Envelope / Develope

Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash Podcasts are having a second life in the current media environment (2020). People are reviving the old habit of listening to stories on different subjects and being close to interesting or "out-of-normal" events in a disconnected-when-I-have time manner. Podcasts are the new way to be informed with specialized info channels, when your life allows it. If Apple managed to monopolize and to spear-head the streaming music industry with the iPod/Apple store, some new companies are trying to grab the audiences build by niche players in the podcast world  - Spotify, Soundcloud. On the same vein, the broadcasting companies are trying to have a second wind from podcasting their shows, by making them free and then getting money from advertising by having millions of listeners. I compare the podcast industry with the auto industry of 1920s: many attempting to break the ice, a few with an effort to monopolize the streams. My predict...

Photo by Michael Longmire on Unsplash This post is a convergence of my thoughts after re-reading a few books I always recommended for novice investors: The little book of common sense investing by John Bogle Where are the customer's yachts by Fred Schwed Thieves of Bay Street by Bruce Livesey (for Canadian investors) The Four pillars of investing by Michael Bernstein and also the continuous reading of web sites posting ideas and analysis for the investing community: Seeking Alpha Morningstar Bogleheads Investing  I am writing because I have friends who don't have the time/inclination and maybe curiosity to look a little bit deeper than the Yahoo financial articles and Motley Fool articles about investing (where people are goaded to consider different companies just because arguments are presented with catchy pseudo-reasons). They are at an age where planning for retirement should be a priority but, for some reason, the basic education of how to do ...

As it happens with any traveler, I am using the big four trip booking companies - Booking, Expedia, Trip Advisor, AirBnB or Canadian equivalents. Over the years, I discussed with many hotel/lodging owners and everyone is saying they are not happy with the way they are represented and the cut the brokers are getting for only providing an interface and a common entry point for travelers. The broker companies offer convenience and service aggregation, a unique marketing platform and convenience for the user. It is a warehouse for a service (lodging), but many of the reviews are fake, misrepresenting the  reality. I realized there is competition about reviews, many companies are trying to get more and also veto the ones outside "reality". It is better to read the more recent ones. Companies like Google, Yelp (with many question marks), Trip Advisor are vying for people posting their last impressions or even their vacation photos. The reality is that the algorithms to promote t...

unsplash-logo Filip Mroz I used to watch the grand slam tennis matches and to observe the emotion of the players. Body language is a good indicator of what is happening with most of them. Their reaction on tense points or after long rallies is also an important indicator where their mind is. Small triggers based on spectators' reactions or referee's decisions are playing a role on their mind. You can see the maturity or the adolescence in some of their behaviors.  But you don't know how they judge and adjust during the match, what is crossing their mind and when the decisions are taken to employ a different tactic than before. And here is where the interviews with mass-media are shining some light about other side of their personalities, besides that of being a fantastic tennis player (because the majority of them are). We judge a sport based on the TV broadcasts instead of judging it based on the effort they put on to reach that level. If you have ever watched a...

Why the same financial analysis ends with yes instead of no, a few years later I am following the investment community by reading all the common sites - Seeking Alpha, Morningstar, Fast Graphs, etc..- and have the conviction there are gems left in the stock market and just a few people are acting on them. I keep also the view that there are business people totally unqualified for their position and pushed by market events to lead something beyond their understanding and comprehension. Those statements are coming from working in many start-ups which were acquired or imploded spectacularly and the investment community did not have a clue of real motives. The financial statements released every quarter forces a short (maybe medium) strategy in the life of a public company. In my MBA years I was so amused by all the case studies providing hints of the health of the company based only on those numbers. It helps to know the industry, to know the players and the direction it goes but mo...