For Whom Wealth Matters
March 13, 2014 Leave a comment
Just 8% of Indian CEOs are below 40 years. The sweet spot for India Inc is 41-70, but the 31-40 years set is making its presence felt: on an average, this set earns the most, even though it manages lower revenues. This set has aspirations and would like to find corporate positions to express them
March 11, 2014 Leave a comment
If you have been reading my blog for a while,you know I had a run-in with ICICI-Lombard’s SEO team last November.Link.
On my return to Mumbai,following is a mail I found in my inbox.It does make me feel a bit better about the matter for it shows that where an individual errs,the organization has a system in place to try to right issues.But I am not sure about removing an archived post.Right from the beginning,I have faithfully kept intact all posts,comments and replies without any whitewashing and I am not so certain I wish to change things now.Relationships,I believe are made not by never being wrong but by saying sorry when things go wrong.And as such,I believe,this is the end of this matter. Read more of this post
March 11, 2014 2 Comments
In 1986, Warren Buffett bought a 400-acre farm in Nebraska, and in 1993, he invested in a retail property near the New York University campus. The deals came after farming and real estate bubbles had burst, and in both cases, he knew very little about the day-to-day operations of what he was buying. But Buffett saw the potential. And while he may not have known about farming or building management, he knew people who did.
Buffett’s son ,Howard,who is a farmer, gave him a rough idea of the costs and returns. A fellow investor in the New York building was a seasoned buyer of real estate who could help to manage it.
Years later the farm is worth five times what he paid for it, and the building now throws off annual distributions that exceed 35% of the initial equity investment. “You don’t need to be an expert in order to achieve satisfactory investment returns,” Buffett writes. “But if you aren’t, you must recognise your limitations and follow a course certain to work reasonably well.”
Here’s how he explains his mind set: “With my two small investments, I thought only of what the properties would produce and cared not at all about their daily valuations.”
March 11, 2014 Leave a comment
Farming is not a preferred choice of career for many of India’s educated young people,even when they have a family background and experience of farming.The reasons are manifold:Firstly when people think agriculture they often see subsistence farming with dependency on the vagaries of the monsoon and fluctuating incomes versus the steady income from a job.Secondly,it involves a degree of physical labour,something that our society honours less than intellectual labour. Thirdly,calling oneself an IT Professional or manager rather than farmer probably betters one’s chances in the Marriage Mart.
Farming doesn’t necessarily consign you to penury.After all there is a large market for Mercs,BMWs and other luxury vehicles in rural areas from crorepati farmers.Indeed as agricultural income doesn’t attract taxes,farming is worth exploring as a means to build wealth.My experiments return 10-40% per year on the capital invested.Moreover,as India’s population rises and grows more affluent there is a growing need for quality food produce.The government is concerned about this situation from 2 angles,national security being compromised as a result of over dependence on external food suppliers and the BOP problems arising from the outflow of foreign currency to import food products.Hence the government subsidies to encourage agriculture.Here is a scenario ripe for an enterprising person to make money. Read more of this post
March 8, 2014 Leave a comment
“Divide your portion to seven or eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on earth.”- Ecclesiastes 11:2
wealthymatters 