April 2024 Portfolio Update
Topics: Quote, Portfolio & Discussion, Comments From Me, Books + Section for Paid subscribers (including detailed portfolios, investing idea for the month, & more)
Quote for this month:
“In investing and in life for that matter, you can’t choose outcomes, but you can choose the decisions that may get you the outcomes you want”- Todd Combs
Portfolio Update*
*I am NOT a financial advisor, I’m sharing my investing journey. Do your own research.*
Portfolio (Basic):
Portfolio Discussion
Currently the numbers as of 04/09/2024: (total) $310,603 - (other) $25,000 = (mine) 285,603.
I almost finished with my personal taxes and after going over the K1 for BSM 0.00%↑ with my CPA, the conclusion was that BSM can’t really be too big of a position for me and should definitely NOT be in my IRA account, with that knowledge (+ potential cut or lowering of the dividends) I have lowered my position in BSM (just a bit).
Dividends for March:
Comments From Me
Some of you may have noticed the reduced activity on the Substack in terms of content like deep dives, “more segments” in monthly update, etc. Big part of it has been I had to allocate much more time to my daily work and maneuver my business through the cyber attack on Change Healthcare which had impact on many healthcare related businesses including unfortunately mine. Long story short, things are a slowly getting back to normal but when you run your own business and have a family, life can be tough and hectic… I realized that I have not been as active so I will try my best to change that up as much as I can…
I have released a collab with
on NKE 0.00%↑Also will try my best to get out a write up for paid subscribers (yes I know I have been saying that for a while) + I wanted to do an update on ONFO 0.00%↑ and might have another collab in the works (currently discussing details).
If you want to do collaboration on my Substack send me DM
Next portfolio update will probably will be from Omaha…
Book
I realized that my descriptions of the books that I read may not always give them full credit as when I read these books and when I write about them, I only share one or two things that really stand out to me. So I have decided to also include a quick short description from Goodreads (no affiliations) so that way you get my thoughts but also more generic description to get a better feel for the books and in so hopefully adding them to your “to-read-list”.
This time around I finished three audiobook :
The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma by Mustafa Suleyman & Michael Bhaskar
YZ:
The Coming Wave, had really great beginning the way author spoke about AI of “past” and “present” were very entertaining, educational, and to me useful … but about half way in there was almost like a switch and I felt like I was reading complete different book. My knowledge about AI, synthetic biology, and quantum computing is very tiny but the way author was talking about the grim future that these technologies can bring was a bit too much for my taste. My feeling is that we as humans will adopt to new things just like we did to previous technologies with “push and pull” with “going overboard and then coming back down” and the governments and the people will adopt to everything some quicker some slower and that is normal.
My feeling (and again its just a feeling) when you know so much about the topics (like Mustafa Suleyman does) you can over dramatize and over think about possibilities while forgetting that we are just humans and for the most part life is not a movie and its never so dramatic and usually a lot more boring then we want.
Goodreads:
A warning of the unprecedented risks that AI and other fast-developing technologies pose to global order, and how we might contain them while we have the chance—from a co-founder of the pioneering artificial intelligence company DeepMind
We are approaching a critical threshold in the history of our species. Everything is about to change.
Soon you will live surrounded by AIs. They will organize your life, operate your business, and run core government services. You will live in a world of DNA printers and quantum computers, engineered pathogens and autonomous weapons, robot assistants and abundant energy.
None of us are prepared.
As co-founder of the pioneering AI company DeepMind, part of Google, Mustafa Suleyman has been at the center of this revolution. The coming decade, he argues, will be defined by this wave of powerful, fast-proliferating new technologies.
In The Coming Wave , Suleyman shows how these forces will create immense prosperity but also threaten the nation-state, the foundation of global order. As our fragile governments sleepwalk into disaster, we face an existential unprecedented harms on one side, the threat of overbearing surveillance on the other.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius by Donald J. Robertson
YZ:
The more books I listen (read) to about Stoicism the more I see how there is a lot of stoicism in my life without me actually realizing it or able to put a name on it.
I don’t like to put labels on things, so I will not be calling myself a Stoic, but there is a lot of things I found similar and I think more people can learn and practice if not all at least some techniques.
Goodreads:
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was the final famous Stoic philosopher of the ancient world. The Meditations, his personal journal, survives to this day as one of the most loved self-help and spiritual classics of all time. In How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, cognitive psychotherapist Donald Robertson weaves the life and philosophy of Marcus Aurelius together seamlessly to provide a compelling modern-day guide to the Stoic wisdom followed by countless individuals throughout the centuries as a path to achieving greater fulfillment and emotional resilience.
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor takes readers on a transformative journey along with Marcus, following his progress from a young noble at the court of Hadrian—taken under the wing of some of the finest philosophers of his day—through to his reign as emperor of Rome at the height of its power. Robertson shows how Marcus used philosophical doctrines and therapeutic practices to build emotional resilience and endure tremendous adversity, and guides readers through applying the same methods to their own lives.
Combining remarkable stories from Marcus’s life with insights from modern psychology and the enduring wisdom of his philosophy, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor puts a human face on Stoicism and offers a timeless and essential guide to handling the ethical and psychological challenges we face today.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
How to Say No: Regain Control of Your Life by Setting Boundaries and Saying “No” Without Feeling Guilty by Steven Hopkins
YZ:
Say No - was a quick read just to give myself a quick reminder that in a plane crash - “first you need to put a mask on yourself and then on others”. I think this book is a useful beginning guide to someone who has a problem with saying NO or if you are a people pleaser … like I used to be … its not healthy and you need to say No.
Goodreads:
Stop Being A People Pleaser! Learn how to say NO and put yourself first Without Feeling Guilty! Do you feel that your life is out of control? Do you think you have people-pleasing tendencies? Do you believe that you have to say yes to everyone's requests in order to maintain your friendships and social circles? If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then this book, How to Say No, is the ideal solution for you, as it is designed to give you all the answers that you need. After reading this book, you’ll be able to turn down requests and decline invitations with confidence and ease. You'll learn how to say no in every situation, in the workplace and at home, according to your convictions. You have the power to completely turn your life around and finally get what you want, put yourself first, and stop being so concerned with what other people think. And this guide will help you get there ten times faster! Here’s exactly what you will learn when you get your copy of “How to Say No” • The psychological reasons why you’re afraid of saying “no”. • The harmful beliefs you subconsciously possess and how to change them. • Where your people-pleasing tendencies come from and exactly what to do about them. • How to reprogram your beliefs and learn to accept and love yourself. • How to confidently ask for what you really want. • How to reclaim your time and energy and take control of your life by setting healthy boundaries. • Actionable tactics that you can use to say “no”, all without hurting anyone’s feelings. • PLUS BONUS a dedicated chapter on how to say “no” to your spouse, kids, parents, friends, neighbors, coworkers, clients, bosses, and strangers. •And so much more!
I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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IAC 0.00%↑ SFM 0.00%↑ SPOT 0.00%↑ BSM 0.00%↑ LKQ 0.00%↑ VMD 0.00%↑ PYPL 0.00%↑ WBD 0.00%↑ OPFI 0.00%↑ BUR 0.00%↑ MITK 0.00%↑ OZK 0.00%↑ OMAB 0.00%↑ TCS 0.00%↑ UG 0.00%↑
Section below is for paid subscribers…