Walking Dead

I just caught the walking dead on AMC yesterday. It fits into my zombie-end of the world fascination very nicely. Replacing True Blood for my Sunday night indulgence.

My end of the world perspective is reflected in my investment approach these days - don't look. Oh well.
I know weight watchers is down... I am now interested in these exchange-traded funds... investing abroad isn't that easy to do stock by stock I guess. For little guys, we have to pay commissions and fees.

So.. we have 2 shares of WTW, 1 of  AGN: we are down about $40.. not terrible- but not great.. our $300 is now about $260... Not too exciting I guess.. I think after New Years - WTW might pick up?

Botox

Thank you college friends for breathing a little life .. an injection of capital and an investment lead..

Botox is being used for migraines - so why not invest in it (or the company that makes it, Allergan/AGN).
Only trouble is, like with WTW, we can only buy a share! But I will do it for posterity's sake!!

Tough to make money without a lot of money.. next challenge.. figure out how to get in on put and calls. I did buy a bond myself (3 month T-bill) - and that was slightly less complicated than starting the investment club. But I think the work for puts and calls could pay off. I have been reading "The Big Short" and might be more delusional than usual.. but why not I say.

Next task: blog graphics. Melanie made this cute drawing.. a starting point!

We're still here (at least I am)

Finally - three or four (or five??) months later we have successfully bought 2 - yes 2 whole shares!! - of weight watchers stock.
What was the hold up you ask? Well, I have tons of excuses.. which I would be happy to share if I were half as creative as Melanie (but in short - Aspergers, vasectomy, and lots of paperwork, faxes and bs).
But I persevered ( I suppose).
Sadly, our 2 shares have fallen - and all we probably are down about 10 bucks. But the hard part is over. Now the fun part (don't give up on me yet Melanie!).. buying some stocks. WTW was a little expensive. (btw- my "porn" stock is holding its own, but certainly not sending me into early retirement)..

That is the update from my end.  The market is down - good time to buy? Will see what ideas are peculating at the neighbor's Belmont stakes gathering..???

I FOUND IT!!!

Okay, so everything that I do takes DAYS, MONTHS, YEARS!! I have been obsessing about getting a new toilet seat since last summer. I went to the hardware store yesterday, I bought one, and I installed it. ALL BY MYSELF! I am so proud that I just wanted to take a photo and facebook it. I stare at it everytime I walk by. I AM PROUD!! I even tried it out. When I was growing up, my Dad installed the toilet seats. In my adult life, mommy installs the toilet seats, buys oil tanks, and tries to figure out how to invest $$. I am 36 and just about ready to embark on this adventure. Just so you know, home improvement, weight loss, and investments all have a lot in common. When you get in control of one or the other, some other things just fall into place. So I joined weight watchers 4 weeks ago, I have lost 7 pounds, then I finally got the toilet seat, and now my confidence is soaring, so I hunted down the roth. When one thing is working, it all seems to work. In a previous post I mentioned that I had started a pathetic ROTH IRA through my little part time job. I started it last July when my kids were in summer camp for 20 minutes and I had a minute to start a retirement account. I have been wondering since last July where this money is and how much I have, and where it is located. Well, guess what?? I FOUND IT! I wanted to take a picture and facebook it! "Look- it's my fidelity account!" I even have a user name and password, which I don't remember ever creating. The point is, I am taking control. I even started on-line banking, as if this is a new invention. On Thursday, our good friend Bern got divorced. It was sad, and happy and a cause for drinks and celebrating. After some liquid cheer, I bring up the on-line banking- do my friends know that this exists? That you can pay a bill without a stamp and a check? They were so bored that I was even bringing this up. Bern has never eaten chicken on a bone or cooked a potato, but she can totally pay all her bills on-line. I compare it to the invention of the lightbulb, and they have been at it for years. Why didn't anyone tell me? I felt sort of dumb...Like I said, at 36 I am still learning to be a grown-up. I am just learning to bank on-line, to install toilet seats and I am working my way up to the purchase of stock. Then I will be a real woman, when I bank on line and purchase stock. I am almost there! Christine had me sign my name to some sort of banking document to set up a bank account. It's going to be truly real any day now!

$20 is a lot of money??

Okay, so I am out in the world trying to recruit people- GEES! I went to get my "Rapunzel" hair cut trimmed by my very cool hair dresser with a sleeve of tattoos. A "Tat sleeve?" is that the term? Well, she is a cool hair dresser mom, who happens to like tattoos and cocktails. She has apparently alienated all the parents in her daughter's class because her daughter had some "behavioral issues", and now she wants to move to another school district. I have always wanted to hang out with her, and intend to invite her for coffee everytime I get my hair cut (for the last 6 years), but always forget or move on. While I was inviting her to join the mythical investment group, she hacked my hair worse than normal and now I have a female version of the mullet, instead of my once cute "rapunzel." I keep ruining the end of the movie for everyone when I explain to them that the inspiration of my hair cut is when Eugene cuts off Rapunzel's blonde pony at the end of Tangled. There, I just ruined it for you too. So, I explain the very casual stock investing idea to Jean, and she is confused and claims that her husband handles all the finances. She has some stocks that she inherited, and gets a dividen? check for (see I can't even spell dividend?- the check you get when your stock makes money). Then she claims that $20 is a lot every month. Look, I think that I totally wasted $20 yesterday on mighty beans and plastics easter eggs. How much do tattoos costs? Gees, maybe she could get half a tattoo next time and invest something. All the while, she is saying "Sure, I'll do it." But she is looking at the ground. I live intuitively. She is not interested.

never blogged before...

I have never blogged before, but this is on my to-do list for the week. Blog. Set up on-line banking. loose 2 pounds. buy toilet seat. I guess I should start by saying a few words about our founder. Christine has always saved me from everything horrible. I found her when I was lonely and trapped in those first stages of mother hood. Alone in my living room with a cranky baby for 7 months, I found a true friend and companion. First she saved me from loneliness by becoming my south shore "sister" and my family. Then when I was going psychotic from my 750 square foot cottage, she employed me. I had 2 kids in a SMALL space. I couldn't have anyone over EVER- there was no place to play or put anything, and I could never have my sisters or parents come to visit because it was a long drive for them, and I had no where for anyone to sleep! It truly felt like a lonely prison. Christine employed me, I saved every dime, and we built an addition. It changed me as a person. I felt open and inviting again. It probably saved my marriage! Christine even found the builder. She just always saves me from everything, so I decided to just go with this investment group of hers. She has always opened doors for me, so she told me to blog, so I will.
        So at 10pm one night, she kept texting to come up with a name for our mythical investment group. I know this friend of a friend who makes alcoholic drinks mixing vodka with strange things, and she is called "liquor chick."- so I was trying to think of something sexy like that. My husband was bouncing back ideas as well and somehow came up with "Chick in Stock." This is not sexy at all! In fact it sounds just like dumpy housewives. I was caught up in how cute & clever it was. Motivated Christine went and got a tax ID the next day. Then we thought of Stocks and Stockings, which is way sexier but it was too late. She says the woman at town hall were asking all kinds of invasive questions like, "who are your officers?" NO ONE! Is this even real? Over the last few weeks we've been asking people if they are interested. It is fascinating how people say "Sure sounds great!" Then they look at the ground and change the subject. I have been trying hard to "live intuitively." THis basically means that I am trying to go with my first thoughts and instincts about situations, and trust me, no one in our social circle wants anything to do with this stock thing. So we will continue to try to recruit people, heck, I still need to be recruited. I was basically kidnapped! I dont know anything about stocks or buying or selling them. Isn't that what people with money do?? I have no money to speak of. I have one bought one bond in my life, for my niece. I just let my savings sit in basically an interest free passbook account. I'm pathetic! I started a Roth IRA through work, and I don't even know how to find it to check on it (it's been 7 months! I think it's fidelity, but I don't know how to access it at all!) I don't know a thing about stocks, or how they make money.
    One night, over wine (or beer, or whiskey, I don't know) Christine explained it in very preschool terms. It seems so easy and exciting! Plus we are working with little funds- only asking $100 from people up front and then maybe $20 a month. But I started to get excited and come up with ideas. We did buy a porn stock that first night. I was thinking that Charlie Sheen and his break down was big in the news, and he is living with those porn star "goddess'." and that people may buy some porn to check out Sheen's girlfriends in action. I don't think that stock is doing very well, but hey- it's Christine's money. So when we finally do get a bank account (Christine is working on that...) our first stock purchase it going to Weight Watchers. I went to a meeting last week and they were all out of supplies because Jennifer Hudson is inspiring all the fat people. Christine says that WW stock keeps going up. Is blogging pointless? Did I just waste a half hour of my life? Well, here's to trusting Christine and crossing one thing off my to-do list.