How I Lost Money in the Bear Market and What I Would do if I had Another Chance
Zipping Down the Road
In Case You Missed It
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We recently received a very interesting proposal from a Cabot Wealth Advisory reader who suggested an essay contest with a subscription to a Cabot newsletter as the prize for the best entry.
We have never done such a contest, but the reader had obviously thought through the details, and made a very persuasive case. I thought you’d enjoy reading excerpts of the proposal:
“I enjoy receiving the Cabot Wealth Advisory very much. Thank you for sharing your considerable knowledge; our country needs this, especially in light of the fear and panic generated by the current economic events.
“My question to you is: would you consider opening up a few spots in one of your more detailed, subscription-based advisories to a few unfortunates who have lost their nest egg due to predatory lending, or unscrupulous practices by an employer? I won’t even mention Mr. Ponzi-Pilferer by name. You know of what I speak, I am sure.
“Perhaps an essay contest on How I Lost My Retirement and What I Would Do if I Had Another Chance. There are many who have lost their nest eggs, due to no fault of their own, other than perhaps trusting the wrong people / company, or having too much faith in the “American Dream.” All who care about investing in their financial security could benefit from your knowledge and insight.
As the prize, “perhaps a few six-month subscriptions, or three-month? It would be a very good thing to give knowledge, and a chance for at least a few determined souls to learn enough to possibly recover from a hard lesson and a badly dealt hand. Not to mention some positive marketing karma! (I am sure the world of finance does not operate on karma, but I am an optimist, and it never hurts to ask!)
“Thank you for reading this, thank you for providing the possibility of success.”
Respectfully,
L.P.
Camarillo, California, U.S.A.
Well, we liked the idea so much that we’ve given L.P. a free one-year subscription for sending the idea to us!
First off, we love competitions. Second, we like the idea of asking Cabot Wealth Advisory readers to share their stories and we think others will enjoy reading them. And third, the entries will give us an opportunity to get to know you better, dear reader. Lastly, the winner will have a chance to get back into the market with our best advice because the prize is a FREE one-year subscription to a Cabot newsletter!
Sounds like it will be fun!
Here are the details (we made only slight adjustments to L.P.'s idea):
Cabot Essay Contest Rules
Topic: “How I Lost Money in the Bear Market and What I Would do if I had Another Chance.”
* Entries: Maximum 1,000 words
* One entry per email address
* To enter: Send entries via email to essaycontest@cabot.net
* The winner will receive a one-year free subscription to your choice of these Cabot newsletters:
Cabot Market Letter
Cabot Top Ten Report
Cabot China & Emerging Markets Report
Cabot Green Investor
Cabot Benjamin Graham Value Letter
Cabot Stock of the Month Report
* Contest deadline: June 30, 2009
* Winners will be announced on July 15, 2009
* The top three essays will be selected by a panel of Cabot editors, and readers will vote on the winner.
* We may choose to reprint any entries in Cabot Wealth Advisory, but will keep names confidential.
Good luck!
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The last few weeks have seen a lively discussion in Cabot Wealth Advisory and on our blog, http://www.iconoclast-investor.com, about the possibility of a car-free world. Some readers have come out strongly in favor of the idea, while others have taken a slightly different view. I received a few more interesting comments this week and wanted to share them with you here. If you missed the original article and the resulting comments, go to the archives section of our Web site (they can be found under Elyse Andrews): http://www.cabot.net/Issues/CWA/Archives.aspx.
“In your email describing car free Vauban, Germany, I was surprised that you made no mention of efforts in this country to reduce reliance on automobiles. Zipcar has been successful in decreasing the number of cars on the road, especially in big cities. GoLoCo is another effort to increase car sharing and improve the socialization of driving. Robin Chase, who founded Zipcar, was recently named one of the 100 most influential persons in the world by Time magazine.”
R.P.R.
New Hampshire
And ...
“I am 80 years old and it saddens me to think that future generations may never know the freedom and pleasure of the open road and a fine car, if only for a two-week vacation.”
R.W.
I thought these two letters tied into each other nicely, which is why I chose to re-print them here.
As a lover of road trips, I agree with R.W. that it would be sad to think of future generations missing out on them. I love getting in the car and just driving for hours with the windows down and great music playing on the radio. In fact, this summer I’ll be taking a road trip up to Acadia National Park in Maine, for which I will definitely need my car.
However, R.P.R. brings up another great point. You don’t need to own a car to experience the benefits of them. I have many friends in Boston who rely solely on Zipcars when they need transportation other than a bike or the subway. So even f I didn’t own a car, I’d still be able to take my trip to Acadia since there are several Zipcar locations within minutes of my house.
Zipcar is a very convenient, affordable and environmental way to use automobiles and I imagine this innovative company will only expand its reach in the future. These letters show that daily car-free (or nearly car-free) living and taking road trips aren’t mutually exclusive lifestyles. It’s finding the balance between the two that will be the key to the future of car ownership.
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In case you didn’t get a chance to read all the issues of Cabot Wealth Advisory this week and want to catch up on any investing and stock tips you might have missed, I have links below to each issue.
Cabot Wealth Advisory 5/26/09 - Six Big Trends You Can Profit From (or, Beware the Boiling Frog)
On Tuesday, Timothy Lutts wrote about a recent trip to Philadelphia to enjoy two art exhibitions and why he’s against the audio guides available at these events. Tim also discussed six big trends and how you can profit from them, including specific stocks he likes. Featured stocks: Visa (V), Whole Foods Market (WFMI), United Natural Foods (UNFI), Coca-Cola (KO), Orion Marine (ORN), Tata Motors (TTM), First Solar (FSLR) and Quality Systems (QSII).
http://www.cabot.net/Issues/CWA/Archives/2009/05/Six-Trends-to-Profit-From.aspx
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Cabot Wealth Advisory 5/27/09 - The One Bank Stock that Deserves to be in Your Portfolio
On Wednesday, we heard from Nathan Slaughter, of StreetAuthority, who wrote about a bank stock that he believes deserves to be in your portfolio. This tight-knit thrift manages 140 branches spread throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and it has been ranked one of the nation’s three strictest mortgage underwriters. Featured stock: Hudson City Bancorp (HCBK).
http://www.cabot.net/Issues/CWA/Archives/2009/05/Bank-Stock.aspx
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Cabot Wealth Advisory 5/28/09 - Why You Should Expect Much Higher Stock Prices
On Thursday, Michael Cintolo wrote more about the blast-off indicators he discussed earlier this month. Mike also wrote about how sentiment indicators are pointing to a positive future. Mike finished by discussing what type of trading pattern he likes to see in a stock before buying it. Featured stocks: Prudential Financial (PRU) and Visa (V).
http://www.cabot.net/Issues/CWA/Archives/2009/05/Higher-Stock-Prices.aspx
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Until next time,
Elyse Andrews
Editor of Cabot Wealth Advisory
Editor’s Note: Whether or not you want to live in a car-free world, you can still profit from the boom in Green investments. Cabot Green Investor Editor Brendan Coffey is our resident Green stock expert and he’s currently recommending leaders in the industry that are strong both fundamentally and technically. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity, get in while these stocks are cheap and ride them to new highs as demand increases for their products and services. Click below to get started today.
https://www.cabot.net/info/cgi/cgija01.aspx?source=wc01
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