Articles Written by Chris Welch
First, we’d like to apologize to all our readers for the relatively light week, it’s been a crazy 7 days for us. We’d also like to thank those who have already submitted complete applications. Don’t worry for those still thinking about it, there is no preference or penalty based on when you submit an application (we promise!). We’ll be accepting applications all day, until midnight tonight. If you missed application requirements here they are again:
How to Apply
Until 11:59pm tonight, we will be accepting applications to become the newest InvestorGeek. To apply:
- Send your name, e-mail address, phone number, and blog URL if you have one, to contact {at} investorgeeks * com.
- Include a brief summary (no more than 200 words) on why you want to be an InvestorGeek.
- Also include hyperlinks to 2 articles you’ve written. (Please do not send us attachments!) One article should be about investing and one can be on a subject of your choice.
We’re looking for interesting, original content. It doesn’t need to be on a fancy site, it just needs to be good writing. Heck you could even save a Word doc as HTML for all we care. We’re not looking for graphic designers. The article on investing can cover any related subject including mutual funds, stocks, bonds, real estate, retirement accounts, etc. We’re hoping that your interest in the subject will shine through and that your writing will share with us something valuable, because that’s what this site is all about.
Note: We’re particularly interested in building our real estate and mutual fund sections!
When you’ll hear from us
Based on how many applications we get (we’ve already received almost 10!) we’ll review the applications and email the selected authors who will have to approve our member agreement. For more information, see our previous article on becoming an InvestorGeek.
Friday, Jun. 16, 2006
by Chris
Attention! Attention! I’m pleased to announce our first call for applications to become an InvestorGeek! Starting June 16th at 12:00am (that’s the morning of next Friday) we will be accepting applications for 24 hours to fill 10 new InvestorGeek spots. It’s easy to apply, and we’re looking for anyone who wants to be part of building the Internet’s premiere investing blog!
In my previous article, Misconception: Renting is for Suckers, I wrote that there comes a point when it makes more sense to rent an apartment than buy a home. For myself, I have a rule of thumb that for every $1 dollars I spend in rent a month I can afford to buy up to $125 in property. Right now I pay $1000 in rent, so using my rule I shouldn’t spend more than $125,000 on a home. This created a surprising amount of controversy; some exclaiming me a heretic, and some accusing me of house-hating. For those of you who wanted to know where that number came from, wait no longer — and I’ve put together a calculator for you to figure out how much you should spend on a home.
You’ve heard all the reasons that people want to stop renting. “I don’t want to waste my money.” Heck, you may have even said them yourself. Many of my friends are reaching that point in their lives where they’re considering buying a home. However it’s unfortunate that so many choose to buy over rent, especially in this expensive market, because many well-intentioned people are buying homes that are actually damaging their finances.
Despite the fact that many people disagree with me that the real estate market is going to deflate, there is a rule of thumb that I use that should give you an idea about how much you should spend on a home no matter what the market looks like.
Greetings! We’re very happy to present Carnival of Investing #22! We had an excellent 22 submissions this week, and thank you all for your timely submissions.
Tools are designed to help their users do their tasks more efficiently and crunching numbers is no exception. I’ve been humming along with Excel and my trusty scientific calculator just fine, but as I’m getting more involved with calculations such as discounting I’ve decided it may be worth the time to pick up a financial calculator that has many of these formulas built-in.
I ended up buying the HP 10BII, which is among the most popular financial calculators out there. It’s very reasonably priced, has training modules on the HP web site, contains advanced functions such as IRR and NPV, and has a user-friendly keypad. For $30-40, this is a must have for anyone in finance or real estate.
HP 10bII Financial Calculator on Amazon (please support us with your purchase!)
Calculator Comparison from About.com
Saturday, May. 13, 2006
by Chris
I was doing some reading, and came across some great articles on Net Operating Income. NOI is an important gauge of a company’s ability to generate profit from its core business. While it’s only one piece of the puzzle when analyzing companies, understanding it can help you compare two firms who may have the same Net Income (Profit) but drastically different core businesses. Have a look if you can:
Zooming in on Net Operating Income. Investopedia
A Clear Look At EBITDA. Ben McClure. Investopedia
Saturday, May. 13, 2006
by Chris
We’re very excited because once again we’ll be hosting this Monday’s Carnival of Investing. If you’d like to submit your article for the carnival please use one of the following methods:
Submit detailed information to carnivals {at} investorgeeks * com
Submit with Blog Carnival. (we will confirm your submission by e-mail. If you don’t receive one, please resubmit using our contact form.)
As always, submissions are due by 4pm eastern on Sunday, May 14th, and we ask that if you can, please link back to us at some point on Monday. Expect the Carnival to be up by the time you get to work (unless you go to work super early)!
Tuesday, May. 9, 2006
by Chris
Jason and Frank both purchased 100 share positions in Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) after its share price dropped 11% because of lower-than-expected earnings guidance. I wanted to chime in on my assessment of the company, and share why I think now is not the time to buy.
Let’s briefly talk about two indicators, ROC and Equity Growth, that are useful when looking at the strength of a company. Both these tools, used by Warren Buffett, demonstrate how fast a company can grow the money it has to invest in itself.
