I just Don't Get It

There is a finite amount of oil in our earth's crust. Yes, folks may quibble about the actual volume....but there is a good consensus  that there is a REAL and DEFINITE measurable quantity of oil worldwide, which will eventually run out.

So, what I really don't get.....is even with all the haggling of OPEC and other oil producers, why hasn't the price of oil stocks bounced back?
Suncor,  (TSX:SU)    is still stuck at under $36 per common share as of today.....at $35.19 cdn.

Perhaps the stock market has become naively obsessed  with electric vehicles, without realizing that a significant chunk of our electrical grid is still powered by the oil and gas industry.

I've done a post or two about that before. Electric powered "anythings" are not necessarily green. It's all about what is used to create the electricity we will all be using.

As of 2014, 8.7% of Ontario's electrical grid is powered by the oil and gas industry. Yes, tis true.


For a break down of Ontario's Energy Mix....take a gander at this document:
http://www.ontarioenergyboard.ca/oeb/_Documents/Regulatory/2014_Supply_Mix_Data.pdf

Do you have some profound views about the lagging state of oil and gas stocks?

Eager for your feedback,
Thinkfully yours,
Carla.



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An Honest Look at Insurance Companies

Just curious.....I've been hearing and reading about Life and Auto Insurance and I see there is a plethora of information about the "types of coverage" and "types of policies", but very little honest consumer reporting about how helpful and smooth certain insurance companies behave when it comes time to process a claim.

Such kind of "worst scenario" research is unpleasant to consider, but might be prudent for those who want a  REAL world honest appraisal of different insurance companies. Who really wants to think about what will happen if/when they pass? Who really wants to think about what will happen if one ever gets in a serious auto collision? Would we want our close family members to face a rude and unyielding insurance company that refuses to pay out? Or would we want them to deal with an insurance company that sets up so many
hoops to jump through that folks just give up before they resolve a payout dispute?

Most people know that insurance companies are the big money bag holders in the investment world. Anyone ignoring the power of Insurance Companies in terms of financial clout is foolish. The issue remains with the size. Everyone knows they carry a lot of weight and therefore are often intimidated into silence. They don't want to say anything publicly or "on the record" for fear that they will be sued by one of these mega wealthy Insurance giants.

So what's a gal to do? How did you make your insurance choices? Have you deliberately researched what  real live humans have experienced when they had to make a claim with a particular insurance company?
Was it easy to make the claim? Was it difficult? Was it done quickly or did it drag on for years?
Did they refuse to pay out based on some kind of unfathomable legal loophole?
Did you have to use an attorney to help you navigate and  understand the claim process?

Perhaps we need to rethink the whole "politically correct movement" which forbids polite folks from speaking candidly about religion, money or politics . Maybe it will empower more regular folks if we are MORE VOCAL  and more honest. Maybe we will all get a better deal and more reliable and predictable products and services from insurance companies if they realize that we will be holding them accountable and are willing to speak of our experiences. It is your money after all,....and if you don't care about your money.....who will?

Hashtag Consumer  Power ")

Thinkfully yours,
Carla.

A Brilliant Substitute for Grass

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So here's my invention..... See the photo of the drought stricken patch of grass? This grass is seen everywhere around suburbs in Ontario, Canada. Yes, we haven't had enough rain to support lush green grass, and secondly, the cost of watering your grass with tap water has gone up. Combine that with record scorching heat this summer and that's what we wind up with......scrubby brown crunchy grass.

So......here is my big invention. I have noticed, that in many many yards that have the parched brown grass syndrome, that there are these random HEALTHY patches of yellow flowers.  These yellow flowers look like tiny snapdragons, but probably fall into the weed/wildflower category. The beauty of their genetic structure is that they have figured out how to stay green and lush in the midst of scorching dry temperatures.

So, why can't we start having yards filled with these yellow wildflowers instead of generic bland grass?
It would require less maintenance, and less costly to water, as it can stay green and healthy with little to no extra watering. Nature seems to do well for these cute little yellow blooms.
Methinks that they would also survive a weekly or biweekly trimming by a lawnmower.....
Hmmm .....is this a brilliant idea or what?

Thinkfully yours, 

Carla.

Peter Thiel -- Zero to One

I've begun delving into Peter Thiel's book "Zero to One".

Perhaps I will share more snippets as time goes on, but for t'day I'd just like to share one unique
chunkette from pages 23-24

"But in 2012, when the average airfare each way was 178, the airlines made only 37 cents per passenger trip. Compare them to Google, which creates less value but captures far more. Google brought in $50 billion in 2012 (versus $160 billion for the airlines), but it kept 21% of those revenues as profits---more than 100 times the airline industry's profit margin that year."


And then permit me to quote one more unique sentence from the first paragraph of page 23

"Creating value is not enough---you also need to capture some of the value you create."

This brief glimpse into some of the profound entrepreneurial truths that this book explores, will compel me to read further.

I feel, as a creative person myself, that creating is my "home base" but marketing and promoting those creative works, are still largely an unknown country....a mystical industry that will require untold years of further study and focus to master. Must an artist always figure out how to market and advertise her own work? Or can she focus 100% of her efforts on creating and outsource the "tedius" marketing aspects? If an artist outsources the marketing and advertising of her work, will she capture more value than if she tries to master the marketing and advertising herself? Or will she be spreading herself too thin and diluting her creative focus?

I think of famous artists such as Vangogh or Davinci, and how their works now fetch millions or billions of dollars per original painted canvas......now so many years after the original artist's passing.
Is it possible that now artists, or entrepreneurs will be able to reap in the same lifetime 
 some of the value that their works have created?

Is it going to become easier, in our Information Age, to be able to
"Capture Value" in a shorter time frame?

I look forward to your thoughts and comments as always,

Thinkfully yours,
Carla




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