Archives for July 2019

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon. It’s been 50 years since then, and it remains one of the single greatest achievements of modern human history.

My father, who was nearing 20 then, had in fact transcribed the event as it was happening, while listening to Voice of America station on the radio.

Here is his transcript (click on the image below to download a clearer version my father copied from his original transcript on the day the astronauts landed back on Earth).

[Read more…] about Being Prepared

Have you ever noticed that finding an available spot in the multilevel car parking in any mall or shopping complex is an interesting exercise in mental maths? Let me explain.

Whenever I enter the parking area, I often try to optimize, i.e., find a spot near the lift lobby/staircase. Which means the moment I enter the parking area, I have to forego the easily available spots and keep driving towards the lift lobby and then hope that there’s a spot available near it. If there isn’t, then I would have to drive up to the next floor, which is kind of worse than the case where I would have taken the first few available spots near the parking entrance. So how many first available spots should I pass before I decide to stop searching?

It turns out that mathematicians have spent centuries thinking about this class of problems. They call it The Optimal Stopping problem.
[Read more…] about Picking Stocks Like a Mathematician

I was never fond of history in school. I am, now.

The difference, as I realize, has occurred due to the way the subject was taught to me in school and the way I have come to look at it over the past few years.

What I was taught in school were the details – British Rule, French Revolution, World Wars, etc. – and the rote learning that had to accompany it.

What I now love about the subject is simply the concept of it, how we have come to be since humans first walked the Earth, how our thinking has evolved, and how some things have not changed at all.

[Read more…] about Two Big Lessons from History

Yep, it’s time to put on the big boy pants…Safal Niveshak completes eight years today. 🙂

As per my son’s pediatrician, eight-year-olds start developing complex language skills. Their focus and attention span improves. Around this age, they see that some words have more than one meaning. That helps them understand jokes and puns and start verbally expressing a sense of humor. Kids this age also show fast growth in mental ability.

Well, except moving towards greater simplicity, not complexity, this eight-year-old named Safal Niveshak seems to match the doctor’s description to the tee. That makes me happy. 🙂

Anyways, I started this initiative with a simple idea in 2011 – that of helping people become better at their stock market investment decisions. The idea was just that, and I had no clue how I would do it (I still have no clue how I would do it tomorrow or the day after!)

However, a lot has happened in these eight quick years – and the tribe is reaching 60,000 members. But as with any kid of this age, we’re just getting started.

Most of all, I want to thank you for “raising” this initiative to this point — it truly could not have happened without you, dear tribe member.

I know I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating – Thank you so much for reading, for commenting, for your interest and support, for helping this entire movement of creating smarter and independent stock market investors become greater and spread wider.

You are magnificent, and I am supremely grateful for your time and attention.

Just in case Safal Niveshak has touched your life, I would be happy and honoured to read your thoughts in the Comments section of this post.

By the way, “eight,” also known as ashtha in Sanskrit, is the number of wealth and abundance. That is what I wish for you, dear tribe member.

Thanks again for being there!

With respect,
Vishal