Getting Wealthy - Know the Rules according to Buffett

The truth according to Homer 

When the Old Age Pension was introduced, the government boffins picked an age for you to reach, 65 years old, that was after most people would have died. In this cunning ploy, they promised the masses a life after work that in reality was after nearly everyone had died. I am less than 18 months from that mythical age and I can see myself lasting to 90!!

So, I am looking at advice to help me earn more, keep more, and gain from my investments. Our number one investment, the family home is fully paid for and is appreciating nicely because we live in Perth... one of the worlds most expensive cities... I just heard the Real Estate Institutes Vice President say Perth's median house prices is $550,000 and our humble abode is worth considerably more than that. Perth has grown my 750,000 people in the last 10 years and new house continue to be built at an amazing pace... each seemingly smaller than our house and certainly further from the central business district.

It is said that if you life in Perth and own your own home you are by definition a millionaire.

Today's' rule on investment comes from the book "The Tao of Warren Buffett" written by the ex wife of a Buffett son, Mary Buffett.

Aphorism number 1:

"Rule 1: Never lose money.
Rule 2: Never forget rule No 1"

[An aphorism is a short, pithy statement containing a truth of general importor a statement of self-evident truth.]

LinkedIn change takes fun out of building networks!!

Every month I search for the stats that show how big my internet network is and for years LinkedIn's network size has been an important part of that. Probably more for my ego than anything else!!

My network stretched, by LinkedIn's calculations to over 25 million.

Tonight that statistic is nowhere to be found. The LinkedIn blog says they no longer provide it... so BS about it being replaced with a more meaningful item...

I am devastated... but I imagine it is much like the famous Facebook changes... they know best and unless the change effects ad revenue, they won't change back... pity I say!

Come back Harry

Spatchcock

Come back Harry!!

One of my favourite things to do is to lunch. And back 15 years ago Perth had a number of amazing Italian families as torchbearers for fine Italian food [ and good wholesome foods ] There was the Silver Dollar in Aberdeen, Simons for Seafood in Lake and Muma Marias. The doyen was Harry Ferrante… and his show piece was Harrys Bar and Grill.

Oh how I miss that scene. Great food, good fine and fantastic people.

A friend from my first days in Perth was the Sunday Times food writer and now writes for the PerthNow website. Gail Williams is considered a great judge of what is good in the food and hospitality scene in Perth.

I heard Gail on Peter Bell’s afternoon 6PR Radio show giving a review of the Three Coins Italian Trattoria. She was scathing about the service BUT said the food was so good that it made up for it.

So, I thought I should try the Three Coins for lunch… it sits at 776 Beaufort Street Mount Lawley, and is close by to where I work so it was with anticipation of a fine Italian meal that I visited recently.

Well I was underwhelmed. The actual restaurant presented well but it was all downhill from there. I ordered spatchcock and was immediately told the wait would be 30 to 40 minutes because “everything was cooked individually” as if that was an acceptable reason to make lunch in an hour a near impossibility. Prices by Perth standards were reasonable but portions sizes were small. My dinner guest had gnocchi in a serving that would better suit a 7 year old… and the bill was close to $100 when a glass of red and a sparkling mineral water were added in.

But what really annoyed me was the chef, leaving the open kitchen area, and going outside the door and having a cigarette in a clearly no smoking area. And to really rub salt into the wound, he dropped the cigarette to the ground, but picked it up again, and then took a couple more puffs before again tossing the but away. He returned to the kitchen and continued with food preparation without either washing his hands or putting on latex gloves…

So, I won’t be back anytime soon, and I long for those long gone days of Harry Ferrante and his band of many, and their passion and commitment to making food and service a pleasure. Where are you Harry.

Book in a weekend... accepting the challenge

I am going to research, write and publish a new book Meerkat - The Scaredy Cats Complete Guide starting from now... Friday 9.20 am Perth Western Australia time and publish by midnight Monday April 20th, 2015... and by blogging about it I will share with you the progress.

Why Meerkat?? Well it is the new buzz app for Social Media with apparently only 300,000 users so far. Facebook has 1.3 billion so there is some upside.

Why Scaredy Cats Complete Guide?? I am developing a range of guides, after successfully doing Cold Calling for Scaredy Cats - seminars, videos and audio programs, to be a Guide a month for people who would rally like to try something new but feel like they are "scaredy cats" when it comes to the risk of learning something new. so I had an outline to follow

Why share the process with you? Accountability in one word. I purchased AppSumo's manual... Finish Your Damn Book so I had an outline to follow. And now I have started.

I will report back when I have registered the domain
name and started the research project.

What was Dr Karl thinking…

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

What was Dr Karl thinking…

First a disclosure: I approached Dr Karl Kruszelnicki on my travels a few years ago when I spied him in the Qantas Club and I asked for and receive an autograph on a yellow post it note… I am a FAN!!

I wondered, sometimes aloud, when I saw what he was doing… although he was talking about Aussie inventions, the number of people working in IT, and also the number of young people working to support old farts like me… I was wondering if Dr Karl was endorsing the full report.

Obviously not, as reports are now surfacing that he hadn't even read it before gushingly telling everybody that we should read it.

Dr Karl fronting the TV ads for the Inter Generation Report,

I thought about destroying my autograph but I can’t find it!!

Then I thought... everyone can make a mistake... Dr Karl that's yours for 2015

9 Insider tricks Cruising… the ULTIMATE HOLIDAY

9 Insider tricks…

A favourite mode of voyage for a long time, here are some fun facts you might not have heard of before about cruising.

1. Take your Best Friend – no not him… your DOG!

Some cruise liners have kennels on board. That’s right — you can ship your pets over the high seas with you.

2.  The Locals LOVE Cruise ships because they Bring $$$$$

A single day visit by a major ship can pump up to $1 million into a port city as thousands of passengers and crew take tours, eat and buy souvenirs.

3. Cupid on the High Seas

Cruise lines like Azamara, Crystal, Oceania and Silversea, are bringing back the “Love Boat”. Aboard all four of these cruise lines, gentlemen hosts are ready to sweep women cruising solo off their feet during an elegant evening of drinks, dining and dancing. The Gentleman Host program pairs independent female travelers with dashing companions who can take the lead on the Foxtrot and carry on witty, charming conversation.

4.  12 Step Programs have a place

Alcoholics Anonymous holds meetings on board under the title “Friends of Bill W” meeting. Initially concerned with how other passengers would feel about AA meetings taking place on board, cruise ships announced the meetings as Friends of Bill W.

5.  You can even stroll in the park

Some of the most decadent ships are decked out with parks. The Celebrity Solstice, based in Australia during the summer cruise season, has a rooftop deck featuring more than half an acre of live lawn. Fun fact: there is so much lawn that it requires permission from quarantine officials to dock in Australia.

6.  Ladies Pilot Jets and CRUISE LINERS

No woman had captained a major cruise ship until 2007, when Karin Stahre Janson from Sweden took charge of the Monarch of the Seas.

7.  Strange things happen in LOCKS

River cruise ships on busy waterways, like the Nile, often have to tie up abreast of each other, giving guests a sticky beak into other ships as they walk through adjoining ships to reach the dock.

8.  Can’t sleep?? Well just grab some cookies and milk

To the delight of many, Princess ships serve cookies and milk at around 3 or 3.30am on the pool deck and in the Piazza.

9.  The Local Tours are Often better buying than those arranged by the crew

If you book your shore tours privately, as opposed to through the cruise line, you can save money. While many cruisers worry that if they book excursions on their own they lose the guarantee that the cruise line offers for returning to the ship on time, some private booking companies actually make the same guarantee too.

Original article: http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-club/2014/07/nine-things-you-dont-know-about-cruises/