The Wisdom Of The Ages 20 - WORLD - by Manoj Sharma
July 31, 2007
Contemplate the following and make sense of it…
Being fully engaged, while simultaneously, being completely disengaged from your world is possibly the toughest of human challenges you might ever face.
This world is both an illusion and reality, in which we tend to, live in delusion and unreality.
Once a human being starts to accept this world as a friend and also rejects it as an impostor, the human being can start to come into his/her own.
This world, your world, while not the be-all and end-all, needs to be lived in, as if it is.
It is impossible to check into this world and check out of it without personal consequence, so mindfulness is required.
It is pointless to attach yourself to the delights of this world and pointless to reject them. Strive for acceptance instead.
Creation, sustenance and destruction are the three facets of change and the foundation on which everything in our world exists.
The world while driven by consciousness, desire, selflessness, pleasure and empowering strategies easily falls into ego, fear, selfishness, pain and limiting strategies in that order.
If everything in the world was yours, would you then be satisfied?
Science has yet to illuminate our minds as to the true order and complete perspective of our world. It well could and probably will, and this would require a collaboration across the ages.
Financial and non-financial wealth have only one real purpose in this world, to fulfill their roles as contributions.
Consider your world as one essence, multiple expressions and a new awareness will automatically arise.
Your world, your creation. Your creation, your world.
This is the wisdom of the ages, inspired by insight and experience, influenced by the Thalmud, Bhagavad Gita, Oracle of Hachiman, Adi Granth, Logia, Munetada, Hadith, Sutra Krit Anga, The Bible, The Gospel of Thomas and Dhammapada.
Keep reading the above till the full meaning recreates itself as you.
As usual, please feel free to send me your thoughts and comments to Info@DifferWorld.com And if you’d like to explore how you, your teams and your organization can benefit from the above and other DifferWorld initiatives please feel free to call upon me (by clicking on the above hyperlink), or at DIFFERWORLD at SKYPE now!
The Wisdom Of The Ages 19 - GREED - by Manoj Sharma
July 31, 2007
Contemplate the following and make sense of it…
Allow greed and fear to bond to you through your ego is the highest price you can pay in the pursuit of financial and non-financial wealth.
All excess is the by product of some form of greed.
There there is greed, there cannot be contribution.
The wise seek slow acceleration of value, while the greedy seek fast acceleration of profit.
The bad news is that greed will lead you down the path of misery; the good news is there is no shortage of company there.
It is tough to find satisfaction, but easy to find greed on your pursuit.
To not suffer from the greed for results, the mind needs to seize to be greedy first.
A greed for possession never leads to a sufficiency of possession, just as a greed for money leads to a lack of appreciation of your true wealth.
The insatiable appetite of greed leads from zero to infinity.
No greed, equals, instant happiness.
The greedy person cultivates an enemy whom he/she considers a friend that follows him/her everywhere sabotaging every opportunity.
Where there is greed there is no lasting pleasure, no real gain, no peace, no tranquility, no happiness, no harmony and no contentment. We understand this and yet give in to our greed. Such is the power of greed.
The openness to greed is the darkness that blocks off the light of the mind.
This is the wisdom of the ages, inspired by insight and experience, influenced by the Sayings of Ramakrishna, Ecclesiastes, Visuddhimagga, Dhammapada, Hitopadesa, Analects, Panchatantra, Mahabharata and The Tao Teh Ching.
Keep reading the above till the full meaning recreates itself as you.
As usual, please feel free to send me your thoughts and comments to Info@DifferWorld.com And if you’d like to explore how you, your teams and your organization can benefit from the above and other DifferWorld initiatives please feel free to call upon me (by clicking on the above hyperlink), or at DIFFERWORLD at SKYPE now!
Where is the US Stock Market Heading
July 31, 2007
Is it a buy or sell market? Read the two articles below and decide for yourself.
Article 1
“Gyrating stock prices. Shrinking nest eggs. Spiking foreclosures on home mortgages. Worries that credit will dry up. It’s a high-wire balancing act for the Bush administration’s top economic officials as they cope with Wall Street’s recent turbulence and the fears and uncertainties left in its wake.
While acknowledging the turmoil, policymakers are seeking to project a calming confidence that the country’s economic health is fundamentally solid, and the economy will eventually make its way safely through the choppy waters. They’re being careful not to make the problems sound worse than they are, which could spread panic and aggravate the situation. At the same time, they don’t want to sound too much like a cheerleader, which can undermine credibility.“
To read more go to Shaky Times For Bush Economic Aides
Article 2
“It doesn’t take much when you’re near the tipping point. Last week Countrywide Financial said it had increased defaults on some of its home equity loans and several banks took unexpected charges against potential credit defaults. Suddenly investors reacted as if the whole world had changed. Their fears sent the popular stock averages to their biggest loss in almost five years and the bears proclaimed that the days of easy credit that has fed the bull market over the past 4 ½ years were finally over.”
To read more please go to How To Play The Market Sell Off
3 Basic Steps To Consider As A Value Investor by Manoj Sharma
July 31, 2007
There is surely no one way to spot, buy and profit from a value stock investment but the below should give you a basic and reasonably comprehensive guideline on what you need to pay attention to in your decision making process. The idea of course is to look at it as though you are buying into a business for the long term.
1) Start by Checking Out The Prospective Company’s…
- Historical Performance, Annual Growth Rate, Market Penetration Rates, Market Adoption, Business Strategies and so on through its Reports, Balance Sheets, Income and Cash Flows Statements
- Present Perceived / Known Brand Value, Competitive Advantages, Earnings Per Share & Overall Profitability
- Future Expected, Projected and Analyzed Growth Potential and see if they are favourable to you as you endeavour to gain a good grasp on its business.
2) Weight Out The Prospective Company’s…
- Short Term and Long Term Debts
- Asset to Liability Ratio
- Return on Equity
- Earnings Per Share
- Sales to Operational Expenditure inclusive of Research and Development Capital
- Maximum Decline in Per Share Earnings
- Dividend Policy and Payouts
- Price to Earning Ratio in relation to other company’s you might be looking to buy into.
3) Buy Into It If You Have Confidence In The Company’s…
- Capital Structure
- Business Strategy
- Key Management
- Management Share Holdings
- Share Price in Relation to Real Value
- General Stock Movement
- Future Brand Value
- Financial Regularities
- Cash Reserves
- Customer Base
- Board of Directors
As usual, please feel free to send me your thoughts and comments to Info@DifferWorld.com And if you’d like to explore how you, your teams and your organization can benefit from the above and other DifferWorld initiatives please feel free to call upon me (by clicking on the above hyperlink), or at DIFFERWORLD at SKYPE now!
Extracts from The World Wealth Report 2007 and Comments by Manoj Sharma
July 30, 2007
The following are extracts from The World Wealth Report 2007 by Capgemini and Merrill Lynch, a report I put a lot of credence in. The report is in italics with my thoughts and comments in bold thereafter.
High Net Worth Individual Financial Wealth Expectation
“High Net Worth Individual Financial Wealth is expected to reach US$51.6 trillion by 2011, growing at an annual rate of 6.8%.”
This is likely to meet its mark regardless of whichever way the global economy might progress.
Asia Pacific
“In Asia-Pacific, the overall High Net Worth Individual population grew by 8.6% in 2006, up from 7.3% in 2005. The region’s wealth grew by 10.5% in the same period. The High Net Worth Individual population of Singapore, Indonesia and Taiwan all enjoyed double-digit growth in 2006; India and China also posted significant gains. Market capitalization grew in select geographies - in China, for example. However, Japan’s growth, despite being home to the second largest High Net Worth Individual population in the world, was more anemic. Australia, one of the Asia-Pacific’s largest economies, experienced real GDP growth of 2.5% in 2006, down from 2.8% growth in 2005 - gains that were tempered by a drought that significantly affected the nation’s agricultural sector.”
Latin America
Latin America continued to add to its High Net Worth Individual population, with Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Chile leading the way. Real GDP growth in the region was 4.8% in 2006, reflecting China’s growing demand for local commodities as well as its mounting direct investment in the region, which accounted for roughly 16% of all foreign direct investment there by 2006, up from 2.9% in 2000. As we saw in last year’s World Wealth Report, Latin America’s High Net Worth Individual population grew faster than the global average, expanding by 10.2% in 2006, up from 9.7% in 2005. Wealth in the region grew by 23.2% in 2006.
The Middle East
The Middle East continued to benefit from relatively high oil prices and developed nations’ heavy dependence on fossil fuel. Even through oil prices eased somewhat during the second half of the year, they remained at historically high levels. At the same time, global demand increased by 0.9%, a trend that helped bolster current account surpluses in the region. The Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) continued to drive wealth creation throughout the region.
High Net Worth Individual Population Growth
The High Net Worth Individual population growth for 2005 - 2006 was 21.2% Singapore, 20.5% India, 16% Indonesia, 15.5% Russia, 15.4% United Arab Emirates, 14.1% Korea, 13.3% South Africa, 12.9% Israel, 12.6% Czech Republic, 12.2% Hong Kong.
Please notice Singapore, India and Indonesia leading the pack and China’s absence. It is highly likely in the 2008 report that China may well dramatically leap forward and possibly even head the list. As to whether Hong Kong will also show a significant increase in the population of High Net Worth Individual’s is still very much up in the air.
2007 Growth to Temper as Mature Economies Grow More Moderately
Following the stock market recovery of 2003, and the resurgence of real GDP growth a year later, 2005 turned in stable performance on the key drivers of wealth. The year 2006 built on earlier gain and reaped the benefit of both market capitalization and GDP growth. Looking ahead, however, the Economics Intelligence Unit forecasts a slowdown in the real GDP global growth rate to 4.8%, in 2007 and 2008, down from 5.4% growth in 2006. As more mature markets, such as the United States, enter a period of more moderate expansion after several years of vigorous growth, the effects will be felt throughout the world. Also, with many central banks outside the United States tightening their monetary policies, the period of high liquidity that has so simulated recent growth may soon come to an end.
So with a slowdown being forecasted for 2007 by the EIU what explains the massive stock market growth well into mid July 2007? Outside of some massive infrastructure investments, pulling of investment dollars into emerging markets, and general public liquidity and optimism post 2000 -2003, there is only one other explanation and that is that the pendulum is swinging on momentum, ignoring even rising oil prices, and is not following fundamentals. This is fueled by a global appetite for speculative profits, all of which from a historic standpoint should result in a contraction and return to sanity by mid 2008 as well as a greater influx of capital into well governed markets, when the penny eventually drops.
The decline in certain housing markets and downturn of the sub-prime mortgage sector is expected to slow the United States economy in 2007. Further, the country’s high consumer debt level has helped fuel a negative household saving rate; although, we are beginning to see a reversal of this trend, albeit a slow one.
The same seems destined to be true outside of the United States of any steeply rising property market and will be even more so if there is a significant contraction in that economy, resulting in negative household savings and possible foreclosures if employment figures cannot be efficiently resurrected.
The Asia Pacific market has experienced strong gain in recent years and should continue to do so in 2007, though at a decelerating rate. As we’ve come to expect, this growth should be fueled by China and India as their economies continue to race ahead. However, as consumption moderates in the United States, a market on which China is very dependent, Asian growth should be a bit slower than the past. Real GDP growth in Japan is expected to remain stable, at around 2% for the next several years, as the United States and China continue to grow, although at a slower pace. China and the United States account for nearly 40% of Japanese export revenue. One possible bright spot; land prices increased in 2006, for the first time in 16 years, pointing to a possible recovery of the Japanese housing market.
Two things to take note of from this.
Firstly, if by end 2007, the Asia Pacific markets do not post an overall decelerating growth rate - which would mean that the Asia Pacific economies have grown sustainably - the effect of non-decelerating growth should be felt more heavily in 2008.
Secondly, for future property price reference, especially for developed economies, it is important to note that Japan’s land prices did not increase in 16 years from 1990 - 2006. This marks a clear precedence that property prices do not necessarily have to go up even in land locked nations.
The countries of Latin America have been experiencing a boom relating to rising commodity prices and rapid economic expansion of trading partners, such as China. However, commodity prices are expected to decrease in 2007 and 2008 as global demand slows and output increases. On the other hand, oil prices are expected to remain at their historically high levels, which should help offset the decline in commodity prices. Overall, the Economic Intelligence Unit predicts Latin America real GDP growth will edge back to 4% in 2007 and 3.8% in 2008.
Again a conservative prediction of an emerging market by EIU. Economies are cyclical and oversupply and overstocking of commodities and is always a factor in the slowing down of an economy. It is highly doubtful that too many emerging economies have excellence in supply chain management. One of the first to suffer as a result of this optimism and them overstocking is the ease to lay of workers and trigger unemployment which sets a chain effect in motion.
Over the past several years, we have seen record revenues in oil-producing nations, many of which are located in the Middle East. With oil prices predicted to remain high by historical standards for the near future, the region is likely to continue growing at a rather robust rate. Also, this trend is likely to benefit non-oil producing nations, as oil rich countries look to diversify their investments beyond their own borders. Forecasters expect the Middle East to experience 5.7% real GDP growth in 2007, and 5.2% in 2008, a slight deceleration from 5.7% real GDP growth in 2006.
This deceleration has obviously not happen up to this point and may not altogether. But is oil priced at an unsustainable level? All things considered, the answer not just with respect to oil, but to all energy sources has to be in the affirmative.
While economic growth in select countries may accelerate through 2008, many economies are likely to decelerate in terms of real GDP growth. The dual risk of rising energy prices and geopolitical conflicts are a continued threat, adding a level of uncertainty to our current forecast.
Some Truisms Of Wise Investments by Manoj Sharma
July 30, 2007
A wise and profitable investment strategy requires a strong financial quotient and a stronger emotional quotient to adjust the investment strategy without it breaking down in the face of fear, greed and ego.
The more erratic market conditions are the greater the opportunities that lie in it, as the more other people’s financial and emotional quotients become stretched past their competency levels.
Any wise investment should be looked at as a compounded ownership of that investment for the long term. And it is up to you to remain vigilant as to your investment.
All investment markets shift from unrealistic to realistic to unrealistic and will continue to do so in a general upward climb, ceteris paribus. The wise investor keep abreast through gaining knowledge and understanding there is a time for everything.
Wise investments are made profitable by buying from emotional pessimists and selling to emotional optimists.
Even people with the highest financial quotients are most often wrong. The key is to reduce your financial, emotional and mental miscalculations by sharpening your mental quotient, building a “margin of error” into you financial quotient decisions making and developing a solid emotional quotient. This starts with knowing your personal motivators such as fears & desires, appreciating your personal gravitation thresholds for pain & pleasure, identifying your personal empowering & limiting strategies, truthfully acknowledging your selfish & selfless orientations and understanding the personal relationship between your ego & level of consciousness. Take a look at any great investor and you will find the above to be true.
When it comes to investments, the future is always a mirror of the past, as the little quirk of humanity, of not studying the past enough to repeat it, is always taking place.
Any endeavour to beat the market is a product of one’s ego and will ultimately result in a lack of emotional discipline and an erosion of both financial and mental quotients in your decision making. If though investing wisely you happen to beat the market, then you happen to beat the market.
A truly wise investor is always looking to create real value, protect real value, grow real value, enjoy real value and give real value in their approach towards true wealth. This requires emotional patience in looking for real value, financial discipline in identifying real value, mental coachability to learn about and independently think about real value.
Every experienced and successful long term wise investor will be able to tell you that if any of your investment decisions are made out of fear, greed or ego, reassess them immediately as you will be systematically building a trait that will ultimately lead to poor decision making in the long run.
Keep in mind that the wisest investments are not found where the spotlight is brightest and hottest, that the tide by nature has to always turn and that high and low tides have an effect on all ships.
Every decision is a human decision and every investment is a human investment. First seek to understand the psychology of human beings, then seek to understand the psychology of investments.
As usual, please feel free to send me your thoughts and comments to Info@DifferWorld.com And if you’d like to explore how you, your teams and your organization can benefit from the above and other DifferWorld initiatives please feel free to call upon me (by clicking on the above hyperlink), or at DIFFERWORLD at SKYPE now!
I Don’t Believe That Makes Good Business Sense by Sir Richard Branson
July 29, 2007
“A generation ago, the image was that you had to trample everyone else down to succeed - but I don’t believe that makes good business sense.
If you’re the kind of person that jumps down the throat of people, you’re not going to be successful.” — Sir Richard Branson
With Extreme Wealth Comes Extreme Responsibility by Sir Richard Branson
July 29, 2007
“With extreme wealth comes extreme responsibility. And the responsibility for me is to invest in creating new businesses, create jobs, employ people, and to put money aside to tackle issues where we can make a difference.” — Sir Richard Branson
Do The Financially Wealthy Suffer Less
July 29, 2007
Some people seem to think so, or at least wish so in their pursuit of financial wealth believing it to be a solution to problems. And some of those who do possess some degree of financial wealthy would certainly like you to believe so.
Well, if you think the financially wealthy do not have financial, mental, emotional, physical & spiritual challenges, read the following extracts from various recent articles as an sample and think again. As you do so, please keep in mind this is not true of all with great financial wealth but speak volumes for the need for great mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wealth to complement great financial wealth. — Manoj Sharma
Problems of Financially Wealthy Family # 1
“…killed by the IRA while fishing with his grandson…”
“…died of cancer in 1991, at the age of five…”
“…an epic struggle with drink and drugs…”
“…dropped out of Edinburgh University after just six weeks…”
“…arrested and cautioned by police after being found in possession of cannabis…”
“…punk haircut, became heavily tattooed, and moved on to harder narcotics…”
“…parents are reported to have taken steps to prevent him assuming full control of the inheritance…”
Problems of Financially Wealthy Family #2
“…his world was emptied when his son, Alexandros, died in a plane crash in Athens in 1973…”
“…each of her four marriages ended in divorce….”
“…she pursued a decadent lifestyle, her weight oscillated unhealthily and she died aged 37 in 1988, lonely and despairing…”
Problems of Financially Wealthy Family #3
“…hedonism knew no bounds…”
“…twice imprisoned for drugs offences…”
“…jailed for three years for his part in planning a jewelery robbery…”
Problems of Financially Wealthy Family #4
“…three-year-old sex tape of her with her then boyfriend…”
“…making racist comments that were caught on film…”
“…jailed in California after a string of driving offences…”
Problems of Financially Wealthy Family #5
“…shot dead in Miami…”
“…is said to have asked, aghast: “Why did (he) choose me?…”
“…the family has faced further crises…”
“…label has struggled financially…”
“…admitted to an addiction to cocaine…”
“…undergone a public struggle with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa…”
For the identity of the families and to read the full original article please go to The Curse of Wealth
More Problems Of The Financially Wealthy
“There are two problems the super-wealthy have to face.
First, new money likes to emulate old money, so the things the rich want to buy have been around for a long time. They aren’t making any more stucco-fronted houses in Belgravia; Monet has long since hung up his paintbrush; and even a few gallons of Lafite Rothschild can take a while to knock out. It doesn’t matter how much demand rises, the supply can’t be increased.
Next, after the first $300,000, which is surely enough to satisfy most human desires, what the rich are really interested in is what economists call “positional goods.” They want things that prove to the rest of the world just how wealthy they are. Inevitably, they end up bidding against all the other newly rich people for a relatively small number of items. For both reasons, demand will outstrip supply — and you don’t need to be much of an economist to know that prices will continue to rise.”
To read the original article in full please go to There Has Never Been A Tougher Time To Be Wealthy by Matthew Lynn
Choice and The Creative Process by Ralph Eggleston
July 28, 2007
If you know me well, you will know that I love Disney, have come to love Pixar and highly value creative people and their insights. The following are exquisite quotes from Ralph Eggleston, the Art Director at Pixar.
“Everything was a choice. The color, the texture, the objects, the lighting, the bounced lighting, the reflection. Everything was a choice, a very, very carefully chosen choice. Lots of sweat, blood and tears, believe me.” — Ralph Eggleston explaining how everything is a matter of choice.
“The storytelling and the emotional content is what gets into my heart and soul and brain and then eventually down my arm and out of my hand onto the paper.” - Ralph Eggleston elaborating on how his process of creation takes places.