<p>Looking for work is not that much fun…</p>
<p>I think that looking for work is interesting if you already have a job. You get to see what the rest of the world is doing. My son tells me what he’s working on - cutting-edge stuff that sounds really interesting. The tools that I’m working with were built in the 70s and 80s so my skills would only be useful in another job that used those same tools. He would have a much easier time finding another job than I would right now.</p>
<p>“In CT there’s (serious) talk about starting teacher layoffs. Municipalities have been raising taxes and putting off long-term corrective action. If things are improving, it must be in places other than CT.”</p>
<p>CT for the last few decades has stunk for job growth. I read late last year in the Courant, that our job growth has been the lowest of any state. Property, state and sales taxes have been going up. To add insult to injury, the real estate market has been dead for years. My kids had no desire to stay in the state which I understand is an issue in general.</p>
<p>“I think that looking for work is interesting if you already have a job. You get to see what the rest of the world is doing. My son tells me what he’s working on - cutting-edge stuff that sounds really interesting. The tools that I’m working with were built in the 70s and 80s so my skills would only be useful in another job that used those same tools. He would have a much easier time finding another job than I would right now.”</p>
<p>I find this slightly amusing…actually annoying as this pertains to me…and the world revolves around me. :)</p>
<p>I see students coming out of college getting these great finance related jobs…jobs I could never get…and I know so much more than they know. It’s weird when a young person tells me what they are going to do…and they have no clue. :)</p>
<p>In CT, young folks have some nice options that are not too far away too: Boston and NY. You can find work and still not be too far away from home.</p>
<p>Lots of state/local budget cutting comes when the federal government pulls payments to states. States have to balance budgets each year and so must cut (or tax, which isn’t popular this month). The state cuts are really contractionary.</p>
<p>How would you change your investment strategy if we were to adopt the Ryan budget?</p>
<p>Shawbridge</p>
<p>That’s experience vs skills. I chat (via IM) a lot with my son on workplace issues and skills and research and engineering so he at least gets exposed to my experience. He has a lot of skills right now - his brain is young and can absorb a great deal in a short period of time - I can’t do that at my age. I do have experience though and can learn new things at a fast enough pace. The thing is the young people that we hire don’t necessarily stick around that long so groups need older people as an anchor and to train the new kids.</p>
<p>In finance, I can see experience being far more valuable than skills in terms of getting a feel for markets. You have to look at the economy, business, politics, geopolitical news and cycles. Older people have more of an innate feeling with how families behave in their spending - having the experience and real perspective is usually a lot different than reading about it in a book.</p>
<p>
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<p>My strategy would not change. The best way to prosperity is to buy stocks in companies that have a high dividend growth rate. The Ryan plan will restore sanity in government spending and allow for more economic growth.</p>
<p>"In CT, young folks have some nice options that are not too far away too: Boston and NY. You can find work and still not be too far away from home. "</p>
<p>Exactly - my son can’t stand cities so he lives in Vermont and when my daughter graduates medical school, she hopes to have a residency in either Boston or NYC.</p>
<p>Yep…BCEagle91…in some ways our brains deteriorate as we age…</p>
<p>I noticed when I was on a trading floor in my 30’s…
I was processing a little, little slower than when I was in my 20’s. And since speed was important…</p>
<p>There are pluses and minuses to age and experience…</p>
<p>There is a saying…maybe you heard this…</p>
<p>There are old traders and there are bold traders…but there aren’t any old bold traders.</p>
<p>In the hedge fund world…if you can put up some very big numbers…you can attract money…and attracting money is kind of a big deal. What investers don’t realize is it usually takes risk to make large numbers and
what worked in the past may not work in the future.</p>
<p>If I bet everything on heads on a coin flip…and heads comes up…I double my money.
I am up 100 percent. Genius. People want to give me money. I attract lots of money. I bet on another coin flip. I bet on heads. Tails comes
up. Oops. Sorry. </p>
<p>Well…at least I got my fees… :)</p>
<p>Time to open a new hedge fund and try again. :)</p>
<p>Interesting perspectives on aging. I can get an immediate 20% increase in salary going up the road from where I currently work. But I’m too lazy to apply and really don’t want to have to learn new garbage anymore. Besides the money isn’t that important to me at this stage with just a few years left to work - it won’t make a material difference to my retirement. A lot of us at my place of work who are nearing retirement age, feel the same. I don’t have the mental nor the physical endurance that I had just 10 years ago.</p>
<p>Yeah…I feel the same way doct…</p>
<p>I am losing interest…l like learning some new things…but…
Some of the things that are talked about in the workplace are so boring.
And some people have enthusiam for things that have poor prospects…I just shake my head…</p>
<p>"And some people have enthusiam for things that have poor prospects…I just shake my head… "</p>
<p>and many won’t realize it until they’re our age. If they realize it earlier with growing families and the inability to move, they won’t do anything about it. They’re sharp guys who are in their early 40’s here who know their prospects are nonexistant and won’t move out.</p>
<p>Dstark, i have friends,very smart friends, who will swear that betting red after 5 blacks have come up on a roullette wheel that the odds are in their favor,lol…so they put 100 bucks on red, now black comes in again,so they double to 200 on red,and once again black, so now they put 400 on red and it comes up, and they say how smart they are,lol…you can win at this game they play, but need to have a bankroll to continue to double on every spin …</p>
<p>
I only did that once, I do remember the huge food lines.</p>
<p>I liked getting the free turkey on Thanksgiving, too.</p>
<p>I’m starting to get headhunters cold-calling me again. At the peak of the internet boom that was almost a daily occurrence. Then for a long time - nothing.</p>
<p>A friend of mine has a recruiting company. He went from about 20 employees at the peak down to just he and his partner. They survived though and are hiring recruiters again.</p>
<p>Qdogpa…I know people like that too…</p>
<p>As you know…With that strategy…table limits can kill you… :).</p>
<p>“and many won’t realize it until they’re our age. If they realize it earlier with growing families and the inability to move, they won’t do anything about it. They’re sharp guys who are in their early 40’s here who know their prospects are nonexistant and won’t move out.”</p>
<p>Interesting, doct.</p>
<p>From the other thread…</p>
<p>And yes…stocks can rebound after a person takes a stop loss…</p>
<p>Notrichenough…a couple of data points for the upside. :)</p>
<p>From the other thread.</p>
<br>
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<p>For momentum plays, yes.</p>
<p>For LTBH stuff, a trailing stop doesn’t work so well. For dividend plays, a trailing stop doesn’t work so well.</p>
<p>Right…so I asked this in the housing thread…where it did not belong…so I deleted the post…</p>
<p>So you are owning gold for the very long term…</p>
<p>So you aren’t using stops…right?</p>
<p>I own some stocks that I expect to own for 10+ years…I barely look at them…maybe…I should… :).</p>
<p>Gold, silver and platinum are insurance. It will go to my heirs if I don’t need it.</p>
<p>I don’t use stops, other than mental stops, in my trading.</p>
<p>I do look at my stocks regularly - even if they are LTBH. I’m sure some people felt that way about WorldCom.</p>