doing and how it affects the "average" citizen?
Do you think it is measured differently in your country as compared to Canada or the USA?

If some of the commentaries are true, then the investments that use the CPI to help build hedges against inflation, are not going to do the trick for us that we think or hope they will.
I forget where I read this thought....but I read somewhere that the CPI formerly used "steak" purchases as a regular measure of the economy's ability to feed it's citizens, whereas now, they don't use "steak" as a measure, but rather use "ground beef".

But what is the actual truth. Is the literal cost of food that we pay today in our local grocery stores factored into our Canadian version of the CPI? Is the literal cost of food that we pay today in our local grocery stores factored into the American version of the CPI?

Some feel that equities are a better hedge against inflation than other investment vehicles. Others feel that they trust those "custom made" inflation protection investment products ( such as T.I.P.S) are the real deal and can be trusted to protect oneself from future inflation. What do you feel? What do you think? Which books or articles do you find most accurate in their discussion on the CPI?
I am all ears.

Peacefully thoughtful,
Carla.


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Gluten Free At Chick-Fil-A

Big FAT Disclaimer....
This post is not to be taken as medical advice. All medical advice should be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner.  The links listed are current as of Jan 12 2019.
Food companies can change the ingredients of their product offerings whenever they choose.
This post is intended for conversational purposes only. Those with food allergies should consult their doctors for medical advice. This post is not intended as dietary advice or recommendations.
Those with food allergies need to do their own up to date inquiries with due diligence and caution.


Hi Folks! How has the new year started for you?

Well that was a pretty big disclaimer for such a little post. But then again, I do find it alarming that sometimes folks just blindly trust whatever they see written on a random internet article.
Anyway, for today I just wanted to post some links that are current as of Jan 12 2019 regarding the allergens present in Chick-Fil-A menu items. I kinda wish we had these kind of restaurants up here in Ontario....but hey...with their rapid growth across the USA perhaps we may be next on their list for expanding market share into the north!

This is their main website home page :
https://www.chick-fil-a.com/

Their pdf link of food ingredients, current as of Jan 12 2019
is:

https://d1fd34dzzl09j.cloudfront.net/Allergen%20PDFs/AllergenInfo_1118_v7_1.pdf


From a quick gander at their list, I noticed that their hash browns, grilled nuggets and
Chick-Fil-A Waffle Potatoe Fries do not contain wheat as a listed ingredient. Also, it appears that their Vanilla, Chocolate or Strawberry Milk shakes also do not contain wheat as a listed ingredient.

However, note that they have many other menu items which do contain lots of wheat and gluten and so therefore the potential for cross contamination does exist.

If you wish to contact the company.... their contact information is listed on their website at this link:

https://www.chick-fil-a.com/Contact-Support

Well, that's all for now. May God bless you with  a healthy 2019 as you enjoy His blessings and provision.

Peacefully productive,
Carla.




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Warren Buffett - HBO Documentary HD #Advexon

There's something magical about a great biography....whether you read it in book form....

or watch it on the telly.

This moment which you can enjoy starts at precisely the timestamp 3:47 in this youtube video which captures an HBO documentary about Warren Buffet.



Why did I stop the vid at precisely that moment? Because whole books could be written about just that one moment in time. Mr. Buffet's success is based upon focus....his ability to focus, recall financial data at will and have financial discipline.

He knew off by heart, from memory, what the cost is to the penny for his

three lowest cost favorite McDonald breakfast items. He plans before he drives to work,, as to which

breakfast item he will purchase from McDonald's . He asks his wife, for one of three amounts precisely in cash: namely $2.61 for two sausages, or $2.95 for a sausage mcmuffin with egg and cheese, or $3.17 for a bacon and egg and cheese biscuit. I would assume that his wife is accustomed to counting out precise cash amounts to accommodate his spending routines. He likes routines, and seems to thrive on the repetition of low cost behaviors.



What can we observe remotely from that simple 5 minute routine?

1/ Mr. Buffett shops for the best prices for items he knows he will buy on a daily basis.

 ( if you want to read about the late Hetty Green's thrifty meal habits...you will see similarities)

2/ He didn't buy a drink with his food.

3. He doesn't tempt himself by keeping extra cash on hand. He asks his wife to hand him precisely what he needs to pay for the breakfast in cash in full, with no extra cash for extra spending.

4. It appears that he did not tip the drive through cashier.

5. Mr. Buffett, with all his wealth, is not too proud to eat fast food.

6. Mr. Buffett, with all his wealth, is not too proud to fetch his own food.

7. Mr. Buffett, is not too shy to purchase low cost items locally. He feels no need to impress others with his wealth by overspending on necessities like food.

8. He is kind to the McDonald's workers. He does not appear to think of himself as above other people.

9. Even in humor, Mr.Buffet connects the products he buys with "how the market is doing"...and knew what the stock market was doing even before breakfast.

10. Mr. Buffett described how...on days when he chooses a lower cost McDonald's item, such as two sausages, he says that he puts the two sausages together. That illustrates that he doesn't consider himself above adjusting something in order to utilize lower cost items. He'll go the extra mile to spend less.



I wonder, do you or I see similarities in his breakfast habits? Are we similarly frugal and repetitious and efficient and kind all at once? Do we see value in routines that allow us the mental brain room to focus on other more important matters?



Many great men and women have seen the need to simplify and build simple routines in order to manage their "cognitive load" ( borrowed that word from Seth Godin). Dr. Mike Murdock also writes extensively about using routines, such as always going to the same Barber, in order save mental and emotional "energy" to address the more important decisions of life. Steve Jobs, always wore similar clothing in order to preserve his mental and emotional juice for his more important creative and business projects.



Do you get any ideas or inspiration from Mr. Buffett's breakfast routine? Can you think of any ways in which you can lower the cost of one of your daily routines, and keep it in a simple circular loop of habit? Do you feel that this routine could help you to spend less money or curtail time wasted making decisions about trivial matters?



Do tell. Looking forward to your responses to this vid.

Peacefully productive,

Carla



 
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Economic Freedom ?

I have been reading some lovely tomes...plucked from the silent shelves of my local college library.
(btw...yes, just for being a resident I have free usage of their library.....even without being a student there ....yay me)

I have been pondering a statement that I read in
 "Crash Proof- How to Profit from the Coming Economic Collapse" written by Peter D. Schiff and published in 2007.
Page 177....the second paragraph and part of the third paragraph....permit me to quote it verbatim:

"Pundits will argue that China's economic viability is limited because it is not a democracy. I say the opposite is true, that it is precisely because it is not a democracy that China will likely be successful.
   What is of vital importance for economic success is economic freedom, meaning the protection of private property, the rule of law, and minimal regulation and taxation, not the right to vote."


How does that statement make you feel? Do you wholeheartedly agree? Do you find his statement to be offensive or tantamount to treason?

As for me I find his viewpoint to be refreshing and thought provoking...because sometimes in the West, we get blinded by our love for democracy, and don't give proper credit to the "other stuff" that is required to be built and maintained in a country's DNA in order for us all to restore and enjoy lengthy seasons of prosperity.

I would be most interested in what you my readers, think or feel about Peter's comments on economic freedom. Please do feel that your voice is most welcome here. I look forward to reading and/or publishing your comments.

Peace,
Carla.





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Very Literate....still not reading...is this you?

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I promise not to get snarky. But on the other hand...sometimes it's the ones who aren't afraid to be jarring....that get the proper attention.

Let me just spit it out. My beloved country of Canada has spent billions and billions of dollars and millions of man hours and decades of effort to establish and maintain our publicly funded educational system. 

We, as in most of us Canadians are, .... a  very literate nation.

We know how to read. We can count really fast. We know how to print/write/type words to express ourselves  quite clearly.

But what is it....this vague feeling that brings me despair....it makes me queasy....I feel uneasy.

I feel like Canada has built up a massive infrastructure to accommodate a brilliant and well educated populace....but bam......so few of us are taking good advantage of it.

Canadians, once they start their work careers are not inhabiting the lively campuses of our colleges and universities. We are not engaged in ardent discussion about issues of the day, inventions or scientific or philosophical principles.

Once folks start a career they seem to allow themselves to be lulled by a smoky prosperity into passivity and a certain destiny malaise. They feel like it is too late to really become a mover or a shaker. Then ooops...we conveniently forget how to learn! We forget how much we used to love learning and discussing and upsetting the status quo. We cease to revel in the refreshment we used to feel when we pioneered a new way of thinking.. speaking or being.

We become obsessed with creature comforts....more channels, trendy throw pillows and the best Keurig. We think the world will fall apart if we don't take the right vitamins or eat organic lettuce. We join the best gym.

We content ourselves with making a stylish living....and surround ourselves with a million ways to calm and entertain us.

Canadians are reading.....social media posts and little else.

Popular Literacy is not the same as real literacy.... which empowers us to ask great questions, get creative and invent new thoughts. Do we read/write anything of substance? Do we treasure those who write well? Who challenge our mindsets?
Do we revere those who get us to think in new and creative ways? Do we value those who invent new ways to make a living or creations that inspire?
Do you have a favorite author? We have forgotten the beauty of a well timed written opinion supported by diligent research.....because that would just take too much time.

 We seek entertainment.... but not anything factual please! 

We are single-handedly responsible for killing the newspaper industry in our beloved Country.
(yes, "Cry the Beloved Country".....Cry!)

Sorry techy humanoids, but Online newspapers have not adequately filled the gap.Too much click bait....not enough quality content. Most Online mag or newspaper subscriptions pale in comparison to what we used to read in person, hands on....in black and white.

Let's be frank. Social media has replaced real news media. 

Who cares about fact checking when we have really cool Emoji's?

Few of the humans I see and interact with on a daily basis are even remotely engaged in learning anything other than social niceties.

( I honestly apologize that I don't yet have the statistics to back up this unease....as the feeling is very strong and disquieting.)

I see folks all over my city lining up patiently for lottery tickets,buying smokes, and booze. I see them lining up for hours to go see a movie or a rock/pop concert. I see them wandering the malls. I see them walking their pure bred dogs with religious regularity. I see them shopping for cars and waiting nervously at the bank to apply for yet another credit card or figuring out how to finance another new SUV or Cuban vacation.

I am stumped. The bookstores in my town are gorgeous.... full to the brim with all manner of intelligent inventions and discussions. But it is the Starbucks attached to the book store that has the longest lines and most fervent following. Craft breweries draw their faithful drones. The college library is open to the public....but inhabited mostly by furtive young students studying for exams. Mainstream folks are not present by and large in our institutions of higher learning. Why have we excluded ourselves??? 

No really, I do actually want to know. I want to know how to integrate the general public into lifelong learning and perpetual intellectual discovery. I want the mind of my city to stay relevant .....to be alive and fruitful and creative and to design new and imaginative things.

Churches are filled with social engineering.... no quiet study of doctrine or church history.

Church has become a BBQ or a Tea party with those who think they've arrived. We care more about the cushiness of the pews we sit on, than what is being taught from the pulpit. We care more about the

fashion statement of the pastor's wife than the scripture verses being quoted by the speaker. We don't take what he says seriously anyway. If he's wrong....well then really......so what? We don't know the bible well enough any more to even detect if the verses are being misquoted. Our passivity and naivete have made us ripe for false teaching..

Ok ok......Let's rest from that train of thought.

In conclusion, (because I know we both really can't stand much more of this written conversation)....yes I admit it is a tad screamy.  I just want to say this. If my country stops reading and writing....and stops valuing those who do......we will become ( or perhaps have already become) a nation of hoodlums and scamps.

 We will hate the truth. We will hate kindness because it takes too long. We will hate thoughtful discussion because it isn't fun enough...or because alcohol is not served when we sit down to talk... We won't give credit where credit is due because the proper credit won't fit into our social media post's character maximum.

We will still be generous....but only with snarky comments and highly emotional critiques of how we hate each other's style. We will have urgent and vehemently strong opinions about all those things that.....really don't matter.

And to finally finish this blog post with a resolute thud....we will hate anyone who will tell us that we are missing the boat.....that the boat is floating away....to distant lands where words are still revered as powerful and minds are being carefully nurtured to think, create and imagine.

Is it too late? I do not know. But for now...the boat is still within the boundaries of our harbor....Perhaps we can convince it to stay..... with words.

Peace,

C.