Tuesday, December 31, 2019

19 important things you should know about PowerShares QQQ before you buy it

Here is the article.

My thoughts 


I search Google to compare QQQ vs VTI, and I like to figure out which one is better. As a software programmer, I know that it is so hard for me to get into those top software companies, but I should invest them early in 2010.

I like to invest $10,000 US dollars into QQQ or VTI, and see the growth of the fund in next 7 years.





Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ)

Here is the link.


Actionable Items


I have to think about when to invest NASDAQ-100 index fund. It is similar to Vanguard ETF VTI, technology information fund.




Top 4 ETFs to Track the Nasdaq as of October 2018

Here is the link.

Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ)

  • Issuer: Invesco
  • AUM: $74.1 billion
  • 2018 YTD Performance: 19.95%
  • Expense Ratio: 0.20%
Fondly known as "the Qubes" on the Street, Invesco's QQQ trust is one of the oldest and most widely traded ETFs in the world. The fund tracks the Nasdaq 100, which is made up of the largest global non-financial companies listed on the market. Moreover, its internal rules skew it even more toward the technology sector, adding to its volatility. The information technology sector, for example, currently accounts for nearly 57% of the fund's portfolio. The fund is weighted heavily toward large-cap growth companies (over 50%).
Despite its potential drawbacks, QQQ is an extremely inexpensive fund compared with its peers. Its one-year, three-year and five-year annualized returns are 28.72%, 23.40%, and 19.98%, respectively. 

15 best investments in 2019

Here is the article.

  1. Certificates of deposit
  2. Money market accounts
  3. Treasury securities
  4. Government bond funds
  5. Municipal bond funds
  6. Short-term corporate bond funds
  7. Dividend-paying stocks
  8. High-yield savings account
  9. Growth stocks
  10. Growth stock funds
  11. S&P 500 index fund
  12. REITs
  13. Rental housing
  14. Nasdaq 100 index fund
  15. Industry-specific index fund


Portfolio Theory - MIT open course ware

Dec. 31, 2019

Introduction


I spent whole day to watch the course called Portfolio theory. It is the right time for me to learn something from MIT open course ware.

Course study


Here is the link.


Software engineer position with $190,000 US dollars/ year

Dec. 31, 2019

Introduction


It is my personal finance research. I like to bring open discussion how to compete those $190,000 US dollars/ year SDE II bottom mark in the city of Seattle.

Salary jump 


There are huge difference from software programmer in Vancouver, and low end of software programmer makes $33,000 US dollars/ year. Over $150,000 US dollars are the difference.

Recently I talked to one of mock interviewees, and understood that it took less than two year from an undergraduate to be promoted to SDE II position. The total package in Seattle for SDE II is close to $190,000 US dollars.

240 algorithms 


I like to push myself to solve another 240 algorithms. I solved 460 algorithms, so if I can push myself to solve another 240 algorithm, every month I solve 50 algorithms, so I can complete 700 algorithms on Leetcode.com.

It is so hard for me and all candidates to improve system design or communication. Only viable solution is to work on more algorithms, so that a person with 700 solved algorithms will have more confidence in terms of problem solving using algorithm and data structure.




Ses 15: Portfolio Theory III & The CAPM and APT I

Here is the link.

MIT 15.401 Finance Theory I, Fall 2008 View the complete course: http://ocw.mit.edu/15-401F08 Instructor: Andrew Lo

Seymour mountain skiing trip on Dec. 29, 2019

Dec. 31, 2019

Introduction


It was such a great trip I took on Dec. 29, 2019. I spent over three hours to ski and also enjoyed the sports.

My trip


Here are highlights:
1. It took me 17 minutes to drive to north gate community center;
2. I took the shuttle around 4:15 PM and it took 40 minutes to the top of mountain;
3. The cost of rental and air lift ticket is cheaper, I spent $35.00 dollars for each;
4. First time I took lift car. It was so exciting.
5. I fell on the snow because I could not slow down the speed and lost control. I wore the helmet, but I heard big sound of helmet and my back of head hitting on the snow;
6. I spent $10 dollars rental of helmet; it is important to prevent head injury, I studied more after the trip.
7. The shuttle costed me $10.00 dollars. I took 9:00 PM shuttle to park gate community. I got home around 10:00 PM. I took 17 minutes to drive and tried to catch 10:00 PM mock interview.

Expense report


I spent close to $100 dollars for skiing trip.


Picture and videos


I also took some pictures and videos as well.














Videos




Actionable Items


I have to learn more about how to slow down and break, safety concern, and how to prevent injury in skiing.

10 reasons fail to work on IRA CD/ 401 K/RRSP from 2010 April to 2019 January

Dec. 31, 2019

Introduction


It is my new year resolution time. I like to figure out what I should do. One thing I like to learn is to analyze my financial behavior and then learn the lesson from the past 10 years mistake on my USA IRA CD.

10 reasons I do not work on IRA CD


I can think about and then analyze my financial knowledge, my life style, and also my personality and my problem solving skills.

I put $20,000 US dollars IRA CD with Amtrust bank and earn minimum interest. I made decision in 2009, and then I never thought about that is a huge mistake, I need to fix it as soon as possible. That is the reason it took me 10 years to figure out.

I try to save time and put 10 reasons.

1. Time management skills - need the serious review
2. My life style - work on weight loss, tennis sport, Christian activities, algorithm study
3. Personal finance study - I need to work on finance literacy
4. Curiosity - I need to learn my 401 K Charles Schwab website, download every month statement
5. Single as a family - I need to catch up a lot of skills
6. Hold high standard to manage my resources - time, money and skills
7. Aim top 10% job - Wealth, money, risk management
8. Self-learner - I need to push myself to be a self-learner
9. Research ability - how to explore the new area, and learn the basics
10. Reserve time for my own - brainstorm ideas to find leaks in my personal finance
11. Retirement research - I should work on the research instead of watching Netflix TV shows

From 2010 to 2019 the return will be more than 300% if I put into S & P 500 index fund. I learned the bull market and return over 300% until this May 2019.

I need to review my decision making process; I should work on reviewing process, I should not be so biased.

Actionable Items


I cannot retire and make a living on passive income from my portfolios and rental income. Even though I like to choose to be frugal, be minimalist starting from 2019 January, I still have to continue to work on other issues.

I need to find time to read a book or watch a video and learn from a lesson.



Ses 14: Portfolio Theory II

Here is the link.

MIT 15.401 Finance Theory I, Fall 2008 View the complete course: http://ocw.mit.edu/15-401F08 Instructor: Andrew Lo

Ses 13: Risk and Return II & Portfolio Theory I

Here is the link of one hour lecture from MIT.


Case study: remove k digits - using stack linear time complexity

Dec 31, 2019

Case study


Case study: remove k digits - brute force solution time complexity O(kn)

Dec. 31, 2019

I like to write down a short case study on this mock interview.

Case study


Actionable Items


Compared to the interviewee, I spent over 40 minutes to solve remove k digits in weekly contest, and then it took me another hour to write a brute force solution. In other words, I should learn from SDE II engineer in Seattle, and see how he approached the problem and solved it in less than 15 minutes. 
Here is my discussion post. 

Case study: mock interview questions and answers

Dec. 31, 2019

Introduction


It is my mock interview 10:00 PM on Dec. 30, 2019. I met an engineer and then we had some discussion about the career after algorithm interview. I like to write down the discussion, and will continue to think about questions and my answers.

Case study


I gave algorithms to the interviewee to work on, he solved remove k digits, and next he came out the idea to solve find median from data stream. After the 50 minutes, we had 20 minutes discussion. We both asked questions and gave out the answers.

1. Do you feel bored after working same job 10 years?

2. How do you get promoted? What is quarterly promotion?

3. Annual performance review with quarterly promotion?

4. What is bottom of band SDE II in Seattle? $190,000 US dollars.

5. Comparison between Vancouver and Seattle: $30,000 US dollars vs $190,000 US dollars, 15.78% in cost.

6. Junior experience - 1.5 years

Investment books to read

Some of the brightest investing minds:
  • Ben Graham
  • Charlie Ellis
  • Charlie Munger
  • Ed Thorp
  • Henry Singleton
  • Howard Marks
  • Joel Greenblatt
  • John Kenneth Galbraith
  • John Maynard Keynes
  • John Templeton
  • Peter Bernstein
  • Peter Lynch
  • Phil Carret
  • Stan Druckenmiller
  • Walter Schloss
  • Warren Buffett
I like to look up internet and find books to read. Those investors are great teachers for me to learn. 

Monday, December 30, 2019

The first big career choice you make can haunt you for years — and cost you $1 million

Here is the article.


Annual Asset Class Returns

Here is the article with a table. I like to put those data into my Excel sheet so that I can analyze the data and generate my own report.


Annual S&P Sector Performance

Here is the page.

Actionable Items


I like to input those data into Excel sheet, and then I can make some pivot table analysis as well.




The Benefits of Diversification

Here is the article.

Financial markets do not typically move in concert with one another. In addition, no one can reliably predict how a particular asset class will perform in any given year. One asset class may be leading the market while others lag and it may be completely different the next year.
While historic returns do not predict future performance, the table below shows relative performance of some of the more popular asset classes in Canada over the past 10 years. As you can see, there were years when equities led market returns and years when fixed income led the market. There were also periods when a market leader from one year underperformed all of the other asset classes the following year, and times when the lowest performer from one year went on to lead the market the next year.

Novel Investor Asset Class Returns TableSource: NovelInvestor.com

Benefits of diversification

Here is the article.

One of the most important principles of investing is to ensure that you have a diversified portfolio. This means ensuring that you spread your capital amongst different investments so that you’re not reliant upon a single investment for all of your returns. The key benefit of diversification is that it helps to minimise risk of capital loss to your investment portfolio.

What are some of the benefits of diversification?

Three key advantages of diversification include:
  1. Minimising risk of loss – if one investment performs poorly over a certain period, other investments may perform better over that same period, reducing the potential losses of your investment portfolio from concentrating all your capital under one type of investment.
  2. Preserving capital – not all investors are in the accumulation phase of life; some who are close to retirement have goals oriented towards preservation of capital, and diversification can help protect your savings.
  3. Generating returns – sometimes investments don’t always perform as expected, by diversifying you’re not merely relying upon one source for income.


9282 HAZEL STREET 201, Chilliwack, British Columbia V2P5N6

$119,900 CAD


Property Summary for 9282 HAZEL STREET

Property Type
 
Condo
MLS® Number
 
R2424904
Year Built
 
1982
Date Added
 
18 December 2019
Stories
 
1
Basement
 
None
Neighborhood
 
Chilliwack Proper
Postal Code
 
V2P5N6

Description for 9282 HAZEL STREET

Attention Investors and First time home Buyers. Spacious 1 bed 1 bath unit. This well managed building is located in a friendly & centrally located neighborhood. This 560 sq ft condo features a great floor plan, spacious kitchen with a pass thru to the living room & has a large private balcony. Rentals are allowed, no age restrictions, on-site caretaker and affordable strata fee! Owning is Cheaper then renting!!! This is an incredibly affordable investment opportunity in a great location near shopping dining, recreation & more! This unit needs some TLC but it is well worth the work, the last updated unit just sold for $172,500!!! (id:1937)

My study of price history


It is time for me to think about owning a small home in British Columbia. I like to study the price history and see if market will go down more later in a few years.

All my savings are earned by hourly work. None of them are made by investment from stock market from 2010 to 2019 January.


The rent is around $650 dollars in 2020.

Most Americans Say the Current Economy Is Helping the Rich, Hurting the Poor and Middle Class

Here is the article.

Chinese version:

多数美国人说,儘管失业率和工资创历史新低,但繁荣的经济只让富人受益。
丕优研究中心(Pew Research Center)进行的一项民意调查显示,有69%的美国人认为,经济在帮助了富人的同时,也伤害了穷人和那些没有大学学历以及中产阶级的群体。

调查结果显示,即使经济扩张时间达到创纪录的长度,50年来最低的失业率仅为3.5%,工资成长年增率超过3%,但许多美国人还是觉得自己没有像高收入阶段那样受惠。
原因之一可能是股市上涨。最富有的10%美国人中有超过85%的个人持有股票,而史坦普500指数今年来上涨超过25%,许多美国人感到自己的工资和房价赶不上富人的投资。只有14%的中产阶级家庭表示,股市涨幅有助他们的家庭财务。

该调查针对6878名成年美国人进行,抽样误差为正负1.6个百分点。

Topics in Mathematics with Applications in Finances - video lectures

Here is the link for all video lectures.


1. Introduction, Financial Terms and Concepts

Here is the course I like to spend 60 minutes to learn. It is so interesting to learn that I can learn some advanced concepts in financial courses.

MIT 18.S096 Topics in Mathematics with Applications in Finance, Fall 2013 View the complete course: http://ocw.mit.edu/18-S096F13 Instructor: Peter Kempthorne, Choongbum Lee, Vasily Strela, Jake Xia In the first lecture of this course, the instructors introduce key terms and concepts related to financial products, markets, and quantitative analysis.


51:47/ 1:00:29
Do people always learn from their experiences?

Long market cycle and short memory
Historical extrapolation
Deterministic vs statistic
Efficient market theory and behavioral finance
Over-simplication


Kelly criterion

multi-period investment
single-period investment

Fortune's formula
portfolio optimization
Claude Shannon


My progress report on personal finance research

Dec. 30, 2019

Introduction


It is my one week break from MP Lighting I work. I am still working hard to figure out how to advance my skills in terms of finance literacy.

Jake Xia


I came cross the course recommended by Google youtube.com. I just could not believe that the course is exactly what I like to learn.

My progress report


I have to examine all possible leaks in my personal finance, I like to be frugal, and also I need to take risk to invest on stock market.

I made some progress, and this December I have near $5000 dollars unrealized gain in my portfolios. I also think that it is important for me to learn how to work on bear market, rebalance the portfolios to invest on equities.

I also examine what I am thinking daily. I should set up goal to build wealth and grow rich. So I also start to learn time management skills and project management skills as well.


Survive instinct

I like to look into this area, like herd effect.


Topics in Mathematics with Application in Finance - MIT open course

Here is the course page. I like to take time to watch the course.





How to Create a Risk Parity Portfolio

Here is the article I like to learn. I just watched Jake Xia's portfolio management lecture, and then he explained the risk parity and how the volatility is reduced.


INVESTING PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT Efficient Frontier

Here is the article. I like to spend 10 minutes to read the article.


The Rise of the Chief Risk Officer

Here is the article.

Alankar 


Alankar got two chemical engineering degrees at MIT before transitioning to finance in time for a Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. 


Jake Xia - MIT


Harvard University endowment chief risk officer Jake Xia pursued both electrical engineering and computer science all the way to his doctorate at MIT, then pivoted to investment risk over a two-decade-plus career on Wall Street. He left a top job at Morgan Stanley for Harvard’s battered fund in 2013. When asked to name the most respected risk leaders on the asset-owning side, peers and insiders often mention Xia in the same breath as the University of Chicago’s Mike Edleson. His resume will by now sound familiar: MIT, Ph.D. (economics), and Wall Street, followed by a post-crisis hop to the buy side (2010).

Harvard hires Xia from Morgan Stanley as chief risk officer

Here is the article.

Xia earned a PhD. degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has held several senior roles at Morgan Stanley around the world, including head of global structured rates trading, and head of global fixed incoming trading risk.

16. Portfolio Management

Here is the link.

It is such a great lecture, and I like to take some notes in the following.


Here is the notes I take and I will review it later. I need to learn how to take notes word by word, and follow every detail. 


46:72 - 56:20 10 minutes lecture of bonds and equity 40/60 two asset combinations.

I took the following notes after I watched the second time this part.


Follow up 

Feb. 21, 2020
It is so important for me to come back to review the lecture again. I like to understand why diversification, asset allocation is so important for the portfolio.


Health research

Leg numbness 

腿麻木是感觉障碍,可以是多种疾病的先兆:1.突然发生的腿麻木,持续的时间短暂,且症状反复发生,可以是短暂性脑缺血发作。2.突然发生了腿麻木,症状且持续不缓解,可能存在腔隙性脑梗死或者是脑梗死的先兆。3.长期的慢性的腿麻木,考虑是腰间盘突出症引起。4.从脚部逐渐向上发展的麻木症状,考虑
是脊髓硬膜外占位性的病变引起。5.周围神经病也可以出现腿麻木的症状。

麻木是身体上某部分失去知觉。在不正常的姿态下坐卧太久,身体上某一部分会有一种麻麻的刺痛感(发麻)。稍为活动一下后,这一感觉就会消失。这种由于姿态不正常所引起麻麻的如针刺的感觉不是毛病。但是没有原因的麻麻的针刺感,可能是疾病的症状,要去看医生。 1、症状:在一个姿态下坐得太久,或在熟睡醒来时,压在身体下面的肢体有如针刺一样麻刺的感觉。 可能:是神经或血管受压迫,血液不畅通所致。 处理:不用治疗,活动一下就会好了。 2、症状:手有麻刺感,同时颈部有僵硬的感觉。 可能:颈椎病,是由于颈骨关节压迫神经和血管所致。发生在50岁以上的人居多。 处理:医生可能安排病人先做X线检查,如诊断是颈椎病,可能采用颈圈将病人颈部固定。减少颈部的活动和压力。必要时吃点阿司匹林或对乙酰氨基酚。 3、症状:手有麻刺感,晚间厉害一点,从腕疼痛到手。 可能:腕管综合征。 处理:去看医生。医生可能要给病人作必要的检查,诊断确实后医生可能在腕关节处注射抗炎药。也可能要手术治疗。 4、症状:身体的一边有麻刺感,同时又有下列症状的一项或全部:视觉模糊,神志不清,说话困难,腿臂不能活动。后来这些症状又全部消失。 可能:是脑血管阻塞引起中风。如后来上述症状又完全消失,就可能是短暂的脑部血液供应失调,俗称脑缺血。 处理:立即去看医生。 5、症状:天冷的时候手指、脚趾发麻,发紫,发红疼痛。 可能:雷诺综合征(Raynaud''s Syndrome),是手指、脚趾对低温过度敏感,影响血液循环,或因高血压病人服β—受体阻断药的不良反应。 处理:医生可能要用药改善病人的症状,发作时将手指置于温水中可促使缓解,病人平时要注意手足保暖。 6、症状:侧睡时在睡熟后,上面一边的手臂发麻。 可能:血压偏低。 处理:偶尔有此现象不用治疗,如经常有此现象应去请教医生。 7、症状:肢端(手指或脚趾)有麻木感。 可能:由于别的病症(如糖尿病)所引起。 处理:去看医生。


《经济半小时》老小区“变形记” 20191224 | CCTV财经

Here is the link.

本期节目主要内容:几十年前建设的一些居民小区由于年代久远,现在是房子老、设施老,生活环境差,居住在里面的百姓生活起居很不方便。但是由于涉及人数多,老旧小区面积大,问题纷繁复杂,老旧小区的改造也是一些地方政府面临的一道棘手的难题。 《经济半小时》是中央电视台创办最早,影响最大的经济深度报道栏目。20年来,《经济半小时》始终用经济的眼光关注社会热点,总是选择重大经济事件、业界风云人物作为报道的核心,以严谨的态度、新闻的眼光、经济的视角、权威的评论,深度报道经济事件、透彻分析经济现象、准确把握经济脉博。

My housing problem in China

Dec. 30, 2019

Introduction


It is my personal finance research. I have difficult time to learn how to own a home in China. Life is tough, and my siblings are not my friends. They are teachers or physician. I will have to push myself to learn how to protect my own interest, and stay away from scamming.

Scamming


My young sister is a college teacher, and one of my elder sister is a retired high school teacher.

Sibling scamming is a serious problem. I do not notice until this year. Life is tough to handle those conflicts, and then it is tough for me to cut all of my siblings off from business viewpoints.

From 1996 to 2017, I had to serve my mom as a daughter. My mom passed away in 2017, then I noticed that I own nothing in China. It is so stupid to spend thousands of Canada for a vacation to visit my mom, or thousand of US dollars for a vacation or paying for the service and my mom's home for everything.







《经济半小时》鹤岗“白菜价”房产调查 20191220 | CCTV财经

Here is the article.

I like to learn more about this small city's condo below $100,000 Chinese yuan.




How The U.S. Avoided A Recession For A Decade

Here is the link.

For the first time ever, the U.S. economy started and ended an entire decade without entering a recession. It's been the longest expansion in the country's history, taking place during a decade marked by the memory of the Great Recession and unprecedented access to information about the state of the economy. But overall economic growth during this decade has been slower compared to previous booms. There's a saying among economists that "expansions don't die of old age." In the case of the American economy over the past decade, it rings true. As of December, the U.S. economy has expanded for a record 126 straight months, the longest time period in the country's history according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. Put another way, the U.S. has avoided a recession for an entire calendar decade for the first time ever. "It is unusual that this has been such a persistent recovery," Michelle Meyer, chief U.S. economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, told CNBC. Economists cite a few reasons for why the expansion has lasted for so long. For one, the U.S. was coming from a low point at the end of the last decade. Much of the expansion over the past ten years has been spent recovering from the Great Recession. "It's almost hard to imagine how awful that time was," said David Wilcox, former director of the Division of Research and Statistics at the Federal Reserve Board and a current senior fellow at the Peterson Institute. Job growth, for example, has recovered more slowly than in previous economic booms, in part because unemployment was so high during the financial crisis. As some economists have said, the deeper the hole, the longer it takes to climb out.

But how can you ensure that your references will actually help you get the job–and make sure you’re not burning any bridges with them along the way? 1. Choose people with whom you’re friendly but not too friendly. With social media taking a larger role in the background-checking process, hiring managers aren’t just looking at your profile–they may also be digging into your references’ online personas to make sure they are reputable.

Here is the link.


The Dos And Don’ts Of Job References

Here is the link.

But how can you ensure that your references will actually help you get the job–and make sure you’re not burning any bridges with them along the way?
1. Choose people with whom you’re friendly but not too friendly.
With social media taking a larger role in the background-checking process, hiring managers aren’t just looking at your profile–they may also be digging into your references’ online personas to make sure they are reputable.


The Most Valuable Financial Asset You Will Ever Have | Importance of Financial Literacy/Intelligence

Here is the link.


Habits That Made Us Millionaires in Less Than Ten Years

Here is the link.

Books that have helped us on our Financial Independence Journey ----- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing: https://amzn.to/2UjEc4j The Intelligent Investor: https://amzn.to/2MKGokh A Random Walk Down Wall Street: https://amzn.to/2zIVI8p The Book on Rental Property Investing: https://amzn.to/2UkwgQ6 Building Wealth One House at a Time: https://amzn.to/2ZJQuDW Rich Dad Poor Dad: https://amzn.to/2ZD29IK The Total Money Makeover: https://amzn.to/2Lc0thn The $100 Startup: https://amzn.to/2UnBpqK Freakonomics: https://amzn.to/2HCnDeJ


Sunday, December 29, 2019

Case study: 2000 offer letter from Trendium inc

Dec. 29, 2019

Introduction


It is my personal finance research. I like to work on this case, and help myself to learn better to manage smartly on career development.


Case study: How to spend or invest laidoff compensation money?

Dec. 29, 2019

Introduction


It is my personal finance research. I like to work on this case study to show myself how to manage smartly on personal finance.

Case study



Understanding risk in investment - II

Dec. 29, 2019

Introduction


It is my favorite topic. I like to write the second blog for this topic.

Investment or speculation


Here is the article I like to read again and again. I like to make sure that I understand the basics first.



dilute specific company risk
average rate of return - 4% - 12%
low risk, low uncertainty - average rate of return 4% - 12%
speculating, not investing
high uncertainty
very risky
compensate you for holding the risk
owning many companies
market-risk
total risk
specific-company risk


Actions:
eliminate, compensate, dilute, hold, own, include, use

Average rate of return

Actionable Items


In order for me to get the return to purchase a home in Canada, or build wealth to become a millionaire, I should invest early in Amazon stock in 2011. Instead I went through depress in 2009, 2010 very happy as a new immigrant, 2011 go back to cloth shopping. At that time, Amazon stock is $180 dollars.

I should even go back to early 2001, when I was laidoff, I should invest $5000 dollar laidoff compensation, invest a nice startup company like Amazon.



Case study: remove k digits - DFS algorithm using JavaScript

Dec. 29, 2019

Introduction


It is my first Sunday 10:00 am mock interview. I like to write a short case study on this mock interview.

Case study


I will add more content later.

My management skills

Dec. 29, 2019

Introduction


It is challenge for me to manage myself. I found out that I have a few things to work on. Stay positive, keep my mindset focus on becoming a millionaire, avoid time consuming project, set up a target.

Deal with my relatives 


I have to learn how to manage my time on wechat, and also how much I should spend on my relatives. I could not control to think about my nephew how he should come to Canada after his first landing. He does not contact me at all, but my two sisters like to talk to me about him. I have to set limits and boundary for things related to my nephew.

I do not have money to purchase a home in Canada, and I work full time last 10 years. But I should learn to solve my problem first.

I set limit to my elder sister last time when she contacted me. Do not waste my time, follow the rules if she likes to contact me.

Mock interviewer


I do not get up early. I had two times to get up 12:00 PM during my holiday break from Dec. 23 - January 3, 2019. So I decided to set up 10:00 AM mock interview in weekends, I did set up two days ago.

I have to learn from interviewees, and push myself to work hard on algorithm and data structure as well. I also set up as an interviewer for system design.

How to manage my time? 


I learn from my experience in 2019. I spent almost 500 hours to learn personal finance and investment, so that I know the value of my time. I setup my portfolios, which has $5000 unrealized gain through investment.

I also went to San Francisco in August 2019 for onsite interview. The value of interview can not be measured by the dollar amount. I have confidence to push myself hard to be a best engineer in the world.

In terms of dollar amount, the onsite interview costs $1500 US dollars. Here is the blog about the expense.

Above two cases help me realize that my time has value. 2018 my investment on stock market has less than $200 investment value.

Books to read



I have to spend time to read a book. This week I am reading the book called "the Boglehead's guide to investing". I make a unrealized profit $5000 dollars from my portfolios set up January, May 2019.

The only way I can learn how to cope with bear market is to read more books about investment, and then I can learn better how to invest long term.


Actionable Items


I can not get loan to purchase a home in Canada, because I do not have more than 20% down payment. But one thing I can control is to learn how to invest on stock market, so my passive income can increase to cover my rental expense and other expenses.

500 hours to invest in learning investment
$5000 unrealized gain in investment portfolios, I learned to take some risk
____________________________________________________________
$10/ hour for those 500 hours in 2019

I just need to learn how to set up my asset allocation, evaluate the risk, how to control my emotions to prevent common behavior finance mistakes.

I spent hundreds of hours to help my nephew to land in May as a Canadian new immigrant. But most of time was wasted. I have to learn to discipline him, so I will not consider his project until one year, next May 2020.

I spent over two years to work on my nephew's immigration project hundreds of hours.  I filed the case by myself, and coordinated the project with them as well from 2016 to 2019.



Saturday, December 28, 2019

11 Ways You're Wasting Time Instead of Doing What You Need to be Successful

Here is the article.


13 Signs You’re Wasting Life But You Can’t Admit It

Here is the article.

Investment or speculation: 100 share Amazon stock $400/ share in 2015?

Dec. 28, 2019

Introduction


It is my personal finance research. I like to work on a case study, people in the city of Seattle learn that Amazon has a lot of new building under construction in 2015, so one of them purchased $40,000 US dollar and $400 dollar a share, he owns 100 shares.

Case study


In 2019, Amazon stock is $1800/ share, 100 shares will have market value $180,000 US dollars. How hard is it for a person to come out the idea to invest in Amazon in 2015?

Amazon will start building third Seattle skyscraper next fall (slideshow), here is the article. 


Amazon has had an incredibly strong year. Its stock price has more than doubledcloud revenue is soaring and the company added 3 million Prime members in the week leading up to the Christmas weekend. Growth like that is likely to lead to hiring.

Future of Networks - Amin Vahdat (Google)

Here is the link.


Matt Welsh - Google principle engineer

Here is the link.

Amin Vahdat - Google AI

Here is the page.


Eric Brewer, Google Cloud | Google Cloud Next 2019

Here is the link.


Eric Brewer (scientist)

Here is the wiki article. I like to spend 10 minutes to learn more about the scientist.


Spend time to fill the survey

Go to skiing in Seymour mountain

Count my blessings in 2019

Dec. 28, 2019

Introduction


It is my creative idea to review bible verse for each photo I took today in the city of Vancouver downtown. I like to count my blessings, and also take some time to learn from bible teaching.

I took a walk 


I like to review bible and also try to educate myself with good understanding of bible. I did not go to the church, but I still love to show care to people in my life, and friends and also people I met in 2019.

One word to learn, sparrows - what is sparrows? a small bird
Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

I have worries about my age. How can I compete with young people in 20s? I like to compete top tier company software engineer job. What it takes to get there? Worry, it does not help. Just work on it, and put my efforts on my goal.


My hair is receding now. My front head has more space, less hair. I should work hard and then run a race with hair. Learn how to build wealth and grow rich, make millions before all my hair turns gray.

Canada place is my favorite place to go in 2019. I went to Zumba class in the summer, dancing under the summer heat, and thought about my first onsite interview from Facebook MPK. I went to dance class before August - my first onsite interview from Facebook.

I met my friend Meng Yan in December, who attended AI conference, and stayed in The PAN Pacific Hotel. She paid around $280 dollars for one night. Mercedes paid her since she is research engineer.  I love the hotel and like to visit it more often.

Proverbs 17:0 ESV
Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.


My young sister had a face paralysis, and she is a teacher so she wore mask to give lessons in the classroom a few years ago. She taught me this year how important is to show caring to others. She reminded me to stay humble, no matter how selfish I am, I should be gentle to her advice. Be an aunt, and show love to my niece, her daughter; She saved all her savings as a college teacher, and she likes her daughter to get best education in Canada, my niece is 15 year old. I certainly can help her to learn better.

One tip is to take more photos, and also pay attention to detail. My younger sister stopped taking selfie over 10 years ago. So I think that it is healthy to take selfie, and critic on my taste on arts.

Proverbs warns that the one who "isolates himself...breaks out against all sound judgement" (Prov. 18:1). (The first problem in the world was not sin but Solitude, here is the article. )