Geoff Noble's Blog, page 2

150 Words A Day

I have a love-hate relationship with writing. I find it very difficult to get going but I love it once I sit down and do it. Life got busy, I stopped writing and I never started again. I don’t want to be a self-proclaimed LinkedIn visionary :). I just want to get better at writing. I read somewhere that most authors put their success down to practice no matter how little. I pledged today that for the next year I will write at least 150 words a day (I am already on 58!). It doesn’t matter what...

Who comes first? Customers or Shareholders?

A quick thought for the day. I was recently trying to cancel my cellphone contract with Vodacom. Oh my, what an effort. I have no doubt that Vodacom instructs its call centre operators to do everything in their power to avoid a canceled contract. Amazingly, the agent told me that I was unable to cancel my contract until contract end date even if I was happy to pay penalties. We know that this is garbage. After what seemed like an eternity, he relented and abra ca da bra, my contract was immed...

Smart people make bad decisions (and are bad investors)

Surprise! A Forget the Noise update. No excuses but fatherhood has definitely eaten into my spare time!

Today, a friend sent me a great article. I had to share it with you. It begins as follows:

“”One of the most persistent fallacies is the reflexive association of wealth with wisdom,” investor Ed Borgato tweeted this week.

Another is the association between intelligence and good decisions.

Not only are they two separate things, but there are instances where high intelligence prevents people...

The best “toy” you can buy your child

Happy Sunday! I managed to get a break from changing nappies to get back to Forgetting the Noise. It seems that the Noise is just getting louder in the world. I have heard many citizens of South Africa voice their concern. So what did I do? I set up my son an EasyEquities account. At 5 weeks old, he is going to make an early start. I am going to teach him about investing in productive assets whether they are in South Africa or globally. I hope to give him flexibility and choice in life. Do yo...

Back after hiatus

Sorry about the silence. It has been a busy time for me. I was fortunate to welcome my son into this world in the last 2 weeks. Fatherhood managed to get in the way of my Sunday Update (although I wasn’t complaining as I was quite happy looking after my boy!).

While I was away, it seems the politicians have been at it again. Our favourites in South Africa have been in the news even more (if we thought that was possible). Abroad, Trump has been lambasted for pulling out of a voluntary climate...

What’s your number?

 

I am not investing for retirement. That is depressing. My motive? Flexibility. I don’t dream of billions of Rands (or millions of dollars

Woodstock for Capitalists

Happy Sunday. This weekend saw the annual Woodstock for Capitalists take place. Just under 40,000 people pitched up in Omaha, Nebraska for the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. While I believe that people have romanticised the legend of Warren Buffett, I am slowly making my way through the 7 hours long webcast. The annual meeting is truly a spectacle. It is almost like a massive sporting event. You will have to check it out to see what I mean.

The other thing I have been watching is a Jeff B...

Pepsi or Coke

Today, I was drinking a Pepsi for a change. This was odd as it is not a popular drink in South Africa. Coke is the more dominant. As I was sipping my ice-cold Pepsi, my mind wandered. Is there really such a big difference in being a Coke shareholder vs a Pepsi shareholder. Sure, one of them would have “performed” better and earned higher profits. There will always be a winner.

Let me put it this way. There are two families. Family A founded the Coca-Cola Company and Family B founded Pepsi Co....

Becoming Warren Buffett

One of my pet hates is people quoting Warren Buffett. It amazes me that asset management firms are often the main culprits. These are the very fee-machines that Warren Buffett warns the public about.

I am no Warren Buffett expert but I have read a couple of books on his exploits. From what I can tell he is a really complex individual who has been romanticised by many. However, I think he has a heart of gold (I mean, who donates just all their wealth to charity on their death?). I am definitel...

Easter Eggs

Happy Easter to all who celebrate it. For many, this is a time to spend with family and forget who the president of the US is, the Guptas, JZ and whether the UK should be a member of the EU or not. Perhaps, we should have more Easter holidays. It would certainly help our investment portfolios.

There hasn’t been any dividend news for a while. We just carry on, as usual, and invest excess cash we have each month. Make sure you keep those fees low and stay away from too many helpers (the technic...