A Hip First Lady and Tuesday News Items

On Jimmy Fallon's show our First Lady promoted the Lets Move program by dancing with Mr. Fallon.  I thought it was great! We have a cool and hip First Lady.  Mrs. Obama does great work promoting healthy living.  Hope you enjoy!

http://youtu.be/U5qr4ThoeQM


A Celebration is in the works! I will be receiving a small promotion (big to me) at one of the Health Systems I work for. This is welcome news!  Benefits, Benefits, Benefits!  What a relief that will be!  what shall I do to celebrate? Praise God.

Master's degree, I am waiting to hear from the school I applied to for finishing my graduate degree.  I am praying for good news in this area. I look forward to study and finishing my degree at this school.

Gay in the News, according the Huffington Post, and the New York Times, 75 republicans have signed a brief going before the Supreme Court, stating  same Sex marriage is a "constitutional right"
That is worthy of mention.

Investing News,  Investors appear to be moving money from fixed assets to equity assets.  I am following that trend in my Roth account.  I have made a plan to purchase specific stock positions this year, no plans for fixed in come investments at this point, but that is subject to revision. The companies I am purchasing positions in are for long term hold, and all have a history of paying dividends. I consider myself not just a small investor but a minuscule investor. A key for me is flexibility and responding to but not being ruled by market conditions.  Following a plan being long. unless short term speculation is part of the plan.  

My 403B account at work, I currently have 75% in an equity fund, 25% in a fixed income fund. I am looking at changing the mix to 15% fixed income and start allocating10% to a broad basket commodity fund.  This is a risky move but limits the risk exposure to 10%.  So I am thinking of making some combination of change.

Happy Tuesday







 

Monday Medley:Gimmie More

Another Monday morning!  The second of 2013 today's Monday Medley,  Gimmie More

http://youtu.be/elueA2rofoo

We are on our way into this new year.  Last week has been busy with work, and  other things going on in life.  So far Flu and gun control are the main topics of the day. I am in favor of a total ban on automatic weapons, and high volume clips. Those are made for military not average citizens. We don't live in the wild west anymore. 

As for the flu, I will write more about that in a post this  week. Just some suggestions.  I do hope for better things for us all in 2013.  I am a news junkie, sometimes its just white noise, but CNBC has a lot of interesting items that it distracts me from things I am working on. Especially, when a segment like the Santelli Exchange is on.  I love hearing his OP Ed on issues of the day. 

That brings me to something I am enjoying.  Investing through my ROTH IRA, self managed, I am a tiny investor This is in addition to my 401K at work.. I am finally to the point that I have made a plan for this year of the companies I want to buy positions in. My basic idea is to buy stock companies that I do business with or that have great potential over the long term and hold on to them These are higher priced companies I have to save to buy into.. I have made a few speculative purchases with some success, like Bank of America bought at low and recently sold at a pop in its price.  At my small volume not a lot of profit, but a return none the less.  Reinvest that in a dividend paying company and hold it for long term.  A disappointment is Zynga, which I bought because of its connection to Facebook. Still I hope it will come back up in value over the long term.  Still, I am enjoying researching the companies I am interested in and building the cash to be able to buy these.  This year the focus is on the big companies which provide products  or services I buy on a regular basis.  Do you have a savings goal for this year?

Feeding the "Pig"

 The Story of my piggy bank.  As a child I always had a piggy bank, as an adult I have put the change from my pocket in a mug or cup.  A good habit to develop! When it got full, I would roll it and either deposit it to a savings or use it for something. Several years ago, I found a large size piggy bank on sale, and bought it.  I just kept "feeding" it until it was full, almost a year's worth of change.  (Also I never pass up a coin on the floor or ground, it feeds the pig)

I had been saving to buy a large screen TV for sometime, one was on sale, but also a surround sound and Bluray.  I did not have quite enough saved.  Then I remembered I had not emptied my bank in quite some time. You would think I hit the jackpot!  It held enough along with my savings and a paycheck with extra hours, to buy the TV, Surround, and Bluray! ALL ON SALE! It paid to wait, save, and time my purchase for the closeout sale. 

Since then, I keep feeding that pig, almost everyday.  Whenever I empty it, I think of that purchase and how even pennies add up to make a difference. Patience, discipline pays off.  So I happily feed the pig.