Stock Kevin

Excel Tip #2: How to Set Up an Automated Table of Contents in Word 2007

2010-07-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

Three step process to setting up an automated table of contents in Word 2007

1) Type in the document the “title” (Prologue) of the first page of your table of contents
2) Highlight the title and click on the “Home” tab, in the “Styles” section select “Heading 1”
3) Click outside of your “title” and click on the “References” tab, in the “Table of Contents” section select “Table of Contents”

Poof! You should have something like this:

Contents
Prologue....................................................................................................................................1

Floor Trader

2010-06-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

What is a floor trader. What do floor traders do?

Floor traders trade as a principal for his or her account on trading floors. In the past, this was a lucrative business. They had immediate access to information the typical American did not and the ability to go in and out of a trade before anyone else. Nowadays, computerized trading has replaced much of their worth.

The bottom line to making money ultimately depends on how much risk you are willing to take.

High risk, High reward, right? We are all too familiar with this concept.

FLOORED offers a look into the floor trading profession and the emotions involved in making millions in a matter of minutes.

This film provides a glimpse of their lifestyle and profession. It doesn't go into details on how to trade, but it does give people who are not familiar with the profession a good look into it.

Ways to Make Extra Money

2010-06-12T18:18:00.001-07:00

As a college student, I was always looking for ways to make extra money.

If you didn’t know already, consumer product companies have been trying to predict the needs and wants of individual consumer for as long as I can remember. They want us to buy their products and the only way we would do so is by buying what we want and need or what we think we want or need. In the past, companies have asked about individuals’ attitudes, beliefs,values and past behaviors through paper-based surveys. Nowadays, surveys are being posted on the internet through survey research data collection companies.

There must be at least fifty online survey companies out there. I’ve narrowed my focus into two survey companies that I thought paid the most often and in a timely fashion. One of which includes Opinion Outpost.

Companies who look for ways to understand their attitudes, beliefs, values and past behaviors use companies like Opinion Outpost to gather information. Essentially Opinion Outpost amasses a large amount of surveys and holds it in their database, and then it disperses it to the pool of individuals. When a survey is available to its users, Opinion Outpost will send its user an e-mail notification with the direct link to the survey. Alternatively access to these open surveys is accessible through their website interface through your individual account. The results go directly to the consumer products based company or Opinion Outpost’s client.

Each survey has what are called pre-screener questions that helps the consumer product company find their target consumer. Companies want to survey those who fit a certain criteria – including age, sex, ethnicity, income, job profession. Most times, they won’t tell you who they are looking for. So your pre-screener answers could be in vain. But the neat thing about Opinion Outpost is that even though you do not pass their screener they offer you three options. You can donate to a charity, try your chances at an instant win of $50, or enter your name in a large sum sweepstakes.

They do offer a referral bonus incentive when you refer people to the site. It’s only a dollar, so if you are interested, I’d appreciate it if you signed up under my link. Alternatively here is the direct website without the referral link. It takes as little as $5 to cash out. From my experience that is about two or three completed online surveys.

How is Phil Jackson so calm?

2010-06-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

"It was Jackson's calm on the sidelines that immediately appealed to Michael.." - From Jackson's Book

What may seem to be a big deal now, five or ten years from now, will only appear to be a drop in the ocean.

Assuming the role of an auditor requires extreme attention to details. Often times, so much so that we lose sight of the big picture. Pathetically, we then fail to remind ourselves that there is more to life than making sure we obtain reasonable explanations.

Since I can remember, I've been a basketball fanatic - following it and playing the game religiously for more than 15 years now. I've learned a great deal from professional athletes. Being cognizant of how they deal with pressure, how they carry themselves, and understanding their work ethics; then incorporating these lessons into my own life.

Naturally, I was drawn to Phil Jackson's ten championships as a coach. How was he able to achieve such greatness in the past two decades or so? What made him so successful? These questions filled my mind. What continues to fascinate me is how he is able to maintain such a calm demeanor even in the midst of seemingly insurmountable pressures. His assistant coach once said, "He has a purpose for practically anything he does. There's times when things are about to blow up and you think man oh man why doesn't he step in and do something about this? And there's nothing but silence there."

"He's sort of a mystery to the players because he is not predictable. He doesn't overreact, or sometimes even react at all. Yet he has a firm hand. The strength of Phil is that he is always very aware of what is happening. He could see things on the bench, or in the locker room, but never moved too quickly to fix things. He would only do that after he had thought about it. Then he would do just what was needed to calm the situation and the problem."

After much research, I believe that his Zen approach to life and dedicate to eastern philosophy has helped shape his demeanor. Of such includes meditation, which plays a large part in centering yourself and being in the moment.

Ultimate List of Short / Bear ETFs

2010-06-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

It's not secret that the indices have been on a "bear tear" lately. I've made a significant amount of money off of short/bear ETFs. I would say right now as of June 2010, the popular ones are definitely shorting Oil/Gas, the major indices, and Euro/US dollar.

Here are a list of short/bear ETFs, which can also be found here.

Dow Jones
Short Dow30 (DOG) - 1x Inverse of Dow Jones Industrial Average
UltraShort Dow 30 (DXD) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones Industrial Average
UltraPro Short Dow 30 (SDOW) - 3x Inverse of Dow Jones Jones Industrial Average
Short Financials (SEF) - 1x Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Financials Index
UltraShort Financials (SKF) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Financials Index
Short Oil & Gas (DDG) - 1x Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Oil & Gas Index
UltraShort Oil & Gas (DUG) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones Oil & Gas Index
Short Real Estate (REK) - 1x Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Index
UltraShort Real Estate (SRS) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones Real Estate Index
Short Basic Materials (SBM) - 1x Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Basic Materials Index
UltraShort Basic Materials (SMN) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Basic Materials Index
UltraShort Consumer Goods (SZK) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Consumer Goods Index
UltraShort Consumer Services (SCC) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Consumer Services Index
UltraShort Health Care (RXD) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Health Care Index
UltraShort Industrials (SIJ) - 2x of Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Industrials Index
UltraShort Semiconductors (SSG) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Semiconductors Index
UltraShort Technology (REW) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Technology Index
UltraShort Telecommunications (TLL) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Select Telecom Index
UltraShort Utilities (SDP) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones U.S. Utilities Index

S&P
Short S&P 500 (SH)- 1x Inverse of S&P 500 Index
UltraShort S&P 500 (SDS)- 2x Inverse of S&P 500 Index
UltraPro Short S&P 500 (SPXU) - 3x Inverse of S&P 500 Index
Short Mid Cap 400 (MYY) - 1x Inverse of S&P MidCap 400 Index
UltraShort Mid Cap 400 (MZZ) - 2x Inverse of S&P MidCap 400 Index
UltraShort Short Mid Cap 400 (SMDD) - 3x Inverse of S&P MidCap 400 Index
Short SmallCap 600 (SBB) - 1x Inverse of S&P SmallCap 600 Index
UltraShort SmallCap 600 (SDD) - 2x Inverse of S&P SmallCap 600 Index

NASDAQ
Short QQQQ (PSQ)- 1x Inverse of Nasdaq 100 Index
UltraShort QQQQ (QID)- 2x Inverse of Nasdaq 100 Index
UltraPro Short QQQQ (SQQQ)- 3x Inverse of Nasdaq 100 Index
UltraShort Nasdaq Biotechnology (BIS) - 2x Inverse of Biotechnology Index

Russell
Short Russell 2000 (RWM) - 1X Inverse of Russell 2000 Index
UltraShort Russell 2000 (TWM) - 2X Inverse of Russell 2000 Index
UltraPro Short Russell (SRTY) - 3X Inverse of Russell 2000 Index
UltraShort Russell Mid Cap Growth (SDK) - 2X Inverse of Russell Mid- Cap Growth Index
UltraShort Russell Mid Cap Value (SJL) - 2X Inverse of Russell Mid-Cap Value Index
UltraShort Russell 1000 Growth (SFK) - 2X Inverse of Russell 1000 Growth Index
UltraShort Russell 1000 Value (SJF) - 2X Inverse of Russell 1000 Value Index
UltraShort Russell 2000 Growth (SKK) - 2X Inverse of Russell 2000 Growth Index
UltraShort Russell 2000 Value (SJH) - 2X Inverse of Russell 2000 Value Index
UltraShort Russell 3000 (TWQ) - 2X Inverse of Russell 3000 Index

Commodity
UltraShort DJ - UBS Commodity (CMD) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones UBS Commodity Index
UltraShort DJ - UBS Crude Oil (SCO) - 2x Inverse of Dow Jones UBS Crude Oil Sub - Index
UltraShort Gold (GLL) - 2x Inverse of Gold
UltraShort Silver (ZSL) - 2x Inverse of Silver

FTSE / Xinhua
Short FTSE/Xinhua China 25 (YXI) - 1x Inverse of FSTE/Xinhua China 25 Index
UltraShort FTSE/ Xinhua (FXP) - 2x Inverse of FSTE/ Xinhua China

Currency
UltraShort Euro (EUO) - 2x Inverse of Euro/US Dollar
UltraShort Yen (YCS) - 2x Inverse of Yen/US Dollar

MSCI
UltraShort MSCI Brazil (BZQ) - 2x Inverse of MSCI Brazil Index
Short MSCI EAFE (EFZ) - 1x Inverse of MSCI EAFE Index
UltraShort MSCI EAFE (EPU) - 2x Inverse of MSCI EAFE Index
Short MSCI Emerging Markets (EUM) - 1x Inverse of MSCI Emerging Markets Index
UltraShort MSCI Emerging Markets (EEV) - 2x Inverse of MSCI Emerging Markets Index
UltraShort MSCI Europe (EPV) - 2x Inverse of MSCI Europe Index
UltraShort MSCI Japan (EWV) 2x Inverse of Japan Index
UltraShort MSCI Mexico Investable Market (SMK) - 2x Inverse of MSCI Mexico Investable Market Index
UltraShort MSCI Pacific ex-Japan (JPX) - 2x Inverse of MSCI Pacific ex-Japan Index

Treasury Index
Short 20+ Year Treasury (TBF) - 1x Inverse of Barclays Capital 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Index
UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury (TBT) - 2x Inverse of Barclays Capital 200+ Year U.S. Treasury Index
UltraShort 7-10 Year Treasury (PST) - 2x Inverse of Barclays Captial 7-10 Year U.S. Treasury Index

Dress for a Successful Big 4 Interview

2010-06-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

In any interview, whether it be for Big 4 or not, first impressions make a difference. Thus, dressing appropriately is not to be taken lightly. Below are just a couple "DOs" and "DON'Ts" for both men and women that I've gathered from recruiters over the years.

Business Professional for Men

DOs

Matching suit jacket and slacks (dark in color)
Tie
Collard shirt (light in color, preferably white)
Black dress socks
Dress shoes

DON'Ts

Short sleeves
Open collars
Flashy shirts or ties (be conservative)
White socks
Sneakers or sandals

Notes:

Wear your suit jacket during your interview unless your your interviewer isn't
Tie should end at the belt buckle
Make sure clothes are pressed and pants are hemmed
No facial hair or keep it clean
No cologne - interviews are usually held in small rooms, you'll never know if your interviewer like your cologne or can't stand it
Keep last button of your suit unbuttoned

Business Professional for Women

DOs

Matching suit - can be pants or skirt
Collared shirt (pastel color or white)
Closed toe dress shoes (3 inch heels or less)

DON'Ts

Sleeveless blouses/tank tops
Mini skirts
Sun dresses
Sneakers or sandals

Notes:

Collar of shirt should be kept outside of suit collar
Make sure clothes are pressed and pants hemmed
Skirts should be knee length
Keep hair neatly kept and out of your face
Light make up
Clothes should not be tight
Stockings are optional
No flashy jewelry
Earrings should not be long or dangly

Personal Library

2010-05-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

My ever growing collection of books from personal development to stock trading to business development.

"The reason reading is so important: there have been millions, billions, and gazillions of people that have lived before all of us. There is no new problem you can have (with anything) that someone hasn't already solved and wrote about in a book." - Will Smith

So You Want to Begin a Career in Accounting

2010-05-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

When you think of an accountant, typically, you think of someone who prepares tax returns or is a pure number cruncher. While this might have been true in the past, nowadays we have Microsoft Excel to help us crunch numbers. In addition, stricter government regulations such as the implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have paved the way for greater demands in different careers within the accounting field. Below are a few sub-categories within the accounting field to consider.

Audit: Auditors perform procedures to ensure company's financial statements are free from material misstatements. In addition, they ensure that the financial statements accurately reflect the financial performance of the company they are auditing. Banks and lenders request companies be audited because they want to be reassured that companies they lend to will be able to pay their debts. Public companies file reports such as the 10K and 10Q with the SEC. Investors factor into their decision making process the information in these reports. Naturally, companies will have an incentive to overstate their assets and understate their liabilities. Therefore it is important to have a third party, such as an auditor to ensure that the banks and investors are protected.

Tax: Tax professionals prepare tax returns both on an individual and corporate basis. This includes international, federal, state, and local tax returns. In these economic times, companies are looking to reduce their tax liabilities and make better investment decisions. Tax regulations are constantly changing. This is largely due to the direction the government decides to take the economy. For example, the housing market has been on a decline in recent years. In order to mitigate this situation, the government has decided to provide tax credits to first time homeowners to boost the housing market. Tax professionals are aware of such recent developments and would be able to effectively advise individuals.

Information Technology (IT) : As the world moves towards more and more sophisticated software systems, the need for individuals with IT knowledge continues to grow along side it. Accounting systems' design complexity has increased in recent years and require extensive knowledge to troubleshoot. Professionals continue to design and implement advanced software systems. Individuals with skills to manipulate, design, and implement such systems are extremely valuable to companies.

Internal Audit: Although similar in duties to an external auditor, internal auditors focus on ensuring their company's internal controls are functioning properly. In some cases, they will perform similar procedures to that of an external auditor. An internal auditor is directly associated with their company and thus not considered a third party. Therefore, companies will have to employ another company to ensure their financial statements are free from material misstatements. Where internal auditor's value lies is in the fact that they will be able to large issues before they reach the external auditors. Therefore, cut down the work needed from external auditors, effectively reducing audit fees.

Forensics: Accounting professionals perform procedures to detect white collar crime such as fraud, tax evasion, and embezzlement.

International Focus: With exception to countries like the United States, much of the world is under IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards). Globalization has moved the United States to consider IFRS Standards. There have been advanced talks regarding the inclusion of IFRS standards in the CPA exam. Professionals with IFRS experience will become valuable to companies within the United States as well as across the globe in the coming years.

Consulting: This involves financial planning, organizational restructuring, and management tactics. Individuals will leverage prior years' data and knowledge of the current business environment to plan for the future.

General Accounting: Accountants are responsible for general ledgers, trial balances, financial statements and other general accounting issues. Often these same individuals will be responsible for closing the books at year end. Furthermore, it is not uncommon to see reconciliations from the detail listings to the trial balances be a part of their duties.

Day in a Life of an Auditor at a Big Four

2010-05-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

The following is a description of a busy season day as experienced by an Assurance Associate at one of the Big Four firms:

7:00am - I roll out of my bed and hit the alarm simultaneously. I head to the kitchen and mix some instant oatmeal mix with hot water and grab a piece of bread. As I wait for my oatmeal to cool, I dress for work and make sure I have my laptop, wallet, keys, phone, and sack lunch. Seven minutes in, my oatmeal has not cooled yet, but in the interest of time, I decide to finish it anyways. Afterwards, I brush my teeth, do my hair, and shave.

7:30am- I realize that I am already late, so I rush out of the house only to unsurprisingly hit freeway traffic.

8:30am - After navigating through the heavy traffic, I arrive at the client site. We were given badges for entry into the gated building on Monday. I open the gate with the badge and then walk through another door that requires a badge for entry.

8:45am- I walk into the audit conference room the client has situated us in for the three weeks. I find that two other associates have already arrived. I quickly find my seat and set up my laptop and internet connection. I take out all my necessary writing utensils and notepad.

9:00am - After scanning my emails for anything needing an immediate response, I note nothing pressing. What a let down. I kid. Typically, I check all my e-mails as I receive them on my Blackberry or like some girls like to call it Cranberry, but I left my phone uncharged the day before. Next, I go down my amassed question list for the client and make sure I understand what I am asking the client and prepare myself mentally for the push back they might give for my requests for supporting documents.

9:25am - I walk upstairs, track down one of my client contacts, and then casually ask her how she is doing this fine sunny morning. After about three minutes of smooching, I crafty segue into my long list of questions. First up on the list is having her explain the variance in unbilled AR balance when comparing prior year figures to current year figures. As I ask these questions I am taking brief notes and asking follow up questions as to receive clarification. I thank her for her time and rush to meet with another client contact.

10:30am - I track down another one of my client contacts on the same floor. This time it's with regards to an AR confirmation discrepancy. The client's customer returned a confirmation for $2M less than the invoice amount. I gain an understanding of the situation and why there is a $2M dispute. The client explains that the customer believes there was a system error that recorded on the invoice more of the product than was requested and delivered. However, the client believes otherwise. I scribble notes on my notepad, so I can interpret the information at a later time.

10:50am - I follow up with a third client contact regarding payroll controls testing. The first time around I did not receive proper support for an employee termination. The control reads that terminations require two levels of manager approval, while I only received support showing one level of manager approval. The client says that they mistakenly left out the information in the support she has sent previously. Just wonderful, I think to myself. She says she will have to follow up with her contact in New Zealand.

11:00am - I update my list of follow ups with the three client contacts I had just conversed with. Some of my other client contacts are pushing back and I will have to return in the afternoon when they believe they will have more time. I set up an appointment with one of the client contacts to meet later today at 4:30pm

11:30am - A whole morning is almost gone just from chasing the client around for support and explanations. I get back to the audit conference room and my senior asks me for a status update. I give him a status update including what items are open and the reason for them being open. I also explain to him about the progress I've made in the morning. He acknowledges and thanks me for the update.

11:45am -I document what I had just learned from the client in my accounts receivable unbilled step. I do a quick self check to ensure that I've addressed the tailored procedures, all the document links are linking to the intended areas, including firm templates and filled them out completely, and documented my work to the extent in which it can be readily re-performed by another auditor. I mark the step complete, knowing that I will be receiving coaching notes when I senior reviews the step.

12:00pm - I grab my sack lunch I brought from home from the client's fridge. I eat my lunch in an unused conference room and savor my quick twenty minute break away from the computer. Some of the team members decide to eat at their desks, while others are still on the phone with their client contacts.

12:20pm - It's back to work before 12:30pm and I continue to work on my assigned steps. One of the steps I am assigned is the search for unrecorded liabilities step. I've been in contact with the client, but have not been able to obtain the correct disbursement listing. The client is unsure as to how to generate a simple disbursement listing. I ask the client to follow up with her contact and figure out the situation before getting back to me. In the meantime, I have the payment and invoice support to perform procedures to the extent possible.

2:30pm - I continue to document procedures I performed in my assigned steps and build on my list of follow up questions for the client. I set up an analytics template, which includes developing an expectation and investigating any differences that may result from our expectation and actuals. There's a variance between the expected amount and the actual gross accounts receivable for the current yea. I do a quick scan and search my support and think if I have been made aware of anything that would help me explain the reason for this difference. One possibility could be that the recent downturn of the market has decreased sales and thus lead to a decrease in accounts receivables. Another possibility is that the client's competitors may have established more favorable credit terms, thus reducing business for the client. I chalk these down as possibilities, so I can suggest reasons for the variance, which would make me sound intelligent in front of the client. I write a reminder note to myself that I will have to follow up with the client.

4:30pm - My 4:30pm appointment is here, but the client is still on the phone when I walk by her cubical. How rude I think to myself, but as auditors we are mostly numb to this by now, so I quickly dismiss it. I wait for the client to get off the phone.

4:35pm - She finally has time to and gets right to the point and asks what I need from her. I told her that I need the support that I've been asking for for the past week or so. I scan my list of follow up questions and note that I have a few for her. I fire away and quickly make notes of the client's responses. Further, I try to gain an understanding of when to expect the support. The reason I push is because I know my senior will push me and ask me why I have not received the support. As a way to cover my bases, I push the client a little bit.

5:00pm - I get back to the audit conference room and notice that it is already 5:00pm. Unfortunately it is busy season and we are only half way done with the day. I hope to get out by 10:00pm. I've been assigned to take care of dinner. Luckily for me we use an outside delivery service. All I have to do is pick the restaurant and then the service will send each of my team members an email in which they will be able to order from a menu. After they place their orders, it will send the orders to the selected restaurant and a driver will deliver the food to us at a specified time. I arrange for the email to be sent to my team members.

6:00pm - I continue to audit and document my understanding that I gained from the client. I scan the database and see that the senior has left me coaching notes. One of the coaching notes pertains to if we have performed a bucketing test for the AR aging or not. I document that in the scoping document in step 9210, we deemed it unnecessary as we have controls reliance over the system report. I ask the senior if he has time to go over some of the other coaching notes he has left for me.

8:00pm - By now all the client contacts have left for the day. It's just the audit team and the janitors now. Our food arrives on time and the engagement team takes over a difference conference room to have dinner. We take about thirty minutes to eat dinner. It is a good break from the computer screen. One of the associates asks if anyone has any big plans for the weekend. He obviously is unaware of the fact that the entire time will be working through the weekend. That is quite alright because the senior quickly reminds him of this.

8:30pm - It's time to get back to the computer. Now that the client has left, I have time to do some more audit work. I also update my list of follow up questions and note the progress to the right of each line item. I document all that I can with what I've learned from the client and continue to do detail testing for my cash steps. Yet another status update with the senior and at this point, I've amassed a list of questions for my senior as well. Many of which include the testing approaches we are taking this year. Others are simply documentation preference questions- whether or not he wants the step description as well as the step number in the documentation.

10:30pm - I still have a lot on my plate and a billion neurons firing at once in my brain. Suddenly, I am reminded of having to follow up on support I received from a contact located in New York. As there is a three hour time difference between the east coast and west coast, I will have to call the contact at 7:00am tomorrow to reach them at 10:00am. It looks like an early morning tomorrow.

11:30pm - The entire team is still in the conference room. So much for leaving at 10:00pm today, I think to myself. I make sure that I have all my questions listed for the client tomorrow and have sent out the necessary e-mails. I have audited to the extent, which I can with the given time. My senior tells me to go home. Out of courtesy, I ask the entire team if there is anything I can help with. Nobody is going to give me additional work at this hour, so I take off.

1:00am - I get back home and get ready for bed. Within seconds, I knock out.

Almost Light at the End of the Tunnel

2010-04-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

I am dedicating this post to those who may benefit from the experiences of an individual working in public accounting at a Big 4. Though my four months of busy season is not quite over, I feel that it was appropriate given that I am able to take a breather before Monday to post a brief update on my thoughts of working at a Big 4.

Busy season as many of you are aware of is a period in time (January to March) when auditors are most busy due to the fact that companies’ year ends typically follow that the calendar year. As such, it is appropriate to audit company’s books after they’ve closed following December. On occasion, companies have seemingly ridiculous year ends such as 3/31. I have had to opportunity to work on such a job. To put things in perspective, I’ve put in 350 hours of chargeable work in March. For those of you who work eight hour days, 350 hours is 15 hour days Monday through Friday. Last week alone, I can estimate that I had a 70 hour work week. That will give you an idea of my level of pure exhaustion. Is this typical? Honestly, it depends on what clients you are put on, but the best it can get during busy season is 55 hour weeks. Basically, if you are working in public accounting, get ready for long hours.

What benefit have I received from working these incredibly insane hours? I can tell you that you will not be compensated financially to the level you expect. But, I have no doubt that I have progressed significantly both in terms of intangible personable skills and accounting technical skills. However, as each client poses different challenges. It’s almost as if I take three steps forward and one step back. The moment I feel like I’ve grounded myself on auditing techniques and understanding of what needs to be accomplished, novel issues arise and my cumulative knowledge (seven months) leaves me ill prepared to remediate the issue. In other words, you are constantly learning and being pushed into waters which you have yet to navigate. It’s a grind and unfortunately or fortunately enough, I have to string together a week and push through the end of this month. I trust you can sense my mixed sentiment at this point.

So why is working at a Big 4 so challenging? Well, to summarize, it is a grown man career. You are required to communicate with controllers, managers, and high level executives to gain an understanding of their business. Furthermore, you have a specified time frame to develop that understanding to the extent in which you can document it and communicate to individuals who are not on the engagement in a clear and concise manner. On top of all of that, you are expected to understand the technicalities involved in accounting straight out of college, while the individuals you are extracting information from have experience upwards toward twenty plus years. In that respect, there is a huge learning curve.

Individuals on a team have assigned ‘steps’ or standard procedures we perform, however it’s not simple as ABC. If you have no experience with auditing you will not be able to follow these procedures. The reason is they procedures are written out for individuals who have audit experience! As a first year you gain exposure to cash, property, plant, and equipment, accounts payable, and various less risky areas. You start to gain a grasp of accounting in practice and you begin to realize that it’s not as straight forward as it was written in your college textbooks. You start to see that the excel file the client is working with is largely unorganized and not eye pleasing. For someone who is not already familiar with the excel file, it is extremely difficult to follow. They have numbers all over the place and calculations that are unfathomable. There is no manual or guide as to what is going on with the spreadsheet. The only way to gain an understanding over it is to have the client explain to you. Effectively you are checking the work of some forty year old manager who has tons more experience than you do and actually has a clue of what is going on.

Furthermore, I can’t imagine anyone who welcomes auditors. You get shut down, but they understand the audit doesn’t get done if they don’t cooperate with you. Still, for whatever reason, they make it as difficult for you as possible. So what do I have to look forward to in the coming weeks? After this next week, I hopefully will be working normal hours. Then, after work I must bang the CPA books as I have an upcoming test mid May. I will have approximately two weeks to get my act together and do my best to knock this final one out. Come June, I will find out if I either have to retake that sucker in July or will be able to enjoy my long awaited vacation.

Excel Tip #1 - Copy/Paste Sum of Selected Cells

2010-03-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

I've booked about three hundred hours plus of work in March. This is not by choice, it's just the nature of the business, but I am always looking for ways to be more efficient. As an auditor, there are a lot of menial tasks that can be eliminated with macros in excel files. We are interested in totals and it's a pain to have to copy a set of numbers into another worksheet and sum them up to get the number you need. Typically when you highlight a set of numbers the total will appear on the bottom left hand corner. I wanted to be able to copy that total directly and paste it in a separate spreadsheet.

Here is a macro that will help you do that.
Refer to the below five step process:

1) Hit Alt + F11 (this will open the VBE Window)

2) Select 'Module' from the 'Insert Menu' and paste the code below.

Sub mySum()

Dim MyDataObj As New DataObject

MyDataObj.SetText Application.Sum(Selection)

MyDataObj.PutInClipboard

End Sub

3) Select 'References' form the 'Tool Menu' and make sure 'Microsoft Forms 2.0 Object Library' is selected. If it's not listed then click 'browse' and select 'Fm20.dll'

4) Close the VBE window

5) Hit Alt + F8, select 'mySum', click 'Options' and set your shortcut key.

5 Simple Steps to Basic Meditation

2010-02-28T18:30:00.000-08:00

Even as we live in this busy Western society, all of us have some kind of idea what meditation is. Most of us picture a meditation exercise to involve sitting in a calm and serene environment performing a breathing exercise. For some of us it seems impractical, how are we able to find a tranquil scene when we are surrounded by city noises? Let alone, where in my day would I be able to fit in ten minutes to sit and breathe? It’s a habit you have to build and be committed to. If it is important for you to find inner peace and serenity, we will find the time to do what it takes to get there.

5 Steps to Basic Meditation

1) Set aside ten to fifteen minutes. Even during busy season where I am working thirteen plus hours a day, I have found the time to workout at the gym three times a week and set aside thirty minutes at night to meditate. If it is important to you, you can too.

2) Find yourself a quiet dim area. This can even be your room, which is typically the case for me. I’ve meditated at the beach in the middle of the night before and it’s a relaxing scene. I find it helpful to turn on ambiance music during my meditation, but you can just as easily perform the exercise without music.

3) Find a comfortable place to sit down cross-legged with your back straight. If you are able to do so, I would sit half-lotus or even full lotus. But, do not force it if it doesn’t feel comfortable.

4) Choose a focus for your attention and close your eyes. For beginners it’s easiest to focus on your breath. When your attention wanders, gently bring it back to your focus. It will be difficult to focus at first, but do not be discouraged. We’ve spent our lives living a busy life indulging on every “fickle wanderlust”. Be patient and gradually you’ll be able to control your mind’s focus.

5) Take deep and slow breaths all the while focusing your attention on your breath. When you are ready gently open your eyes and feel refreshed.

I’ve meditated for about what seems like over a year now. I feel much more relaxed and in sync with my mind. Even during my most stressful times a work, I can feel the benefits of meditation calming me down. Meditation puts your life into perspective. Suddenly, you realize what is truly important in life. It’s a surreal experience and one you’ll have to experience for yourself to believe. In the words of Buddha, "There is pleasure and there is bliss. Forgot the first to possess the second." Meditation provides you with the latter.

For more tips on meditation, I have provided you with the below links.

Meditation for Beginners: 20 Practical Tips for Quieting the Mind
How to Meditate: A Beginners Guide

More Strapped Consumers Pay Credit Cards First

2010-02-19T18:49:00.000-08:00

The following is a post sponsored by National Techmark:

In a twist that no clever banker could have predicted, consumers who are in financial distress are opting to unload their homes before their credit cards. In the past, consumers had always opted to pay their mortgages first, in an effort to save the home as a primary asset. However, with falling prices and many homeowners underwater on their mortgages, the notion that a home is an asset has been challenged to the point where many are walking away from it, recognizing it as a liability. With tighter lending restrictions, many are opting to hold on to what little credit they already have as long as they can, above all else.

Living On Credit

Unfortunately, with high job losses or reduced hours, people are very uncertain about the future. While they might be able to find a place to stay, if they lose their home, it’s unlikely they can do so with a bad credit history. It’s not just the idea that you can buy groceries on credit either that might be impacting this decision. After all, there are ways to obtain a loan with bad credit using payday loans or borrowing from friends and family. The decision to safeguard the credit score above all else may also include the understanding that credit reports are pulled for other things besides loans.

When Your Credit Matters

Credit reports are pulled when making a rental application or buying a car. Without a place to live or transportation, many people would find it difficult to remain employed. In addition, many prospective employers are also choosing to pull the credit reports to determine whether a future hire might have outstanding debts that would tempt them into embezzling at a cash sensitive establishment, like a bank. If the credit report comes back negative, it can be a valid reason for declining to hire a candidate. With credit reports being used for far more than they were originally intended, the average consumer realizes that keeping a good credit history is important to their future success in life.

What They May Not Know

While all of this is important to consider, what the average consumer has forgotten is that many states allow deficiency judgments for property that sells for less than the note on it. That means that walking away from a home doesn’t totally resolve the debt through foreclosure and these monies can be sought in court causing problems for many years to come, damaging your credit also. Defaulting on a credit card, while expensive and ruins your credit, is not secured by an asset and can be settled for a far
smaller amount than the face value. This not only saves the home, in some cases, but also eventually allows you to rebuild your credit.

Developing Happiness - Foundations Part 2

2010-02-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

Matthieu Ricard, a cell biologist turned Buddhist monk and also dubbed by popular media as the “happiest person in the world”, gave a presentation consistent with my thoughts in my previous post. He discusses with Google employees the ramifications of depending on the achievement of our wishes and passions to achieve happiness. “If we were to convince ourselves that satisfaction of all our whims would make us happy, the collapse of that delusion would make us doubt the very existence of happiness. If I have more than I could possibly need and I am still not happy, happiness must be impossible.”

While it is important to have possessions and goals to the extent in which one can live a comfortable life, the way in which one obtains these can negatively affect the mind. I had previously discussed my chase for the “next big thing”; first came the ranked school, then a prestigious job, and finally my pursuit of a large material possession. While all of which, were pursued to achieve a self-sustaining living, they were also justified through the belief that the achievement of these goals would bring sustaining happiness. It didn’t matter if I sacrificed my social enjoyment so long as I was able to achieve what I sought after; I believed I would achieve happiness. Evidently, I felt pure jubilation at the moment my wish was satisfied. However, in the long run, I didn’t particularly feel any happier than before. I was looking externally to achieve happiness. I have had it backwards. “Happiness is a state of inner fulfillment, not the gratification of inexhaustible desires for outward things.”

In order to achieve inner fulfillment, we must become familiar with our minds. Like exercising a muscle, you too can achieve strength in exercising the mind. It’s not so much completing crossword puzzles or solving riddles, but building finding that inner potential through meditation.

Incidentally, he has also written a book based on the above, entitled "Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill".

Developing Happiness - Foundations Part 1

2010-02-07T17:22:00.001-08:00

It’s no secret; we Americans live in an individualistic society. But what does that mean? Technically speaking, this means that we promote our individual goals above the group or society’s. You’ve probably heard the phrase, climb the corporate ladder. It doesn’t so much matter who gets thrown under, so much as in the end you are on top. We don’t like to make it seem like that is the case, but more often than not, our business relationships are built in order to improve our connections, rather than for the purpose of building a meaningful relationship. Well, maybe that is a negative overgeneralization, after all, isn’t this the land of the where “American Dreams” are realized?

The American Dream was first described as "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement”. However, the American Dream has become the pursuit of material prosperity- people work more hours to get bigger cars, fancier homes, the fruits of prosperity for their families - but have less time to enjoy their prosperity. Bigger, more, better, richer, and more powerfuler, wait the last one wasn’t a word, but hopefully you are getting my drift. Supposedly all of this will bring us a “better and richer and fuller” life.

For much of my life, I’ve been drawn into believing that fulfillment or colloquially otherwise known as happiness would come after I achieved the “American Dream”. I sacrificed the now for the future. In high school, I sacrificed a social life to ultimately attend a ranked university. It wasn’t what my heart desired, but for the sake of believing that acceptance to a ranked university would make me happy in the end, I stuck with it. Then in college, I figured a high GPA and internship experience would land me a stellar prestigious job. Only then would I truly be happy. My heart was never in the right place from the beginning. I didn’t particularly enjoy working forty hours a week and then also carrying a full-time student workload. I couldn’t find the time to maintain a social life. But, I persisted, knowing that it would pay off in the end. Finally when I graduated, I breathed a sigh of relief. I had a job lined up after I graduated. All my peers congratulated me and I thought I was on top of the world. After working for about six months full-time, I now realize that my peers don’t care so much about what firm I work at because I am never around to see them anyways. Now, I’m saving up for a house so I can live the “American Dream” and hopefully after that I’ll be happy.

What’s the problem here? My happiness is dependent on external factors, more specifically material possessions and the need to achieve status. I need to have XXXX to make me complete. If something is missing in this picture perfect world of mine, then my world crumbles. What I must do is build my inner well-being and not depend on external factors. I must change my outlook on life.

What is it?

2010-01-30T14:54:00.000-08:00

It's...I've been thinking about you a lot.

It's...holding back...because I believe you've given up.

It's...missing the boat, but not being able to let go.

I wonder what your day is like and how you are doing.

It's...not knowing what to do with this feeling inside.

Busy Season

2010-01-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

What is busy season?

For financial statement auditors, my industry describes this period as beginning in January and typically ending sometime in March. My firm’s policy is that we work a minimum of fifty-five hours a week during this time. This doesn’t mean much as I am about three weeks into busy season and last week I logged nearly ninety hours. I remember succinctly pulling more than two fifteen hour days including one on the weekend. It’s good to know that busy season is coming to an end. Oh wait, it’s just the beginning.

Why is busy season typically from January to March?

Most public companies have 12/31 year ends. This means they close their books according to the calendar year. As such, we audit their books from January to March. Lucky for myself, I have a client that has a 3/31 year end. This means that at the earliest my busy season will end is April.

What is the big deal about busy season?

Sure we work long hours, but it isn’t more than what investment bankers work day in and day out. Or what lawyers pull for that matter. Though this may be true, we are also not compensated at the same level or anywhere close. The reason why people in this line of service make a big deal about busy season is because this is where you learn the most about a the client’s business and are exposed to a myriad of areas in a short period of time. You are exposed to cash, AR, AP, inventory, PP&E, accruals, investments, etc. Still, it’s a good first job right out of college; the alternative is that you could be an AP clerk.

How to Appear to Have Dual Monitors - Split Screen

2010-01-09T14:58:00.001-08:00

As a ‘financial statement’ auditor, I use prior year’s workpapers as a basis for which I perform current year’s procedures. That means having two similar looking excel documents open on my laptop screen at one time. It’s a huge hassle to have to alt-tab between excel documents trying to compare and contrast. Quite frankly, after ten hours of viewing two of the same yet different documents, it can become unclear as to which document is which! This is especially the case when you have to multi-task and perform multiple procedures at once. In which case, you could have more than two sets of similar looking documents open at once.

The easy solution would be to get a second monitor and link it to my laptop for dual monitors. Because auditors are constantly traveling, we rely heavily on our laptops to perform our work. It wouldn’t make sense for us to carry around PC monitors.

Well, they must make secondary laptop monitors right?

I came across two secondary laptop monitors; the Samsung Lapfit LD200G (22”) and LD190N (19”), both of which did not fit in my laptop bag. In addition they were about eight pounds each. You can imagine how ridiculous it might look to see someone carry around a laptop and a huge monitor in the other arm.

Are there smaller inch displays?

Yes, Nanovision offers 7” USB displays, but they retail around $200. For that amount I could get a much larger PC monitor.

Then it spawned on me, what if I “split” the actual laptop monitor itself. It would appear as if I had dual monitors. Yes, it would mean I would have two “smaller” monitors, but I would not need to alt-tab between files to simply compare or contrast and copy and paste. Now you might be thinking why not resize files you have open and have each of the files side by side. While that may be a short-term solution, when you are on a time crunch, resizing documents can be an inconvenience. There is a program called “SplitView”, which simulates dual monitor properties within a single monitor. That means I wouldn’t need to resize the windows that I’ve opened. It does so when I open the window as if I had dual monitors. Below are the different ways the program allows me to split the screen.

Ultimately, I ended up going with the “SplitView” program. It doesn’t make sense to drop two bills to carry around a huge monitor or any monitor for that matter - everywhere I go. The fact that the “firm” would probably not reimburse me for my ingenious idea of using split screens suggests that I go with the program even more so.

Just Another Super-Interesting Post

2009-12-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

The stock market has been relatively “dry”, for my tastes, the past two months. Since I’ve started working, I’ve also lengthened my trading time frame. Evidently, this limits the number of trades I make a month. Still, I haven’t been able to make any huge moves in this laterally trading market. But, it’s important that I stay patient and continue to monitor my watch list for the right moment. Folks, unfortunately, I don’t foresee a late “Santa Rally” and am not banking on one just before the New Year. Let’s hope I am wrong.

With starting a new job and all, I’ve started to look at life from a different lens. I’ve been doing a lot of self-reflection the past two months or so. It’s almost time to make New Year’s “resolutions” that we so often don’t keep. My goals haven’t changed for the most part, but my reasons for pursing these goals have. So here are my five preliminary goals/resolutions:

1. Pass the CPA

2. Be a student of the market

3. Build my mandarin vocabulary

4. Get back into the gym

5. Meet someone like you

Happy Holidays!

The Money Chase - Inside Harvard Business School

2009-11-14T15:01:00.000-08:00

First of all, be warned, these CNBC documentaries are just media propaganda. More praise for a school that is already prestigious.

Nonetheless, the title caught my attention, The Money Chase – Inside Harvard Business School. I will say, however, that I did take away from the documentary the need to develop a knack for solving problems. At Harvard, they do this by simulating real life issues high level executives are facing or have faced already– case studies.

What you and I can do to simulate a similar experience is read about them. Put yourself in the CEO's situation and determine how you would approach the issue and what actions you would take to solve the issue at hand. Perhaps even discuss it with some of your colleagues.

Three Things I Miss In Life

2009-11-08T10:47:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have read my “about me” page, you already have discovered that I made the exciting transition to a Big 4 accounting firm not too long ago. To say that the adjustment from life in college to working at a Big 4 has been a minor one is a major understatement. I wish I could say that most of my time in college was spent enjoying life, but I was too wrapped around making that A grade and chasing that next prestigious internship. Even still, I’d like to believe I had more time then for my own life than I do now.

Nowadays, my mornings, afternoons, and more often than not, nights are taken up by work related activities. If it’s not waking up at 6:50 a.m. to get to work by 8:30 a.m., it’s waking up at 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday to drive an hour or two only to arrive at a warehouse to perform, you guessed it, work related duties. Even if my day ends at 5:30 p.m., much of what is left of the day is spent studying for the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination or CPA. Unlike the typical approach people usually take in college classes, I’ve never heard of anyone cramming for the CPA and passing all four parts at once. The CPA is a somewhat lengthy process and involves demonstrating understanding of accounting-related material on a high level. I’ve taken two sections - regulation and financial. Fortunately enough, I’ve passed regulation. But I am still waiting on the results for financial. In the meantime, I’ve started on studying on my third section, BEC (business environment concepts), which I plan to take early next year. Though I prefer to make my own luck, it wouldn’t hurt if you wished me luck!

I await the day; I pass my CPA exams and develop thick skin for the amount of hours I am putting in to this seemingly underpaid job. Until then, I can ponder about the activities I’d rather be involved in.

This is a list of the top three activities (in no particular order) I would rather be immersed in:

1. Driving golf balls down the fairway at the local country club

I haven’t held a golf club in about two months, but it feels like six. After spending much of this summer working on my game, it’s upsetting that I could very well be extremely rusty. My dreams of turning pro have been washed away - only half joking.

2. Curling forty pound dumbbells and benching my weight plus a hundred pounds

Gym hasn’t been in my vocabulary for what seems like six months now. I’ve lost about what feels like ten pounds of muscle mass. Sitting all day doesn’t help me feel any better about my health either. But, I have to say that I’ve been able to find thirty minutes after work to swim laps in the swimming pool.

3. Meeting genuine people in college.

When I was in college, I thought that I’d rather be in high school. Now that I am at work, I tell myself that I’d rather be in college. It seems to me as a “community” at each “progressing stage” we drift further and further apart from each other. I’ve never been extremely close with anyone in high school, but still I found it more possible in high school to build a connection with someone than in college. Now at work, I feel like I missed the boat when I didn’t do that in college. It could still be possible, but mixing life and work could be tricky. But, like Jennifer Aniston said during an interview for her movie, Love Happens, “Love brings up anything unlike itself! [It’s important] being open to it and being open to what form it comes in, what package it’s delivered to you in…”

Work at a Big 4 doing auditing: How do I explain this to a friend?

2009-10-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

“Where exactly do you work?”

“I work at a Big 4 accounting firm.”

In the most dull and lethargic tone possibly imaginable coupled with the rolling of the eyes, “oh so, you are an accountant, well that’s boring. You are going to spend the rest of your life as an accountant?” First of all, the boring you are thinking of is a different kind of boring I am thinking of. I don’t do much accounting in terms of bookkeeping nor do I sit in front of a desk with a calculator crunching numbers. In this day in age, we have Excel for that. Second of all, who said I was going to be doing this my entire life? Thirdly, are you even employed?

“What do you do exactly?”

To which, I calmly reply, “I do auditing work.”

Suddenly there is a moment of excitement. I see my friend break out a smile. Perhaps she understands what I do after all.

The next words out of her mouth are, “Oh, will you do my taxes?” No, I will not do your taxes. You don’t have complicated income. In fact, you are unemployed. Do your own taxes with TurboTax.

“Can you get me out of paying taxes?” No, I cannot. With your income, you probably don’t even need to file taxes.

“So, where is your office located?”

“Typically, I work at the client’s site.”

“Oh, so you are a temp?”

“No, we just do work at the client site because that is where the information and resources are. We need to test controls and perform certain tests to ensure their financial statements are fairly stated”

How do you explain to your friend, what you do? If I were a lawyer or doctor, there would be no explanation necessary. Eventually, I relinquish any hope of explaining to her what I truly do and end up convincing her that I do accounting, which has a negative connotation in it of itself. But, there is no need for social affirmation anyhow, right?

Leave the ‘rent’s house or not?

2009-09-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

Now that I have graduated college, I am 21, about to turn 22. Should I leave the parents’ house?

Situation

I spent half of my college years living near school in an apartment and then a townhouse. In my third and fourth year of college, I moved back home to save money. For me, classes, internships/work, and club activities kept me out of my place for most of the day. Essentially the only time I was at the townhouse was basically to sleep. I would wake up at 6:30am to go to the gym, then work, and finally to school at around 5:00pm and end up going at 12:00am after my extracurricular activities. Some days it would be just the reverse, I’d have class in the morning and then work at night. Occasionally I’d have a dinner or lunch date and every week my friends and I would kick it somewhere. Since I’m considered relatively “local” to my university, it makes little sense financially to continue paying someone else’s rent. Still, the reason I spent my first two years near school was to be closer to colleagues and friends. For a good part of college, it helped maintain my social life and that’s something I was/am willing to pay for. In a couple weeks, I will be beginning work at an accounting firm. Entering the working world is a different transition. Is it now time to start saving money for a down payment by moving out?

Factors

There are four major factors I consider when deciding to move out of the ‘rent’s house.

Freedom

Though my relationship with my parents is rock solid, it would be difficult to have friends over after a certain time. Instead of having that voice in your head, that voice is coming from downstairs. Having my own place would mean I would be completely unrestricted and unshackled. Still, if I come home late, I don’t have to explain myself and haven’t had to for the last two years. What is another couple years?

Convenience

I am about thirty minutes to an hour away from my central workplace without/with traffic. Should I end up staying late at the office or there be a spontaneous outing, I will know I am just minutes away from my place to get ready. But, is a less than an hour’s commute unbearable?

Financial

Probably ranked top two out of the four factors, I have listed here. Though I don’t have any major credit card debt, I am still far from a down payment or any kind of serious financial stability. Money that I spend on rent and food can be better spent on nice clothes, vacations, or even my nightlife empire. A 26-year old male investment banker lives with his mother. Though he can just as easily afford a place of his own, he instead used the money he saved from rent to open a tapas restaurant. It would be difficult to pay rent and pull something of that nature. Paying someone else’s mortgage suddenly seems like not the greatest idea.

Masculine Appearance

It is a cultural norm that Americans tend to frown upon men living with their ‘rents past age 20. However, in recent years there has been a 6% increase in young adults between the ages 18 and 34 living with the ‘rents. I believe there is a difference between living at home unemployed without goals and one who lives there to save money and actively moving ahead. Even if the above is not true, if a girl is only interested in where you live, is she that much of a catch? If I really wanted to rough out it on my own, I should just shoulder more weight with chores around the house.

Decision Made

Ultimately, the choice was a financial one. I’ve decided to move back home. My reasoning includes: "If a girl is only interested in where I live then she is not that much of a catch". I can save money for two years and be able to put a down payment on a house; what is another two years? I am more than willing to drive within an hour and a half’s radius around my ‘rents place to meet up with people.

About Me

2009-08-05T01:13:00.000-07:00

After changing majors twice, once from economics to sociology then a second time back to economics, I graduated from a UC cum laude with a Bachelors of Arts in Economics and a minor in Accounting in four years.

I know now what what I knew then. That is, I can’t bring home the bank roll with a sociology degree. Still, I would wrestle with the idea that the type of job I could have landed with a sociology degree would make me a happier person than that of which an economics degree could have presented. Typically, sociology majors end up becoming teachers. In all honestly, aside from their crazy antics from time to time, who wouldn’t want to be with little kids all the time? There is something about their raw human nature that is enormously refreshing. To be able to shape their future and ultimately society for that matter is a powerful privilege. On the other hand, economics majors end up in what seems relatively less meaningful– advising companies on how to buy each other out. Ultimately, I gave in; my competitive nature wouldn't allow me to take the former. I settled into one of the Big 4 auditors. I probably should have just double majored.

If it’s happiness we are all pursuing, why do we chase the dollar when we know money does not buy happiness? Why not live the simple life in a lesser developed nation. If all we are doing is working to retire to Baja California, why not just go straight there? Studies have shown we aren’t any happier now than years before, yet we have better and bigger things. We don’t need much to live. We didn’t need this much junk half a century ago; why do we need it now? This boggles me as it should boggle you.

I have only just recently entered the working world. I’d like to stick it out for a bit, just to give it a chance. Perhaps, I jumped to conclusions too quickly. There might be more to work than I've been lead to believe; though I am doubtful. Up till now, my ideas have been based on the advice and experiences of others. Ultimately, I’d like to develop enough cojones to live the simple life back where my parents originated.

At first, I started this blog to track my stock trades. As time passed, I began to spend more time researching personal development. It took me a while to truly understand that no amount of money will bring me true satisfaction. As long as I chase, I will always want more and it will never be enough. I still feel the same, only now (two years later), I’ve learned to control it.

I looked deeper. What I truly desire is to achieve peace of mind and well-being. This is particularly difficult when it seems like nearly everything around you tempts you into getting bigger, better, and more material. For that reason, I am dedicating this blog to living life in a way which allows us to ~~“fit” into this individualistic society, yet at the same time~~ have peace of mind and well-being.

When I am not looking for ways to live, I live through meditation, golfing, cycling, rock climbing, and yoga.

The Mexican Fisherman

2009-08-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

I must have deleted my story post. In any event, this will serve as a reminder to live life.

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, "only a little while."

The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

The American then asked, "but what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15-20 years."

"But what then?"

The American laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions.. Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."