Life is what you make of it

After some reflection, I have come to realization that importance is only as necessary as one's view of themself. With a great sense of self, many great things can happen but only on such a necessary level as oneself. That means, truly feeling good and doing good and being a strong, moral and ethical human and what are truly important.

Today's Financial Crisis

This seems like a rerun of Cramer's Mad Money. Take a few important things away from last week. First the shorts got burned big by Kirk (GM) . Going from the most shorted stock to what some think will be another Chrysler turnaround. Just in time for S&P to downgrade GM to junk status. The credit markets are scrabbling but remember who is charge. The Central Bankers. That is why he Treasury decided to start selling the 30 year bond again. That alone will add revenue to all the financials. The Bankers are saying that monetary policy is sound and if we continue to buy more imports than exports, our counterparties (Japan, China and GB) will need a place to put these extra reserves. In this case, they are buying US Treasuries! Not to mention that there are rumors about several Hedge Funds going belly up. Gives you tingles of 1998 all over again. This will cause an inlection point were the central bankers take note and allow the banks access to capital. The Fed is raising rates(measured albeit) but assuring the invesment world that liquidity will still be available. For those of you who aren't already drunk on this punch, due to the inflation of your home, the market is in perfect position to take off. Low inflation, low rates, and double digit growth on the EPS of the S&P! Just watch! One last note to the traders who cause the volatility, think for yourself and you won't get flushed out.

National Campionship

USC - National Championship game
The best school in this national that allows cocktails, anywhere!
Here is what Ralph Russo had to say:

Leinart says he wants to return to USC next season
By RALPH D. RUSSO, AP Sports WriterDecember 12, 2004
AP - Dec 7, 5:36 pm ESTMore PhotosNEW YORK (AP) -- Matt Leinart owns a Heisman Trophy and a national title -- and he's got a shot at another championship coming up in less than a month.
The Southern California quarterback is likely to be a high first-round NFL draft choice in April if he decides to skip his senior season.
It would seem as though Leinart must be a lock to go pro, right? No so fast: He's been saying since last year he wants to use all of his college eligibility. And moments after clutching the Heisman, he hadn't changed his tune.
``That's a question I get asked a lot,'' the fourth-year junior said Saturday night after becoming the Trojans' sixth Heisman winner. ``But I'm sticking to my word that I still intend to return for my fifth year.
``I'm aware of the opportunity; we'll see what happens.''
Leinart won what was thought to be a close race most of the season rather handily. The 6-foot-5 left-hander received 1,325 points and won all but one of the six voting regions. He finished third in the Southwest behind Oklahoma teammates Adrian Peterson and Jason White.
The close race was for second, where Peterson edged White 997-957. White, last year's winner, was trying to join Ohio State's Archie Griffin as the only two-time winners of college football's biggest individual prize.
``They're both No. 1 in my eyes,'' Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said.
Leinart and the top-ranked Trojans will face White, Peterson and the Sooners in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 4 in the first matchup of players with Heisman trophies.
White said Griffin, who won the Heisman in 1974-75, tracked him down after the presentation ceremony.
``He said ... 'Wish you could have joined me,''' White said.
``I think he might have a guy coming up who might join him,'' White added, referring to Peterson.
The 210-pound tailback set a new Heisman standard for freshmen: He was the first to finish higher than third in the voting. Peterson's point total was also a freshman record, besting Georgia tailback Herschel Walker's 683 in 1980.
Peterson's freshman season will go down as one of the best in college football history. He has rushed for 1,843 yards and 15 touchdowns with a freshman-record 11 100-yard games. He's only 20 yards from breaking the NCAA's season rushing record for freshmen, set by Wisconsin's Ron Dayne in 1996.
Utah quarterback Alex Smith was fourth, and USC tailback Reggie Bush was fifth.
Smith is a junior, and Bush is a sophomore, so it's possible four of the five Heisman finalists could be playing college football next season. Leinart will undoubtedly enter next season as a Heisman favorite if he's back, but Peterson and Bush will also have plenty of momentum.
Bush has scored 15 touchdowns and provided some of the most dazzling plays of the season as a do-it-all tailback for USC.
Leinart became USC's second Heisman winner in three years; Carson Palmer won it in 2002 and now plays quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals. The Trojans had four Heisman-winning tailbacks from 1965-81 -- starting with Mike Garrett, now the Trojans' athletic director, followed by O.J. Simpson in '68, Charles White in '79 and Marcus Allen.
``I told (Bush), 'You'll be standing up there next season,' and he said, 'I know,''' Garrett said.

Investing

Here are a few thoughts I have with regards to investing properly and to make sure retirement is a possibility. It is imperative that you begin saving a certain percentage from your paycheck and invest it into something that is very balanced. That means broad stock and bond funds (or indexes) that have performed well for the last 15 years. The last five years have taught us the Mr. Market can react with wild swings that can make the most savy traders shudder. If one tries to beat Mr. Market, a lot of work is needed. I believe very intently on what Ben Graham, David Dodd, and Warren Buffett have to say about investing with a value bias. It makes sense to buy something that has a large margin of safety and should return good returns over the long run. Financial Advisors provide some assistance if you can find one that is trustworthy. Make sure they provide what is called "Alpha", or better returns with lower risk. Risk is the key. By making sure your portfolio never declines over a large degree (i.e. 5-15%), you will have a higher base to compound from. Remember that compounding is the most powerful tool you have to accumulate wealth. That means if you began with $100,000 and saved $50,000 per year for 20 years (assuming a small 5%), you would have $926,648.65! These are some beginning thoughts for investors who find this page. I will have more postings about financial theories like EMT and modern portfolio theory.

Getting married

I am finally getting married to the most wonderful person in the world! Her name is Leah Quinlan. We are so happy and thought this poem might fit with what we are embarking on.

The Promises of Marriage

Marriage is a promise of companionship,
of having someone to share
all of life's experiences.

Marriage does not promise that there will
not be any rough times,
just the assurance that there will
always be someone
who cares and will help you through
to better time.
Marriage does not promise eternal romance,
just eternal love and commitment.
Marriage can't prevent disappointments,
disillusionment, or grief,
but it can offer hope, acceptance,
and comfort.
Marriage can't protect you from making
individual choices
or shelter you from the world,
but it will help to reassure you
that there is someone by your side
who truly cares.
When the world hurts you
and makes you feel vulnerable,
marriage offers the promise that there will
be someone waiting to listen,
to console, to inspire.
Marriage is the joining of two people
who share the promise
that only marriage can make -
to share the sunshine and the shadows,
and to experience a richer, more fulfilling life
because of it.