John Hjorth
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Posts posted by John Hjorth
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On weaponizing food :
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4 hours ago, Gregmal said:
I think when we own real businesses we are always having to do something, so we dont really need to do the "do something" thing. When we own stocks, and dont really understand or appreciate what we own, we tend to think, since we arent really doing anything, that the whole buy/sell all the time thing, is how you do something. Its certainly one of those weird things people do.
Me? IDK, I think its great I can choose my assets and business partners, have people way more qualified than me do all the work, and just participate without lifting a finger.
Many years ago - but a few years after leaving university - I met again with an acquaintance from the university years, at a party, set up by our common friend, to have a good time together with a lot of folks, where we all knew each other, more or less, based on speciality.
So I asked him - openly - to start a conversation with him - how and what he was doing. He was then the Danish head af sales for CompaQ. [Much to my surprice, I spend more time at the university, while he left with a B.Sc., while I continued to get the M.Sc., to become a Danish CPA [M.Sc. in auditing mandatory here locally].
I still remember him at certain written exams [those were always on Mondays] meeting in timely, but sleeping out major hangovers the first hour or so - taking a power nap! - before starting to do something!
I was a bit baffled about his career progress compared to mine at that time, so I asked him : "What do you actually do in your job?" He answered me [semi-drunk, at the party, like me] : "Not much. I keep close track on all the sales reps. referring to me. From time to time, I'm in the field, too, - selling a bit."
Then he told me he as part of his job description he also had these regularly not so pleasant conversations with his subordinate reps that were lagging on performance.
He told me he had basically and only two alternatives under these talks :
1. Firing the employeé.
2. To put a part of his own personal orders on top of the [lagging ] orders of the employeé, with the comment : " For me to have success, you need to have success!"
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The first name of your personal sales reps. may be Warren, Charles, Prem, Jorge, or whatever, the last name may be Wallenberg or Lundberg, or whatever.
We have the privilege to fire them all immediately - without even giving notice. To continue to do nothing successfully, we need to choose our reps. wisely.
Easy to say, hard to do.
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Gents,
Pardon me, but projecting the actual situation here in Europe with regard to Russia and Ukraine as of now into a discussion of a comparative analysis of past and incumbent US Presidential stupidity is actually to me a bit entertaining, to say the least.
The majority of the fools, not reacting timely, sufficent and with measured and appropriate responses, are on the other side of the Atlantic pond, I would say.
Thank you for your support in these times.
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1 hour ago, Paarslaars said:
The tear of time is even worse on women guys
Is this consideration gravity related?
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14 hours ago, gfp said:
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/718877/000119312523188107/d491908dsc13ga.htm
Berkshire's ATVI holdings are much lower than many assumed (as of June 30th)
Tweet by Kevin Carperter about it [I haven't checked if the observation is correct, while I certainly expect it to be so, based on the identity of the author].
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9 hours ago, changegonnacome said:
But its fair to say that Ukraine is severely constrained for artillery and Russia not so much? Which given the nature of the current battlefield is a big advantage.
The way I personally perceive the total situation as of now from all my steady ongoing reading here, there and everywhere, is that the above is about right.
And from a Western politics point of view, it's a disgrace, a scandal and just so embarrassing. The perils of democracy [yes, democracy also has a back of the coin, perhaps several more, - one of them being it's inefficient, slow, and cumbersome!], perhaps combined with bureaucracy, again combined with NATO organizational bloat makes efficicient execution almost impossible.
It's so frustrating to be an observer to this. *shaking head*
The long range Cruise missiles made available to Ukraine will be a game changer going forward, if used intelligently.
The next step to up the ante I speculate will be to include donated F16 fighters from the West to Ukraine in the the combat actions - oh wait ! : Training of Ukrainian pilots in flying this has not started yet!
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29 minutes ago, MCR said:
That comment about struggling with poor balance...
@MCR,
It's basically about geriatric-related loss of functional capacity - here, the loss of muscle mass and strength in your legs. According to @gfp [upsteam in this very topic] Mr. Buffett has been training to keep going / walking - literaly. This geriatric decline is a fact for all of us - one can postpone it by physical exercise - eventually, it will get us all, for the majority of us, likely before we each individually pass away.
If you start using a golf cart to do the 18 holes on a golf court, it will take short time, and you'll never be able again to walk the whole playground again, because walking the 18 holes is what keeps you able to walk the 18 holes. Stop doing something like that at high age, and you'll never be able to do it again, because the struggle to get to 'the path to getting back to past greatness' increases with your age, and is gradually verging to becoming impossible.
The tear of time is relentless for us human beings. It must be of female gender, I think, because it's a bitch, without exceptions.
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So much for retaliation for international seizure of Russian oligarchs assets - naturally it has political consequences, that seem to hit - more or less - to misfire, by logic based on actual opportunity, not in any way based on logic :
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Buffett Sun Valley gossip : New York Post [July 13th 2023] : Warren Buffett’s wife grumbles about $4 coffee at Sun Valley.
It's great to have a cost conscious life companion. I just hope Mr. Buffett is well.
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Here we go again - 'same procedure as last year':
Politico [July 12th 2023] : Ukraine warns key Russian gas supply to Europe will be cut.
Counter measures from Western Europe :
Baltic Pipe : Delivering Norwegian gas to Eastern Europe [mentioned by me upstream in this topic],
Danish Tyra Gas field coming online again after redevelopment, expencted now January 2024.
Continued shift away from gas to other energy sources.
I have no idea how this is going to play out. Likely it will harm both Russia and the NATO member states in Europe in varying degrees.
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John :
Q :
How do I invest succesfully for the long term?
Bard :
A :
Here are some tips on how to invest successfully for the long term:
- Get your finances in order. Before you can invest for the long term, you need to know how much money you have to invest. You also need to make sure that you have enough money saved for your short-term goals, such as an emergency fund or a down payment on a house.
- Know your time horizon. How long do you plan to invest your money? If you're investing for the long term, you can afford to take on more risk. But if you need the money in the near future, you'll need to invest in more conservative assets.
- Pick a strategy and stick with it. There are many different investment strategies out there. Do some research to find one that's right for you and your risk tolerance. Then, stick with it, even when the market is volatile.
- Understand investing risks. No investment is without risk. But the long term is a long time, and over time, the risks of the stock market tend to average out. As long as you stay invested, you're likely to come out ahead.
- Diversify well. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money across different asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, and real estate. This will help to reduce your risk.
- Rebalance your portfolio regularly. As your investments grow, you'll need to rebalance your portfolio to make sure that it still meets your risk tolerance and investment goals.
- Don't panic sell. When the market takes a downturn, it's tempting to sell your investments. But if you panic sell, you'll likely sell at a loss. Instead, stay calm and ride out the storm.
Here are some examples of long-term investments:
- Stocks: Stocks are shares of ownership in a company. Over the long term, stocks have historically outperformed other asset classes.
- Bonds: Bonds are loans that you make to a company or government. Bonds are generally considered to be less risky than stocks, but they also offer lower returns.
- Real estate: Real estate can be a great long-term investment, but it's important to do your research and understand the risks involved.
- Mutual funds: Mutual funds are baskets of stocks or bonds that are managed by a professional. Mutual funds can be a good way to diversify your portfolio and reduce your risk.
- ETFs: ETFs are similar to mutual funds, but they trade on an exchange like stocks. ETFs can be a good way to get exposure to a particular asset class or index.
Investing for the long term can be a great way to grow your wealth. But it's important to do your research and understand the risks involved. By following these tips, you can increase your chances of success.
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3 hours ago, Xerxes said:
https://ca.yahoo.com/news/nato-papering-over-cracks-zelenskiy-153040460.html
You got to give the Zelenskyy credit. He fights tooth and nail for his flag.
Not the same clean shaven junior statesman who got stuck between H. Biden and Trump on weird allegations.
Both parts are somewhat stuck in this warfare, generating desperation in the situation on both sides. Ukraine is desperate, because it would be run over if not for the support by the NATO and G7 countries. No need to complicate things here.
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8 minutes ago, Xerxes said:
JohnI was born in Iran during the Soviet time. And was on the receiving end of Iraqi invasion and Scud missiles when lived in Tehran. I am more aware than most people on this thread about living life during war. I live it for 8 years. Wasn’t as bad as being on a frontline city like Khoramshahr.
And historically am well aware of Russian aggression and expansionist policy toward Iran and Europe. I should say that I trust Kremlin even less than the fools in DC when it to foreign policy.
That said, I don’t believe I (myself) have any special ability to predict the future just because I like history. Or taking a snapshot of today as things are and making CAGR projections like it is some sort of investment.
Hence the comment: “we don’t know what will happen”. There has been simply too many twist and turns.
Nothing you posted above was about your in casu skin in the game. Please let it go, as I will from here.
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1 hour ago, Xerxes said:
... we don’t know what will happen. ...
You simply don't discuss in this topic, as if you have some skin in this game [, which is to you as a Canadian citizen as a fact at the most by now indirect and immaterial]. To me, the only thing to change this attitude of yours and wake you up would be an agression from the North from Russia, over the North Pole.
I'm not going to spend time to comment on similar posts from you in this topic going forward. I'll leave it here.
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2 minutes ago, Xerxes said:
One can make a list of how ridiculous Sir Winston Churchill career was up to the eve of Second World War. Including the Dardanelles expedition disaster, his feud with Lord Fisher etc.
One can make a list of how awesome Putin achievement was in pulling Russia out of the Yelstinfestation, taming down the oligarchy and the jolly years of prosperity when he had the tailwind of hydrocarbon (you may think it was the price of barrel, more important was production increase)if a snapshot was taken in 2007.
Like the compounded growth rate of a stock that highly sensitive on entry and exit point, the geopolitical cycles are also sensitive to when one take that snapshot and makes the list.
So what, @Xerxes ? Like talking about running what into the ground? Putin is 71 years old. The stock that has already killed him has the ticker $RUSSIA.
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10 hours ago, Viking said:
The simplest answer is usually the best. It is obvious Putin is a mole for the West. He was likely recruited in St. Petersburg before his political career got going. He single-handedly has:- revitalized NATO
- convinced Finland and Sweden to join NATO, when neither country wanted to before
- convinced all countries in Europe neighbouring Russia to quickly and heavily re-arm
- severed decades old economic linkages with Germany
- convinced Germany to re-arm
- set the Russian economy back a generation
- permanently lowered the living standards of current and future generations of Russian kids
- killed tens of thousands of young Russian men; turning what was already a demographic problem into a nightmare
- convinced tens of thousands of Russians to leave their country (lots of whom are educated)
- accelerated by decades the decline of the Russian state
- economically, made Russia a vassal state of China
Simply amazing what he has accomplished in less than 18 months. And i don’t think he is close to being done.
The ramifications for Russia in the future will become severe for its population, allmost beyond imagination, a melting icecube, gradually disintegrating and collapsing into a hellhole where noboday wants to stay or live, untill a material change in tracjectory for the future is set, based on demands for such changes by the incumbent population [by demands for societal reforms, uproar, revolution, coup d'état, civil war etc.]
I don't think I have to explain anything to anyone a member here CoBF about how to interpret these statistics, related to @Vikings comments above, combined with thinking about what has happened to the graph since January 1st 2022.
A turnaround, that is so far from even beginning to look like a turnaround, long way ahead just to begin looking like a turnaround, after which it actually has to become turnaround, that actually turns.
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KAL cartoon [July 6th 2023] in The Economist. [Perhaps needless to say, but I like it [
], especially on a day where there will be a solution for a roadmap for Swedens NATO membership, and thereby for the NATO members in Northern Europe in the Baltics and Nordics.]
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8 minutes ago, MMM20 said:
If earnings roughly match free cash flow and are at least stable for the next 3 years ...
I think, you'd better be careful such presumptions about the implications of such assumptions for an insurer - not much is static in that space of business for such a period. That does not change the fact that FFH looks really compellng right now.
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I wish you good luck with it all, @RedLion! It reads interesting, with a lot of potential! Thank you for sharing.
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Bloomberg [July 10th 2023] : Erdogan Links Sweden’s NATO Entry to Turkey’s EU Bid.
The man is an intellectual pygmy. The legal framework for EU has nothing to do with the legal framework for NATO.
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Are you simply shiftning a part of your invested capital to another [non-listed] asset class, or are you buying a new home? If it's the last alternative, congratulations!
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Just some educational info here [without the intent to appear condecending towards fellow board members posting in this topic, or for that matter any CoBF member] :
Full document in PDF with data tables and charts.
Whose war is it : The war belongs Russia and Ukraine.
Whose problem is the war? : To me, it's primairily a problem held and owned by Europe, because the war is going on in Europe and destabilizes Europe in a material way. ['Europe' here includes both Russia and Ukraine.]
In the end it's an issue for every state in the western world, where societal values are based on democracy and freedom.
I have no problem with understanding the stances of @cubsfan and @Castanza about USAs participation in the financing of the war. As a Dane, I'm actually embarrased by the Danish part of the data in the above mentioned material.
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12 minutes ago, Xerxes said:
... who am I to argue with Sir Winston anyway ? ...
Please just give it a go. There is nothing as entertaining as a good libel trial, especially when your opponent is deceased. Up it Up!
Why buy an egg?
in General Discussion
Posted
Anyone here on CoBF with experience, comments, recommendations etc. about products from this company?
Big Green Egg.