After several months of constant editing and technical challenges, Stock Power (The Novel) was published by Infinity Publishing on Friday, May 30 2008.
Stock Power is commercial fiction (based on the author's life) about a stockbroker who earns the trust of hundreds of investors and acquires a comfortable lifestyle until his morality begins to drift. Ambition and greed set the stage for a horrible termination to his career.
The book is in paperback format only, at present, and is more than 500 pages in length. Price: $23.95.
Stock Power can be purchased at the Publisher's website from its BuyBooks bookstore. To locate the book, please use the following link:
http://www.bbotw.com/Search.aspx?kw=stock%20power&typ=Title
You may also visit the website that is dedicated to the book at:
http://www.stockpower-thenovel.com
Enjoy!
Bill Hudley, Author
Showing posts with label stock market. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stock market. Show all posts
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
How to Avoid Blaming the Market for Your Losses
Invest smarter. There are at least two ways to achieve better results with your investments.
The first is to resist the mindset that makes you think your financial future is at the mercy of the stock market.
The second is to never EVER assume an investment will go back up because it is down 20-50% or because someone told you it will go up.
Try to understand that the phrase “long term” has a different meaning today than ever before. Hoping that the stock market will bail you out from your losses is a lot like sitting at a train station, waiting for a train that has been rescheduled for another time, only you never picked up an updated train schedule.
I was sitting in a health care provider’s office this week and could not help overhearing a patient’s conversation on her cell phone with her broker. My antenna always responds to words like, “how much did I lose?” or “I’m not worried, this is for the long term”. So, in other words, she’s in her car traveling west from New York on Rte. 80 in reverse gear; and it’s not a problem because she doesn’t need to be in Chicago until next month!
I have said it 100 times or more that an inordinate number of investors, quite like consumers, are brainwashed. College funds and retirement funds are objectives for the future, and for several unfortunate reasons, there is no real urgency about the present values of these accounts. This is a horrible shame.
Only a minority of investors are award that the Standard and Poors 500 index, which tracks the market value of 500 mid-to-large size companies, is down 9.5% for the past twelve months. A large number of mutual funds have a similar track record, regardless of their popularity. This is to say you would probably have more capital if you had parked your money in a money market account, instead of an index fund or a growth fund, for the past year.
A cheerful side to this report is that you can find growth and fixed income investments that outperform the market indices by a mile. Here are just a handful of stocks and closed-end funds that can get your portfolio headed in the right direction for your so-called long term investment plan.
McDonalds (NYSE - MCD) - up 15% since June 2007
Capstead Mortgages (NYSE – CMO) up 26.6% since June 2007 (does not incl. dividend)
Annaly Capital Management (NYSE – NLY) – up 22.4 % since June 2007 (dividend not included)
Regardless of the false reports you get and the misstatement heard around the market place, investors will find excellent opportunities to grow their money and be better prepared for the terminus to that life long plan they hold so dearly.
You’re welcome!
Bill Hudley
The first is to resist the mindset that makes you think your financial future is at the mercy of the stock market.
The second is to never EVER assume an investment will go back up because it is down 20-50% or because someone told you it will go up.
Try to understand that the phrase “long term” has a different meaning today than ever before. Hoping that the stock market will bail you out from your losses is a lot like sitting at a train station, waiting for a train that has been rescheduled for another time, only you never picked up an updated train schedule.
I was sitting in a health care provider’s office this week and could not help overhearing a patient’s conversation on her cell phone with her broker. My antenna always responds to words like, “how much did I lose?” or “I’m not worried, this is for the long term”. So, in other words, she’s in her car traveling west from New York on Rte. 80 in reverse gear; and it’s not a problem because she doesn’t need to be in Chicago until next month!
I have said it 100 times or more that an inordinate number of investors, quite like consumers, are brainwashed. College funds and retirement funds are objectives for the future, and for several unfortunate reasons, there is no real urgency about the present values of these accounts. This is a horrible shame.
Only a minority of investors are award that the Standard and Poors 500 index, which tracks the market value of 500 mid-to-large size companies, is down 9.5% for the past twelve months. A large number of mutual funds have a similar track record, regardless of their popularity. This is to say you would probably have more capital if you had parked your money in a money market account, instead of an index fund or a growth fund, for the past year.
A cheerful side to this report is that you can find growth and fixed income investments that outperform the market indices by a mile. Here are just a handful of stocks and closed-end funds that can get your portfolio headed in the right direction for your so-called long term investment plan.
McDonalds (NYSE - MCD) - up 15% since June 2007
Capstead Mortgages (NYSE – CMO) up 26.6% since June 2007 (does not incl. dividend)
Annaly Capital Management (NYSE – NLY) – up 22.4 % since June 2007 (dividend not included)
Regardless of the false reports you get and the misstatement heard around the market place, investors will find excellent opportunities to grow their money and be better prepared for the terminus to that life long plan they hold so dearly.
You’re welcome!
Bill Hudley
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Can You Double Your Money In The Next 6 Years?
It's definitely possible. Performance is key (on the part of an accredited investment professional, that is).
A woman asked me if it was possible for her to retire before she's 70. I asked her what her financial goal was. She told me she would feel comfortable with an income of $45,000 per year but that she wasn't sure about how long it would take her to reach that goal.
After a preliminary analysis of her current finances, I calculated that she would need twice the money she has now in order to retire. I told her about a simple, proven strategy that would help her grow her money in time for the 70th birthday, which happens to be six years from March 12, 2008.
The magic number for the average average return on the new strategy is 12% per year! Obviously, this is not your typical portfolio performance these days; but if the return is achieved, my client can change her employment status in 2014.
Hint: No Mutual Funds!
There isn't much chance of an employee getting satisfaction from mutual funds [found in 401(k) plans] over the next three to five years. The broad markets are too soft. In addition, fees charged on managed money absorb too much of the return on investment. If you ask the right professional - not your hair stylist or mail carrier - you can get good information on how to earn an average annual return of 10-12% on your money, starting today.
No kidding!
Bill Hudley
A woman asked me if it was possible for her to retire before she's 70. I asked her what her financial goal was. She told me she would feel comfortable with an income of $45,000 per year but that she wasn't sure about how long it would take her to reach that goal.
After a preliminary analysis of her current finances, I calculated that she would need twice the money she has now in order to retire. I told her about a simple, proven strategy that would help her grow her money in time for the 70th birthday, which happens to be six years from March 12, 2008.
The magic number for the average average return on the new strategy is 12% per year! Obviously, this is not your typical portfolio performance these days; but if the return is achieved, my client can change her employment status in 2014.
Hint: No Mutual Funds!
There isn't much chance of an employee getting satisfaction from mutual funds [found in 401(k) plans] over the next three to five years. The broad markets are too soft. In addition, fees charged on managed money absorb too much of the return on investment. If you ask the right professional - not your hair stylist or mail carrier - you can get good information on how to earn an average annual return of 10-12% on your money, starting today.
No kidding!
Bill Hudley
Friday, March 16, 2007
Rich Alan, Poor Alan
At about the time my story, "Stock Power (The Novel)" became more than a notion, I detected the unsettling coincidence of market movement with public discourses from Alan Greenspan. This would be in 1996, just prior to his "irrational exuberance" speech, to be more precise. It wasn't long before a sparse number of erudite financial journalists aired similar viewpoints.
Now, that Mr. Greenspan is no longer the country's official economic "catalyst", you would expect that he could slither around the world making his high priced speeches to private audiences without much notoriety. Not so.
Once again, enough of the right (or wrong) people have succeeded in pinning Wall Street's latest jitters on Greenspan's recently published views on the future of the credit markets. That's incredible! Let's see if I have this straight...
We're in the woods taking a group picture of the wife and kids with our super-duper digital camera we purchased a week before we went on vacation, and there's a grizzly lurking in the background (i.e., 0% financing, free blackberries and bad credit re-fies). Would we really need Alan Greenspan to come along and say, "Perhaps you might want to crop that grizzly over there out of the picture, Mr. Consumer." Better still, would it be Mr. Greenspan's fault that the bear presented an inconvenience, in the first place?
I always considered it essential, as stockbroker and investment counselor, to ask investors if they thought sequential refinancing was a sound economic strategy. Nearly everyone with whom I could hold a conversation on the subject concurred that the federal government had over extended its credit worthiness - and that was in the mid-nineties! What's bad for the gander is doubly bad for the geese, in this writer's opinion.
I have not studied economics formally; but there was never any doubt in my mind that falling interest rates were a definite indication that we were headed for a credit crunch. It's a good bet that conditions that existed in the late '70s will never be repeated; and I expect [federal funds] rates will move in ranges below 6% for many years to come. That kind of forecast portends a flat economy and a much riskier investment environment for people looking to retire rich.
Obviously, the markets will vibrate to the tune called the "Greenspan Effect" a while longer. I wouldn't be surprised if his motivation for making speeches is not entirely money driven. In which case, it might not be a bad idea to stay tuned to what he has to say.
Hudster
Now, that Mr. Greenspan is no longer the country's official economic "catalyst", you would expect that he could slither around the world making his high priced speeches to private audiences without much notoriety. Not so.
Once again, enough of the right (or wrong) people have succeeded in pinning Wall Street's latest jitters on Greenspan's recently published views on the future of the credit markets. That's incredible! Let's see if I have this straight...
We're in the woods taking a group picture of the wife and kids with our super-duper digital camera we purchased a week before we went on vacation, and there's a grizzly lurking in the background (i.e., 0% financing, free blackberries and bad credit re-fies). Would we really need Alan Greenspan to come along and say, "Perhaps you might want to crop that grizzly over there out of the picture, Mr. Consumer." Better still, would it be Mr. Greenspan's fault that the bear presented an inconvenience, in the first place?
I always considered it essential, as stockbroker and investment counselor, to ask investors if they thought sequential refinancing was a sound economic strategy. Nearly everyone with whom I could hold a conversation on the subject concurred that the federal government had over extended its credit worthiness - and that was in the mid-nineties! What's bad for the gander is doubly bad for the geese, in this writer's opinion.
I have not studied economics formally; but there was never any doubt in my mind that falling interest rates were a definite indication that we were headed for a credit crunch. It's a good bet that conditions that existed in the late '70s will never be repeated; and I expect [federal funds] rates will move in ranges below 6% for many years to come. That kind of forecast portends a flat economy and a much riskier investment environment for people looking to retire rich.
Obviously, the markets will vibrate to the tune called the "Greenspan Effect" a while longer. I wouldn't be surprised if his motivation for making speeches is not entirely money driven. In which case, it might not be a bad idea to stay tuned to what he has to say.
Hudster
Monday, March 12, 2007
Who Ate My Pancakes?
It might sound silly to start my next career preoccupied with what happened the day I met a realtor for breakfast a couple of years back when I was in the market for a new house. But, the fact is that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Not dinner. Not lunch. Breakfast.
Let me explain. When I start my day, I'm almost always in a good mood, particularly when I've had my six hours of sleep. Even when it's raining or snowing cats and dogs, I'm in a good frame if I don't have to leave the house.
Anyway, about my breakfast. It's usually my quality time - with a great pot of brewed coffee, freshly diced fruit, a toasted bran muffin and cream cheese with Mozart (18th century rapper) in the background, the Journal in the foreground (at home, of course). You don't top something like that.
So, I'm sitting in a favorite restaurant one day, waiting for this realtor to show up at 8 in the morning. Let's call her Shelley to protect the innocent (now, how do you know "Shelley" isn't her real name?) At 8:15 Shelley hasn't shown up. I was hungry; so, I put in my order for a stack of buckwheat cakes topped with strawberries and sour cream.
A couple of minutes later, in walks Shelley. She was huffing and puffing so hard, I imagined for a split-second that she had to push the car to the restaurant. She apologized and explained that traffic was snarled and it made her late. I had already assumed as much.
What happened in the ensuing moment was a near tragedy. Shelley placed her order for a soft boiled egg and toast. Then, she asked me if she could be excused to use the ladies room. I wished her well.
I was in the process of ravenously wolfing down my second delicious bite of my stack of cakes when she returned. Suddenly, I noticed an horrendous odor. It was a cross between pine needles and beet juice. There was no doubt in my mind about its origin.
"What on earth is that fragrance you're wearing?" I asked.
"Oh it's a new cologne I discovered when I was in Acapulco last December. Do you like it? It's called Baja Rain, by Juan Dupre!"
"You're kidding me!" I said. "Baja Rain? As in rain from the sky?"
"Exactly!" Shelley said, misconstruing my curiosity for a sign of approval. "It's sensational, don't you think? Juan Dupre is going to be hot, soon. I just know it."
I decided that what Shelley knew about colognes was extremely questionable. While Shelley started chomping on her 3-minute egg, my appetite for food had taken flight. We had a nine o'clock appointment to look at a house. All I had to do was survive the breakfast that I had anticipated to be an ideal spring board for Shelley and me. I could only hope, at 8:40 a.m., that the morning would not be a total waste.
It wasn't. I was very dexterous when I gave Shelley the reasons I needed to drive my own car to the location in question. She did not take offense and jumped into her car to lead the way to what she probably hoped would be a profitable experience. For my part, I drove the distance with all four windows open. The treatment was a relief. Later that morning, I sprayed the interior of my car with an Arm and Hammer air freshener made by Church and Dwight Co. (NYSE-CHD). (Great, great stock, by the way - worth owning before it hits 50. How do I know? I am senior analyst for a fast-growing advisory firm.)
Did I like the house? It was alright, for a forty-year-old frame and brick bungalow, but nothing special. I thought I might work the owners on price for a while.
Let see, so what's the point of this theme (better yet, what is the theme?).
Odors, including the best fragrances can kill an appetite for food. People (including men) ought to be careful about using fragrances, especially in the course of doing business. That about covers it. Don't forget what I said about CHD! (Is this a plug? What do you think?)
Disclosure: "Baja Rain" is a fictious title and does not exist as a product, to my knowledge.
Hudster
Let me explain. When I start my day, I'm almost always in a good mood, particularly when I've had my six hours of sleep. Even when it's raining or snowing cats and dogs, I'm in a good frame if I don't have to leave the house.
Anyway, about my breakfast. It's usually my quality time - with a great pot of brewed coffee, freshly diced fruit, a toasted bran muffin and cream cheese with Mozart (18th century rapper) in the background, the Journal in the foreground (at home, of course). You don't top something like that.
So, I'm sitting in a favorite restaurant one day, waiting for this realtor to show up at 8 in the morning. Let's call her Shelley to protect the innocent (now, how do you know "Shelley" isn't her real name?) At 8:15 Shelley hasn't shown up. I was hungry; so, I put in my order for a stack of buckwheat cakes topped with strawberries and sour cream.
A couple of minutes later, in walks Shelley. She was huffing and puffing so hard, I imagined for a split-second that she had to push the car to the restaurant. She apologized and explained that traffic was snarled and it made her late. I had already assumed as much.
What happened in the ensuing moment was a near tragedy. Shelley placed her order for a soft boiled egg and toast. Then, she asked me if she could be excused to use the ladies room. I wished her well.
I was in the process of ravenously wolfing down my second delicious bite of my stack of cakes when she returned. Suddenly, I noticed an horrendous odor. It was a cross between pine needles and beet juice. There was no doubt in my mind about its origin.
"What on earth is that fragrance you're wearing?" I asked.
"Oh it's a new cologne I discovered when I was in Acapulco last December. Do you like it? It's called Baja Rain, by Juan Dupre!"
"You're kidding me!" I said. "Baja Rain? As in rain from the sky?"
"Exactly!" Shelley said, misconstruing my curiosity for a sign of approval. "It's sensational, don't you think? Juan Dupre is going to be hot, soon. I just know it."
I decided that what Shelley knew about colognes was extremely questionable. While Shelley started chomping on her 3-minute egg, my appetite for food had taken flight. We had a nine o'clock appointment to look at a house. All I had to do was survive the breakfast that I had anticipated to be an ideal spring board for Shelley and me. I could only hope, at 8:40 a.m., that the morning would not be a total waste.
It wasn't. I was very dexterous when I gave Shelley the reasons I needed to drive my own car to the location in question. She did not take offense and jumped into her car to lead the way to what she probably hoped would be a profitable experience. For my part, I drove the distance with all four windows open. The treatment was a relief. Later that morning, I sprayed the interior of my car with an Arm and Hammer air freshener made by Church and Dwight Co. (NYSE-CHD). (Great, great stock, by the way - worth owning before it hits 50. How do I know? I am senior analyst for a fast-growing advisory firm.)
Did I like the house? It was alright, for a forty-year-old frame and brick bungalow, but nothing special. I thought I might work the owners on price for a while.
Let see, so what's the point of this theme (better yet, what is the theme?).
Odors, including the best fragrances can kill an appetite for food. People (including men) ought to be careful about using fragrances, especially in the course of doing business. That about covers it. Don't forget what I said about CHD! (Is this a plug? What do you think?)
Disclosure: "Baja Rain" is a fictious title and does not exist as a product, to my knowledge.
Hudster
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Finishing Touches
I think it would be a good idea if academic degrees were conferred, conditionally. One of the conditions being that we all write a short story about our lives when we reach a certain age, say, fifty. My finite wisdom has expanded noticeably since I became a serious writer, and I suspect the world would be a lot more interesting (and safer?) if every adult was required to pen their histories for posterity.
"Stock Power (The Novel)" became a life's work nearly two years ago when I envisioned the commercial value it might have when it finally gets published - sometime in March. Coincidental to the advent of the new year, I have been able to assess my outlook from an improved perspective. Since the day I wrote the first paragraph of my story, I have learned a lot about what drives drives me crazy, gets my goat, makes me tick.
Of course, a novel is a serious venture, especially if you want people to pay to read it. However, the process of putting something in writing after it swirls around in your mind is a fantastic thing! I'll take a minute and give you an example of what I mean.
I wrote about a woman I met toward the end of the story I'm writing. I described my feelings toward her along with the special moments we had together over the course of our eighteen month love affair. Trying to make it interesting for someone else to read was fun and challenging.
Last night, I read a passage from that section, for the first time in three months. Wow! I had overlooked the importance of the love affair. The greatest value of the relationship, for me, was in the fact that it could never last! In real life, I went overboard trying to make something work that had no chance of enduring a lengthy absense (the story's crisis). After I thought about if for a couple days, I was able to describe my motivation more honestly and with greater insight.
As a direct result from the effort that I have put into this project, my awareness of how I think and where my motivation comes from, has increased greatly.
Picture this: a notice comes to your mailbox in a large yellow envelope marked "URGENT". You open the envelope to discover that you are more than 30 days past due on a mandatory writing assignment. Subject: "What do you think you're doing with your life?" You're exempt if you write a novel.
Would that work for you?
BH
"Stock Power (The Novel)" became a life's work nearly two years ago when I envisioned the commercial value it might have when it finally gets published - sometime in March. Coincidental to the advent of the new year, I have been able to assess my outlook from an improved perspective. Since the day I wrote the first paragraph of my story, I have learned a lot about what drives drives me crazy, gets my goat, makes me tick.
Of course, a novel is a serious venture, especially if you want people to pay to read it. However, the process of putting something in writing after it swirls around in your mind is a fantastic thing! I'll take a minute and give you an example of what I mean.
I wrote about a woman I met toward the end of the story I'm writing. I described my feelings toward her along with the special moments we had together over the course of our eighteen month love affair. Trying to make it interesting for someone else to read was fun and challenging.
Last night, I read a passage from that section, for the first time in three months. Wow! I had overlooked the importance of the love affair. The greatest value of the relationship, for me, was in the fact that it could never last! In real life, I went overboard trying to make something work that had no chance of enduring a lengthy absense (the story's crisis). After I thought about if for a couple days, I was able to describe my motivation more honestly and with greater insight.
As a direct result from the effort that I have put into this project, my awareness of how I think and where my motivation comes from, has increased greatly.
Picture this: a notice comes to your mailbox in a large yellow envelope marked "URGENT". You open the envelope to discover that you are more than 30 days past due on a mandatory writing assignment. Subject: "What do you think you're doing with your life?" You're exempt if you write a novel.
Would that work for you?
BH
Thursday, February 8, 2007
A Look Behind The Story
About thirty years ago, someone asked me if I would be interested in training to become a stockbroker. I told them, "No way! A stockbroker is a car salesman wearing an expensive suit," I quipped.
In 1999, a 12-year career on Wall Street came to an abrupt end. I had served hundreds of investors and enjoyed a fairly exemplary reputation for being a "cut above" in my field. A small number of clients thought I had wings. The time flew by quickly as I attempted to compete for larger accounts in an environment that rewarded tenacity.
My business plan worked a little too well. I wanted to reach a certain status in 10 years. It didn't really take that long. My market grew from being confined to the New York City area to a definable range between Rochester and Fort Lauderdale.
In the latter months of my tenure in the investment world, I fell into a trap that has been publicized too often in the news media. Competition for money and prestige took my mind into the evil cravasses of lust and self-aggrandisement. My vision was distorted by several distractions, including acceptance in a new, upscale community. My sense of morality gave way to an insatiable desire to acquire wealth. The fraud and deceit that I commited seemed miniscule, compared to the prize that I construed to be sufficient justification.
Eventually my tumultuous lifestyle came to an uncomfortable halt the day I was sent off to a state facility to ponder my misdeeds. That day marked the beginning of my recovery from a warped, myopic view of the value of money.
I began with a diary, at first, because I knew I wanted to write a book about my experience.
In 1999, a 12-year career on Wall Street came to an abrupt end. I had served hundreds of investors and enjoyed a fairly exemplary reputation for being a "cut above" in my field. A small number of clients thought I had wings. The time flew by quickly as I attempted to compete for larger accounts in an environment that rewarded tenacity.
My business plan worked a little too well. I wanted to reach a certain status in 10 years. It didn't really take that long. My market grew from being confined to the New York City area to a definable range between Rochester and Fort Lauderdale.
In the latter months of my tenure in the investment world, I fell into a trap that has been publicized too often in the news media. Competition for money and prestige took my mind into the evil cravasses of lust and self-aggrandisement. My vision was distorted by several distractions, including acceptance in a new, upscale community. My sense of morality gave way to an insatiable desire to acquire wealth. The fraud and deceit that I commited seemed miniscule, compared to the prize that I construed to be sufficient justification.
Eventually my tumultuous lifestyle came to an uncomfortable halt the day I was sent off to a state facility to ponder my misdeeds. That day marked the beginning of my recovery from a warped, myopic view of the value of money.
I began with a diary, at first, because I knew I wanted to write a book about my experience.
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