The Language of Money

Posted on June 16, 2020 by PietMar

LANGUAGE OF EVERYTHING

Why do we go to school? Is it a way to keep us out of home to give our parents a break? I don not think so! We go to school to teach us the things we need to know to be productive in the economy. If you ask me, the school system is geared to create employees, not employers. That is just my opinion. At the same time I am grateful for the schooling I did have.  The basics that I learned, like reading, maths and science enabled me to learn a lot more. So perhaps, once you have the foundation, you can decide what to build on it.

Here is the thing: all learning is about language.


My eldest daughter went to medical school to learn the language of medicine.

My middle daughter studied for a social worker, she knows the language of social work.

My youngest daughter studied law, she knows the legal language.

I studied theology and business science. I know the language of business and management (and do not be fooled – theology overlaps with it!)

LANGUAGE OF WEALTH

Where did I learn the language of wealth? There is no official course that I know of that will teach you the language of wealth. It seems some people are just born with it and we must learn from them.

You have to realize this: whatever the profession, it is the person who knows the language best who excels. In court, it is the lawyer who speaks the best legal that will win the case. It is the person who speaks maths best who excels at maths. It is the person who speaks “money” best who become financially independent and wealthy.

VOCABULARY OF WEALTH

Any language starts with a vocabulary. Here is a shortened Money vocabulary

Savings – typically in the bank;

Investments – typically in stocks, bonds, property;

Speculation or trading – short term and normally risky, especially if you do not know the grammar!

ROI or Return on Investment – what do you get out of your savings, investments or trading;

Interest – could also be called ROI

Compounding interest – this will make you stinking rich, if you use the right grammar, interest on interest;

Nominal rate – the interest rate that is quoted. i.e. 5% p.a.

Effective rate – the rate you really earn or pay, based on the nominal rate;

Future Value (FV) – of something – could be higher or lower, depending on what you are looking at – investments should appreciate, cars depreciate, except collectables;

Internal Rate of Return (IRR) – the real return on any economic or financial activity.

Payment (Pmt) – either what you pay monthly or annually to have the investment or car, or what you earn from your investment;

Net Present Value (NPV) – the answer to the question: “Did you really make money?”

Many people know the meaning, even if they do not have the vocabulary.  If you know the meaning of these words and terms, you are well on your way to creating wealth. Vocabulary provides meaning and purpose. One word describes a world and conveys all the meaning.

For instance, if I compare two investments, I just need to know the IRR and/or the NPV to know which one is the better option.

Knowing the language of money and wealth can protect you against shysters and shamsters.

RULE OF 72

For instance, do you know the rule of 72? It helps you estimate the value of an investment. In essence, if you divide 72 by the interest rate, it tells you how many years it will take for the investment to double or halve. If the interest rate is 6%, the investment will double every 12 years. Or halve every 12 years. How is that useful? If somebody promises you salary increase of 10% p.a, ongoing, it means your salary will double every 7 years. Sounds good. It also means that his or her sales will have to grow by much more than 10% p.a! How realistic is that?

One day a salesperson came to see me with an investment proposal. She promises me amazing returns. Knowing the language, I take out my financial calculator and shows her the returns are exceptional. She works on her normal, four function, calculator and cannot get to my figures. She refuses to believe me that she cannot do the financial calculations that my financial calculator can do, on her four function calculator. She tells me I am wrong and her manager will not lie to her.

A week later I see her in town and ask her how her sales are going. She replies she drove from me to her manager and showed him what I told her. He told her I am right (not such a big liar). She resigned – she did not understand the language of wealth, but wanted to sell money products. That is why you should know the language of money. Too many people and companies abuse the fact that few people understand the language of money!

Please post questions in the comments section. I would love to answer those questions – you can also use the contact form.

Just remember: I DO NOT GIVE ADVICE. I will share knowledge and insights. But you should consult with a financial advisor or investment advisor before making any changes to your portfolio!

 

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Lockdown Day 80 – 14 June 2020 – Ubi Caritas

Posted on June 14, 2020 by PietMar

Lockdown Day 80 – 14 June 2020 – Ubi Caritas

Listening to Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf Oboe Concertos, Lajos Lencses

This morning we listened to a church service. It was a good service and sermon.

The sermon was delivered with “brackets” of Ubi Caritas et Amor, Deus ibi est (Where there is love and caring, there is God).

I remarked to my wife that it is, in its simplicity, and incredible song. Often, I hear people ask: “Where is God?” Simple, where there is caring and loving. Mostly, I feel like asking: “Are YOU caring and loving? It must start with us, we cannot demand it from somebody else.

“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.”
– Margaret Mead

 The sermon was about the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would like them to do to you.” It came with a different twist. Apparently, the Greek reads: “As you would like others to do to you, do it to others.”

I like that. It forces us to think what we would like. I think it forces us not to be judgemental. Some time ago we were going away for a weekend. We had some leftovers in the fridge that we were not going to use but did not want to waste. It was my lucky day. At the robot there was a guy begging. When I gave him the bowl of food, he mumbled “thanks” and sat down on the kerb and started eating. Obviously starving.

It is easy to judge, but if I were standing there, how would I like people to treat me? I think, for me, with respect. How many people do you know that really do not respond to caring and love? In 19878 Chris tells me about a conscript in his platoon. Always in trouble. It is just the depth that varies. On a Saturday afternoon this trooper is scrubbing floors while his comrades are out. Chris says: “I looked at him and realise we are always shouting at him, scolding and berating. I decided to be friendly for a change. I sat down on the floor and said: “John, what is wrong that you are always in trouble?” John burst in tears, told a story of a life nobody desires – and started acting differently.

We can change the world with caring and loving! It will require vulnerability. I wrote about vulnerability on 13 April 2020 – read it here. Are we asking too much? If caring and vulnerability can ensure a better life for our children and grandchildren, do we still want them to inherit this world that we are living in?


If I were the employer, how would I like to be treated? If I were the employee, how would I like to be treated? We can build endless “what-ifs.” The fact is, if we start treating each other in the way we would like to be treated, the world would be a different place!

Once, in a discussion, somebody said: “Even if you do not believe in God, the Bible still has good advice for life.” It is true. Forget about the church and the Christians and all the wrongs they did and do. In stead of finding and arguing about all the things we do not understand, just focus on the things we can do. No, it is not easy to do, but we can!v

A few people seriously living with caritas can change the world. In fact, our quote says, it is caring that did change the world. I tend to agree.


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Lockdown Day 78 – 12 June 2020 – Loneliness

Posted on June 12, 2020 by PietMar

Loneliness

Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf – Symphony in C-major “La Prise de la Bastille”

Yesterday I was too busy to journal. In 78 days of lockdown the one thing I have not been is bored. 

There are benefits to being an introvert. When my own good company is not enough anymore, or when we (the voices in my head – we) start arguing, I can always have a virtual coffee with somebody.

This morning I heard something about “dreams are good friends when you are lonely.” I thought dreams are good friends when I long to the mountains and special places. Dreaming is not a substitute for the real dirt roads, but is better than just pining away for the outdoors. That is why I have all the photos.

Loneliness is also not something that I often feel.

“Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it’s not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them.”
― Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper

“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.”
― Maya Angelou

Goodreads

Who am I to argue with Jody Picoult? Perhaps she is right, perhaps not. Who knows? I am happy, though.


Maya Angelou is closer to home. Music is not an escape from loneliness for me, but it does play a huge role in my life. Not only can music reflect a mood, it can also create a mood or emotion. It can help you express, an emotion and it can help you overcome emotion. Simon & Garfunkel’s At the Zoo always make me smile.

Perhaps I do not experience a lot of loneliness because I love reading. Perhaps reading is my refuge, as music for Maya Angelou?

While doing my exercises this morning I thought about books. There are very few things I know that I did not learn in a book! Books are sources of knowledge. Books are sources of values. The children’s and youth series that we read when I was a boy conveyed good, solid values.

Books takes you places. One of the reasons I love Louis L’Amour’s Westerns, is his description of terrain and characters.  The one or two books of Chanette Paul that I read, I also enjoyed her in depth descriptions of places and background (and I can identify with the heroes in both cases!)

What books are must reads? The list is too long. Today I will list just three.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I read it 3 times, already and will read it again. It achieved cult status. It is the sub-title that people miss! It is not about motorcycles and not about Zen. But then, it is about motorcycles and Zen. It is not a storybook.

I don’t know why I am thinking about the Girl in the Picture this morning. The Girl in the picture changed the sentiment about the Vietnam war. It is a picture that captures the horror of war. The book is the autobiography of Kim Phuc who was photographed while running, burning because of a Napalm Bomb. The book is not a horror story. Quite the opposite.


The other books I cannot get out of my mind today, comes from Bill Bryson. A Brief History of Everything. Have you ever wondered: “How do they know?” How do they know what the center of earth looks like? How do they know about all the fascinating things that science tells us? With typical Bryson humor the history of science unfolds in this book. Including Professors who, respectively, insisted to collect rocks and plants in full academic regalia and in the nude. I cannot remember how it influenced their research.


The other Bryson book is A Walk in The Woods. The story of his efforts on the Appalachian trail. Easy why this one is top of mind. I long for the woods. And the best explanation if hyperthermia I ever read, was in this book. It changed my hiking habits. The stories and humor interspersed with the facts makes it an ideal read for a cold winter’s day.



Books are good friends. You will never be lonely!

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Drought and Savings

Posted on June 11, 2020 by PietMar

CRISIS

Yesterday I told you how the rain in Cape Time reminded me of the 2017/18 drought.

When the drought hit Cape Town and water restrictions and tariff increase are implemented, people started buying tanks. People were serious about “harvesting rainwater.” Some people started drilling for water in their backyards and some people, like my neighbour, had tanks for years.

We needed water for an emergency!

EMERGENCY

As I am writing, we are still in a lockdown situation due to Covid-19. Daily I hear about people who are retrenched. Small businesses closing down. It is really sad and depressing.

The people with the least Covid-19 stress, are the people without debt and with savings.

PLANNING

Proper financial planning suggests an emergency fund of 3 to 6 months of fixed expenditure. Money to buy food, pay rent, rates and taxes, insurance, medical aid. Money to sustain your life when there is a crisis.

From experience as a Financial Advisor (which I am not anymore), I know people do not easily accept the idea of an emergency fund. It is just not sexy! You cannot impress your friends with the returns on an emergency fund. Or perhaps it is a false optimism that they will never need it. Or they succumb, without thinking, to generalities like “cash is king” or “cash is not an investment.” Or perhaps it is impatience that it is too slow.

An emergency fund must be in a low risk savings account and easily accessible. That is mostly a bank account or perhaps money market funds. People prefer to go for high returns. Stocks are much more sexy than boring bank savings accounts. The ups and downs of the stock market is exciting! At least you can tell your friends stock Y went from 27 to 124 in a week!

When the crisis hits us, the stock market falls and we can only get access to our money at a loss! Double whammy!

Rather forget about an emergency fund, it sounds boring. Let’s rather build real wealth.

Rather create a reservoir fund, like a water tank. Would you prefer calling it a Spreader Dam?  You decide how big that tank should be – about the equivalent of 6 months expenses sounds right. You keep pouring money into that tank. Eventually it starts overflowing. The water does not go to waste. Never. You spread it to best use! It starts filling another tank. Let’s call that tank your Wealth-1 Tank.

Your Wealth-1 tank will overflow into Wealth-2, and so forth.

What Wealth-1 and Wealth-2 is, would depend on your goals and many other factors. That is where planning comes in. See below.

Do you have an emergency fund? If not, imagine how different life would have been during lockdown if you did have an emergency fund? The truth is, with an emergency fund a lot of life’s stresses disappear. Why?

BENEFITS OF EMERGENCY FUNDS

If you have an emergency fund:

  1. You have a goal and plan – it helps to bring certainty;
  2. You have discipline – you are building your wealth month-by-month or week-by-week. Any setback will not easily ruin your financial plan’;
  3. You will not have consumer debt if you have an emergency fund! Having an emergency fund implies a prudent money philosophy. You know where you want to go and you are on top of your finances.

The biggest single benefit of an emergency fund, is that it requires a wealth mindset! That is what will make all the difference! Once you decide you want to break free from a month-to-month-stress existence, you will find the ways to start building your wealth.


 

What are your thoughts about emergency funds? Please share in the comments.

This is my Disclaimer and my advice. I am not giving advice.

Any financial advice or planning that is ad hoc, piecemeal, random, haphazard, is not advice and not planning! It is a recipe for disaster. That is why you should not react to a single post, like this one.

Financial planning is a holistic process – stick with me and I will show you over time. But the process starts with setting goals, making plans, implementing the plans, evaluating progress and adjusting as circumstances change.

The worst you can do is to chop and change with every new idea or thought – like a ship in stormy seas being driven this way and that by wind and waves.

You might want to visit this post, too.

Here is my advice: if you like what I say, find a financial advisor that you can work with, and work with him of her to achieve your goals.

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Lockdown Day 76 – 10 June 2020 – Going Back

Posted on June 10, 2020 by PietMar

Going back

One positive thing about lockdown, is that it gave us time. For some people way too much time! We had time to do many things we normally would not do.

I often went back in memory lane(s). It was good to relive many good times. In this period, I also saw many friends form university days on Facebook. That brought back many memories.

Dagbreek was my home away from home for 6 years of my life. As I said elsewhere, I was born a loner. That did not change because I was in Dagbreek with more than 200 other people! I count like a chicken 1, 2, 3 too many! But I do have fun and enjoy life.

Now I am writing about more than 40 years ago. Times were different. I cringe when I think of some of the things we did. But then it was fine, and we enjoyed it. Those days first years were still initiated.

 

And just to get you thinking, here is another quote:

We all pay for life with death, so everything in between should be free.
– Bill Hicks

 

FIRST ENCOUNTER

I remember entering Dagbreek for the first time on a hot morning in January. Blazer and tie. My life in two suitcases. There was one guy worse off than me. He was standing on his suitcase. His hair was long. In those days, in a predominantly Afrikaans environment, that was a no-no. His hair was tied in ponytails with toilet paper and he had to do a solo singing performance.

And so life in Dagbreek started.

HOUSE MEETINGS

One house meeting a term. The first meeting we sat on bricks. If they did that today, they would have all the anti-animal cruelty organizations and a few more on them. We survived and I am glad for the experience. Although the next day or two after that event, my bum was not!

There was a motion that the bricks are awfully bad for us, we should rather sit on Coke cans. The motion was rejected. The argument that canned the motion was: “If we ran down Victoria Street without pants after the meeting, our bums would be imprinted with ‘Keep South Africa Clean.’ That is unacceptable,” so we sat on bricks for hours. And we just did it!

The creativity of house meetings was amazing. One of the kitchen personnel was a magician. She made the meat “disappear.” Now we used to say we do not mind horse meat, but they should unsaddle the meat first! A self-appointed committee “investigated” the issue of “disappearing meat.” Based on their thorough studies and scientific research, they found that the lack of meat caused an iron deficiency which gave rise to an unusual number of broken arms and legs (the beginning of rugby season).  If there is a victim, you need somebody to blame. If there is a deficiency, there must be somebody with an oversupply. It is easy to recognize an oversupply of iron – it is rust. It shows itself in red hair. Which made one of the matrons and the committee member responsible for the kitchen the culprits!

WATERBOMBS

I love water. That is a fact. I am embarrassed to think how we wasted water. Waterbombs galore. Then my roommate and I built a catty between two pillars on the fourth-floor balcony. He was a lot shorter than I, so I was responsible for distance, he “took care of direction and elevation.” We became quite accurate, being able to bomb the Eiffel center during “target practice” after lunch and dinner. If somebody was siting or walking under the Eiffel, it was a bonus! One Saturday evening we managed to shoot an orange clear out of the park. And we did search for it, high and low.

Let me close with a last story. We were four in two bedrooms on the fourth floor. We overlooked the tennis courts. We lived there for two years and in those two years I discovered there is difference between good tennis and pretty tennis and it is not always the same thing.

Just below that corner of Dagbreek were two practice walls. Using the walls was forbidden before 17h00 on weekdays. Break the rule and expect water bombs. The sound of the ball reverberated and made any other activity difficult.

One day a clever guy used the wall before 17h00. He got a water bomb. He then came looking for the man who bombed him. Found one of my roommates. Very upset he asked Kobus: “Do you know who I am? I am So-and-So. I am on the student council.” Kobus answered: “Good, that means you can read. And you should set the example.” With Mr SC sulked away. He is still in politics.”

TO THE GOOD TIMES
But as always, when I recall the stories and incidents, it is not the stories as such, it is the people involved. This post is in remembrance to the people who made my 6 years in Dagbreek memorable. There are many.

And a special thought to good friends who have passed away – because I have entered that phase of my life, too.

And a special thought to a special man who made extra special memories:

Bethuel Sobukwa

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Drought, Rain, Money

Posted on June 10, 2020 by PietMar

Drought!

In 2017/18 Cape Town experienced a serious drought. We had water restrictions and the authorities were planning emergency water deliveries. The dams were running dry. Every drop of water counted. And I mean every drop. No dripping taps. Collect shower water. 

Water got a new value.

Everybody was using as little water as possible. Any form of water waste was eliminated. Dam levels were the topic of every conversation, like Covid-19 and racism at the moment. Anybody could tell you the latest dam levels.

In the nick of time we were saved by a good rainfall. It was close, or Cape Town became “water bankrupt.” 

RAIN!

The sound of rain woke me up this morning. It reminded me of that time when water was scarce and became precious.

We could be fooled – water is still precious! We could think that, since it is raining at the moment, we will have enough water for summer. If we want to have enough water for summer, we need to save water now, while we have enough!

WEALTH

That thought made me think about wealth. The dams are like a savings account. Rain is like money we put into a savings account. We should not wait for a drought (scarcity or crisis) before we start saving. We should save while we have it to save.

We should know what is happening in our finances. We should be aware of how much money goes into savings. At all times we should be aware of the level of our savings. We should cut out wastage. Make every cent count! The biggest wealth is a collection of Cents! You can read about the Value of a Cent here.

Building a savings account is the first step to wealth.

That is enough for today.

 

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Lockdown Day 75 – 9 June 2020 – Peace

Posted on June 9, 2020 by PietMar

Peace

Peace on Earth seems an elusive dream. To have peace, everybody must want peace and work towards peace. If there are 100 people and 99 want peace, but 1 person or group does not want peace, there will not be peace!

Matt 5:9 says: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Peace. That elusive state that we just cannot achieve in the world, is what I thought about during my 6km exercise walk.

As I walked, a bit breathless, I hummed Dona Nobis Pacem – Give us Peace

Dona Nobis Pacem” – Canon (SSAA) – Sunday 7pm Choir

Did you thing I will sing for you?

PEACE IS NOT GIVEN

Why can we not have peace? Perhaps because we think peace should be GIVEN to us? Peace is like the rich man who said grace over dinner and closed: “Be with those less fortunate than us. Amen.” His son replied:  “If I were you, I would make my own prayer come true and just give to those less fortunate and not wait on God to do it!”

That is a problem – that we think peace must be given to us! It puts us outside the circle of responsibility – peace is not our responsibility. It is above our paygrade. We storm ahead. Oblivious. Our words and deeds cause havoc, but it is not our responsibility.

WHAT OTHERS SAY

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
 – John F. Kennedy

“Peace begins with a smile.”
– Mother Teresa

“Eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/peace-quotes

OUR RESPONSIBILITY?

Indeed, if we do not take responsibility for peace in our little corner of influence, we may be devoured by violence! As JFK says in the quote above.

Mother Theresa says it plain and simple – peace (and often friendship) begins with a smile. A smile can put a totally different perspective on many situations. Perhaps it is going too far to say a smile is a sign of empathy, but it surely is a sign of friendliness. A sign of openness. A smile sends a welcoming message. I, for one, should smile a lot more!

THE PROBLEM

The problem is, we must be right – at all costs. We must win – at all costs. We must feel important – at all costs. We want to be powerful. Sometimes, I think, we confuse respect with fear. If we can induce fear, we think people respect us. Perhaps I am wrong in this thought.

Gandhi is so right! An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Romans 12:17 always fascinated me. “Do not repay evil with evil.” The Afrikaans says so much. In a sense the Afrikaans says we use evil as a medium of exchange – like money. We “repay” evil with evil. Evil becomes a currency. In that way evil multiplies. Just like $1 in the economy. Or like an infectious virus!

Romans 12 actually suggests an alternative to using “evil as money.” DO the right thing. Now that is a challenge.

Mostly, I find the Bible practical, because Romans 12 also ads, as far as it depends on YOU, live in peace with everybody. I must admit, some people make it really difficult. Sometimes, I am that people!  😳  😕  😳 

The truth, and we cannot escape it, is that peace is our responsibility. Yours and mine.

To Have Peace Make Peace

To Have Peace Make Peace

If you and I want peace, you and I must make it!

That also comes at a price. The price is ego, arrogance, stepping away from superiority, getting down to somebody else’s level to understand his point of view. That is another problem! We think we are coming “down!” Perhaps the problem is that we cannot get up to the other person’s level and he or she has to kneel to get to our level! Just a thought.

Which reminds me of the Lawyer and the Reverent. A true story. The Lawyer wanted a bridge over a smallish river that cut the town off whenever there was rain. One day the two stood on opposite sides of the flooding river. The Lawyer said: “This is why we must have a bridge.” The Reverent replied: “I will pray that God gives you the right insight.” To which the Lawyer answered: “Reverent, why do you not rather pray that God guides us in the right way?” To the credit of the Reverent, he came back and supported the bridge and I often used it!

I think it is worth it having peace. If not for me, then surely to leave a better world for our children and grandchildren.

What do you think? Why can we not peace? What can we do to get peace?

 

 

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Lockdown Day 73 – 8 June 2020 – Birthdays

Posted on June 8, 2020 by PietMar

Birthdays

John Denver Poems, Prayers & Promises Lyrics

This John Denver song says about my life that I what like to say.

Birthdays

The More Birthdays, the longer you live

I do not know why people get so excited about birthdays. Birthdays are actually extremely dangerous. Too many birthdays are the leading cause of death, apparently.  First thing every morning I turn to the death notices in the newspaper. If my name is not there, I know it is OK to get out of bed. People die alphabetically – fortunately, Maritz (my surname) is not abundant. I was born in 1959 and it is increasing in the death columns

I hope you realise I am following Shakespeare’s advice?

 

“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”
– William Shakespeare

LIFE IS A MIRACLE

Birth and life go hand-in-hand. Life is a miracle. To the best of my knowledge we could not yet create life. We could clone a sheep. But we did not start from nothing.

Life is a miracle, and therefore it is valuable. It amazes me how people can cling to life – far beyond where I sometimes think it is worthwhile. We love life.

We Think We Have Time

We Think We Have Time

I remember a Sunday afternoon when I was waiting in the car for my wife. A young man approached me. Torn jeans. One takkie without a sole. Weathered, dirty, and definitely using something, judging by his eyes. He aggressively demanded money. As he walked away, I watched him in the rearview river. I wondered what kept him alive.

For that matter, what keeps me alive? Do we need a purpose to keep living? I am not sure of that. Perhaps just living is enough. At the same time, I am not sure it is enough for me. I want to get up in the morning with something worthwhile to do. You will hear me say the worst thing after work, is not having work.  How do you go on leave if you do not have work? Yes, I enjoy my work. It gives a sense and a purpose and structure to my life.

My children and grandchildren also give purpose to my life.

My dreams give a sense of purpose. Dreams become goals. Right now, my dream that turned into a goal, to climb Devil’s Peak on 5 September gives purpose. It motivates me to exercise harder. To go walking when I do not feel like it.

Writing these journals during lockdown not only kept me busy, giving my days structure and purpose, it also helped me to live aware – of my own experience and reactions. It made me sensitive to other people’s reaction.

I was born a loner and I live a loner with a few people allowed in my circle. But even I realize that life is better shared. I am grateful for the people in my life, because without the people in my life, there would be no life, perhaps at best just existence!

Life is a wonder, and each one of us live our lives according to our own loves and likes and dislikes. That is how it should be.

Life is a miracle; we must appreciate it. I don’t think I appreciate it enough!

Life is marvel and we should “open” each moment like a child a surprise packet.

Keep People in Your Life

Keep People in Your Life

 

We must make life sensational.

We Must LIVE Life.

We must celebrate life before the funeral.
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Financial Tips For Young(er) People

Posted on June 7, 2020 by PietMar

What do you want out of life? 

Wealth Defined

For me a charmed life is hiking in the mountains, driving back roads and camping away from people and being in nature. Spending time with my children and grandchildren. That is my wealth. 

Wealth is being able to lead the life you desire.

That is the goal:

To achieve that purpose of creating wealth – to live the life you desire.

I taught my children to live by design. That means you have to set goals and make plans to achieve your purpose.  When would you like to live the life you desire? Please do not wait until some time in the future. Live now. And while you enjoy life, build your wealth!

DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

It does not matter how you earn your money, as long as you enjoy what you do and are happy. Don’t fall for the story that you MUST have your own business to become wealthy. Be who you are. Do what makes you happy. And do what you do well and a bit better.

Keep learning and studying – your best investment is in yourself. As you increase your own value, so your income will increase. Everybody pays for value.

SPEND LESS THAN YOU EARN

It is not HOW you earn your money that will make you wealthy, it is what you DO with your money. If you spend more than you earn, then you will make other people rich and yourself poor.

INVEST

Invest your money. In the beginning it will be be difficult, because we do not have a lot of options with a little money. But as your income and capital grows, it will become easier. My suggestion is to invest for income before you invest for capital growth. I will post about this later.

INVESTMENT HORIZON

Invest in low risk stocks and bonds for the short – to medium term;

Invest in high risk stocks for the long term capital growth

Invest in property for long term cash flow and capital growth.

BE HANDS-ON

Do not allow money and wealth to rule your life, but always know what is happening in your finances. Stick to your plan, but regularly evaluate your progress and adjust where necessary.

That is the road to wealth!

DISCLAIMER

This is not advice! Please consult with a financial planner before you invest your money or make any changes to your portfolio. Financial Planning is a holistic, personalized process.  Therefore I cannot be held liable if you just start making changes to portfolios or make random investments.

 

 

 

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Lockdown Day 73 – 7 June 2020 – It Matters

Posted on June 7, 2020 by PietMar

Agendas

Just a reminder: this is my Lockdown Journal that I share, because I want to. It is my thoughts and my ideas. It was difficult to share my thoughts 72 days ago. It became easier.

Benedictus – The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace

According to Wikipedia:  The piece was commissioned by the Royal Armouries Museum for the Millennium celebrations, to mark the museum’s move from London to Leeds, and it was dedicated to victims of the Kosovo crisis. You can take the time to listen to the full CD.

The death of George Floyd set a movement in motion. And rightly so – racism is unacceptable. Repeat that: racism is unacceptable.

We do not have to say anything more than that, do we?

I regularly get calls from a South African organisation that focus on “the Afrikaner’s rights.” In general, I think they do not do too badly. But as long as they focus on ONE group, I will not join them.

People often try to get me to support or take part in action about farm murders. I agree, farm murders are terrible. But so are ALL murders. Start a movement against MURDERS and I will join.

As long as you put one person or group above another, I will not join.

And that is what made me think about agendas. I refuse to play by somebody else’s agenda!

“I came to the conclusion that in order to end racial barriers, I needed to run for the office of the president and put forth an agenda of social justice and world peace. In addition, I concluded that someone needed to run and challenge the liberal orthodoxy.”
– Jesse Jackson

“You’re not just voting for an individual, in my judgment, you’re voting for an agenda. You’re voting for a platform. You’re voting for a political philosophy.” 
– Colin Powell

“It’s normal for human beings to identify with their own separate self. The problem is that we get caught in that notion of ourself as a separate individual and caught in that individual self’s agenda.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh

Quotes here

 RACISM?

The media is ablaze about racism, police violence and anything that you can hook onto that. It seems, as I have alluded the other day, that many people still live in the pre-primary school age. You remember how fights started in pre-primary? You hit me, then I hit back. Unfortunately, in a very subjective judgement I hit harder than you did, so you now must hit me harder, only now I must retaliate. I feel like saying like Marlize’s mother “Fop, GROW UP, people! Get a life! For how long do you want to live in reaction?”

Please stop the nonsense! Yabut, you did it first. Yabut, you did it harder. Yabut, you did it more. How about: Yabut, I will show you the right way?

Or don’t we know the right way anymore? How lucky that my Dad taught me “If they start first, then you stop first, then you have both done something first.” Fortunately, my Dad asked me: “Why don’t you switch off your brights?” When I answered: “Because he drove with his brights on behind me, and I want to show him what it feels like.” My Dad said: “Rather you show him what is the right thing to do.”

It does not matter whether somebody is a criminal or not. Police brutality is unacceptable. It does not matter whether somebody is black or white, or any colour in between, murder is wrong and unacceptable. And if you put one life ahead of another, some lives will matter more!

IF YOU FIND EXCUSES

As long as we can find excuses for atrocities, so long will it continue. Murder will not stop while we think a murder in one part of the country is less important than in my town. It cannot, because it shows there is a bad value system afoot. Murder will only grow less when we start planting white crosses on a hill for all murder victims, not just farmers. Perhaps that is not a bad idea.

Murders will not decrease until we are equally sad and mourn every life of every person who die at the hand of a fellow human being.

I try to live by the Golden Rule – DO unto others as you would like them to DO unto you. That is a perfect rule. It puts the responsibility where it should be – ME and where I have control over it – ME.  Therefore, because I want MY life to matter:

ALL LIVES MATTERS

LOVE IS LOVE

EVERY HUMAN BEING IS OF EQUAL WORTH

ALL HUMAN BEINGS ARE CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD.

If you have a problem with that, please hit the unfriend button NOW. Don’t hesitate, don’t think about it. Don’t show yourself by trying to argue. If you have a problem, leave. NOW!

 

 

 

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