RandomBlog2011 | wealthymatters

6 Investment Rules

March 2, 2011 Leave a comment

The secret to doing well in stocks over the long term is to avoid making big mistakes rather than being spectacularly right a few times in one’s career.After all it just takes just one big enough mistake to wipe away all the gains of the previous years.The following checklist is to help avoid making major mistakes.

1. Avoid following the crowd.
Avoid the hottest stocks in the hottest sectors, which are invariably priced high.It’s far safer and more profitable to invest in stocks of companies that are either well-known but currently out of favour or not tracked at all by analysts often simply because they are too small to be of interest to institutional investors.

2. Look for consistently positive cash flow and beware of debt.
Share holders make money through dividends.The company first needs to throw off cash through its operations to be in a position to reward shareholders consistently.Debt reduces the surplus available for share holders.Excessive debt might kill a company in bad times.

3. Avoid serial acquirers and if necessary buy stocks of good companies after big acquisitions.
Making many small acquisitions or one big one are both fraught with peril, yet some managements insist on engaging in such behaviour regularly. They often fritter away the resources of their companies and shareholders in this way.If you must buy a company that has just made an acquisition buy after the deal , when the share price has dropped , not in the frenzy before the deal. Read more of this post

Filed under Paper Assets, Theory, Tool Kit Tagged with acquisitions, avoid hot stocks, Beating the Street, Buffett Quotes, checklist, debt, ipo's, Long term stock investment, Peter Lynch, positive cash flow, postaday2011, RandomBlog2011, share investing, short sellers, stock investing, Warren Buffett

The Perfect Business

March 1, 2011 3 Comments

The best and easiest way to make money either as a businessperson or an investor is to get hold of an as near to perfect business as possible.The best businesses have the following features:

High profitability. If the business provides customers a product or service they need or want very much, and only this business can provide it, and there are few substitutes available then this firm can charge a premium price far above the costs it incurs.
High returns on capital. A business with high margins ceases to be very attractive if it is very capital intensive and requires massive amounts of capital to launch and/or remain in business. The greatest businesses require little or no money to start, can grow without major additions of capital, and do not require much maintenance cap ex.
An enormous moat. To ensure high margins and return on capital in the future it’s critical for a business to have major competitive advantages that are unlikely to dissipate over time. The key here is lack of change .Rapid change as in the hi- tech sector,benefits consumers but is very bad for investors. To quote Warren Buffett, “We see change as the enemy of investments… so we look for absence of change. We don’t like to lose money. Capitalism is pretty brutal. We look for mundane products that everyone needs…. I guarantee that Coke, Wrigley’s , and Gillette will dominate. The Internet won’t change what brands people like.”
Profitable reinvestment opportunities. The greatest businesses can reinvest their robust free cash flows back into the business at equally high rates of return on capital. Consider this: Warren Buffett has often lamented the fact that See’s Candies has never been able to expand much beyond its historical West Coast markets. It’s a fabulous company and was one of his best acquisitions ever, but the inability to reinvest its free cash flows back into growing its operations makes it an inferior business to, say, Wrigley, which has been able to grow globally over the years. Read more of this post

Filed under Entrepreneurship, Paper Assets, Theory, Tool Kit Tagged with accounts payable, accounts receivable, businessperson, cap ex, capital intensive, Cash Conversion Cycle, cash flow, Coke, competitive advantage, entrepreneur, free cash flows, gillette, growth, inventory, Investor, Perfect Business, postaday2011, profitability, RandomBlog2011, Return on Capital, See's Candies, Warren Buffet Quotes, Warren Buffett, Wrigley's

Silver Investors Beware ! Patra and Gillet

February 28, 2011 1 Comment

As gold continues to hover round 21,000 Rupees per 10 grams and silver round 50,000 Rupees per kilogram there is a great deal of change taking place in the Indian jewellery market. The following article which appeared in the ‘Times of India’ is a must read for anyone looking to invest in silver jewellery and artifacts.

Now, silver is worth its weight in gold and more

24 Feb, 2011, 0854 hrs IST, Meenakshi Sinha, TNN

NEW DELHI: For generations, silver jewellery has been a source of enthrallment for millions of families across India. The exquisite craftwork of an anklet, the sheer weight of a beautiful baazuband (ornate upper arm amulet) — the metal has been a source of pleasure in every way. Its versatility and durability has only added to its allure. While gold has always been the preferred metal for weddings , the cheaper silver has offered more opportunities to indulge.

But now with the sky-rocketing of silver prices, customers are being forced to make adjustments. The traditional heavy silver jewellery is giving way to lightweight varieties. Imitation metals too are making their way in.

Sachin Aggarwal of Mohit Gems and Jewellers, Sector 27, Noida says that the demand for heavy items has gone down.“Silver gift items like statues of gods, bridal jewellery like anklets , maang tika, traditional key rings for household keys or sindoor dani (vermillion container) have gone lightweight. Most show pieces like dolphins or photo frames for gods have now been reduced to being designed in a thin layer called patra,” he says. Read more of this post

Filed under Precious Metals Tagged with fake silver, Gillet, gillette, Gold, gold plated silver, Gold Price, imitation metal, imitation silver, Investing in silver jewellery, light weight silver jewellery, Patra, postaday2011, RandomBlog2011, Silver, silver artifacts, Silver investing, silver jewellery, silver like metal, Silver Price, silver tone metal

Gandhiji on Wealth

February 27, 2011 2 Comments

“It is my conviction that it is possible to acquire riches without consciously doing wrong. For example I may light on a gold mine in my one acre of land. But I accept the proposition that it is better not to desire wealth than to acquire it, and become its trustee. I gave up my own long ago, which should be proof enough of what I would like others to do. But what am I to advise those who are already wealthy or who would not shed the desire for wealth? I can only say to them that they should use their wealth for service.

It is true that generally the rich spend more on themselves than they need. But this can be avoided. Jamnalalji spent far less on himself than men of his own economic status and even than many middle-class men. I have come across innumerable rich persons who are stingy on themselves. For some it is a part of their nature to spend next to nothing on themselves, and they do not think that they acquire merit in so doing.

The same applies to the sons of the wealthy. Personally, I do not believe in inherited riches. The well-to-do should educate and bring up their children so that they may learn how to be independent. The tragedy is that they do not do so. Their children do get some education, they even recite verses in praise of poverty, but they have no compunction about helping themselves to parental wealth. That being so, I exercise my common sense and advise what is practicable.

Gandhiji on Trusteeship

February 26, 2011 9 Comments

Following are some of Gandhiji’s favourite quotes from the Gita:

Na twaham kamep rajyam na swarnam na puparbhavam
Kamaye dukh taptanam praninamarti nashwam

Neither I desire a Kingdom nor do I crave for heaven or salvation, I simply desire the end of miseries of all creatures who are afflicted with grief.

Javata Priyate Dehuh Tavatsatva Hidehinam
Adhikam yo bhibhanayat sa stano Dand marhati

As much as is necessary for one’s own living only that much is one entitled to have. One who has excess of this is a thief and deserves punishment.

Ishtan bhogan hi wo deva dasyante yagna bhavitah
Tairdattan pradaryabhyo yo bhangyakte sten aiv sah

Fostered by sacrifice (hard work) you will get all enjoyments. He who enjoys it without sacrifice and giving in return is undoubtedly a thief.

These words from the Gita shaped Gandhiji’s thoughts on his concept of trusteeship of wealth.Following is an explanation of the concept in his own words:

‘Suppose I have earned a fair amount of wealth either by way of legacy or by means of trade and industry. I must know that all that belongs to me is the right to an honorable livelihood no better than what is enjoyed by million of others, the rest of my wealth belongs to the community and is to be used for the welfare of the community.’ Read more of this post