The blog discusses current affairs and development of national economic and social health through unique idea generation. Consider the blog a type of thought experiment where ideas are generated to be pondered but should never be considered definitive as a final conclusion. It is just a pathway to understanding and one may equally reject as accept ideas as theoretical dribble. New perspectives, new opportunities, for a new generation. “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”—Thomas Jefferson
Two things you may not have known is that investor personality and knowledge determined investment outcomes. We often think of investors as shrewd and somewhat heartless but that may not be the case. Financial knowledge is likely to be helpful no matter if one has the personality of a bulldozer or of gazelle. However, when it comes to investment success it would appear ethical, polite, neurotic and social investors seem to do a little better.
Financial Literacy Helps Investors
Financial literacy helps in investment selection and that is important for anyone getting into stock investment. There are assessment tools like the Investment Strategies Scale (ISS) that helps assess investment strategies used by investors. What the study doesn't say is whether either of those strategies leads to improved outcomes. Investment Strategies Scale Study For this we have to look at personality and outcomes.
The Personality of Investors
We can further look at research on stock investing, personality and outcomes. To do this you may want to review a study on Investor Personality and Market Investing Outcomes. The most remarkable aspect is that positive traits seem to be associated with effective investors.
1. 146 participants
2. Researchers looked at Big-five personality traits, social behaviors, self-attribution and demographic characteristics on trading outcomes.
3. Used machine learning for assessments to cluster socioeconomic determinants and financial decisions.
4. They found investors more open and neurotic gain higher returns compared to the market benchmark.
5. Social and ethical virtues (fairness and politeness) were associated with effectiveness of trading.
My Working Strategy Not Finished: I will keep adjusting and tweaking until I get something good. Seeking to create a funnel.
1. Find a range of value to look at in terms of stock price. I'm looking at lower priced stocks that have room to grow. Low-Risk Anomaly
2. Use current and future market trend projections to determine whether they fit in an upward swing. Look around for industry reports.
4. Diversify among multiple stocks in different industries versus a single type of stock to protect the whole portfolio. Investing in multiple industries.
5. Look for stocks that hedge each other. When stocks are declining in some arenas, they may grow in others. Watch how they counter each other and seek to mix a balance so as to benefit on total stock portfolio returns beyond individual stock performance.
6. Seek out possible pairing of long and short selling and consider selling stocks consistently over average when compared to similar stocks. If a company appears well managed and run well then hang onto it. Pairing Strategy Bi-Objective Optimization
7. Buy and hold if in alignment with market trend. A few other weaker predictors include Fourth-Quarter Growth Rate in Personal Consumption Expenditures (gpce), Aggregate Accruals (accru), Credit Standards (crdstd), The Investment Capital Ratio (i/k), Treasury-bill Rates (tbl) 46 Stock Strategies. Thus if you want to delve more into the stats these may work.
8. Undefined...still thinking about it. That is as far as I got. :) To be continued.....
Portfolio Observations:
-May 16th, 2024 I had a poor performing stock that was sitting in the abandoned account so I just sold it to clean it out so all stocks are newer as related to when I started formulating a strategy. My growth is 7.9%. That doesn't include the 3.4% current inflation rate. Its still a little under the average Average Stock Market Return 2024
-May 23, 2024 Most of the stocks are in a slump in the past few days but overall the portfolio is growing. The days gain was down but rests at about 4.91%
-My portfolio is down -1.2% but while most stocks were declining. At this snap show Nasdaq, S&P 500 and Dow were either slightly down or up. My portfolio seems to fall in line with the market. However, I did notice that Gold and Silver did rise indicating these are good hedges.
*This is not stock advice at all. Go talk to your advisor. Its just an exploration of a topic.
Another exciting city hall meeting in Escanaba. In case you are not familiar with Escanaba it is a Hallmark type picturesque town nestled on the coast of the Great Lakes. You can get fluffy snow and ice fishing or beaches and bonfires. Being somewhat isolated in the Upper Peninsula it has grown into a tourist and investment hot spot through the good works of community members and wider stakeholders. It is one of those towns that is re-emerging onto the global market decades after the lumber barons have gone and is doing so in its own special way. Small but increasingly mighty! As a town on a path to development it is showing itself to be resourceful and sophisticated (The woodsmen have IPhones too!). Looks like they have a pretty good teams in all three local government entities and if they put their minds together who knows what they could come up with.
(I mean really? Think about it. Three local entities working together to build their own future through resource coordination, shared marketing, community support, etc.? They could attract a lot more interest, jobs, and investments.)
Attracting interest and resources will be the name of the game and that includes increasing revenue (industry, investors, events, entrepreneurs, business, etc.) and improving functioning infrastructure (water, sewage, electricity, etc.) as well as reducing costs while maximizing quality of life services (i.e. library, city expenses, etc.). No simple feat and most towns struggle with finding the balance. So far Escanaba has weathered some of these challenges and is still solvent and ready. It has a good base for much more world engagement and development. With luck and a few net positives maybe they could create additional streams of net positive resources. Visit Escanaba
Escanaba Beach 2024 You can view the pic HERE or you can see the Wooded Pathway Gallery Putting a plug in for may amateur photo gallery.
-A few ordinances discussed on issues such as tax rate, wastewater, and another on electric rate. The city and county are currently brainstorming solutions which could include solar in the area. My suggestion is to hash out a coordinated deal between the County, Gladstone, Escanaba and surrounding on solar panels that first feed the local area before the wider grid (energy independence) and a discount rate for local residence for overcoming challenges with aesthetics. There are probably many ways to look at this and slice it. Maybe reduce costs for local residents and industry making the place just a touch more attractive to investors. This could be a net positive opportunity that result in a a win-win. Do that enough and you build yourself an oasis in the U.P. Just an idea. Its not fully vetted. 🤔
Some open committee spots if people still want to get involved.
Digital Sophistication, What about an Investor's-Entrepreneur's page?
Escanaba is getting digital sophisticated with its website. If you look at their sight they separated tabs into upcoming and past meetings as well as all the videos. While these things were leading back to pre-Covid what we can say is that the area is rural but it is updating well to the modern digital market. Another thing that could help is to put in place an investor tab or something that contains information on where to find empty buildings, available grants, market studies, important departments, information, zoning, a contact, etc. to provide an easy clickable understanding of what the area offers. i.e. content and info directly to investors. Stakeholders could consider putting this on Visit Escanaba or the Chamber of Commerce if needed and or just reuse key pieces of the info. Having the right information on where and who to create investments in the area can boost local development. Think about it from the perspective of younger entrepreneurs and seasoned investors that want to get a snap shot of the area. The investment side is either non-existent or not prominent leading to a market difference that can be maximized. It could be doubled as a landing point for advertisement and other wider stakeholder awareness activities. Anways...just a few ideas to ponder and each person might come up with a few of their own. It is to get the juices flowing.
Question: What do you think a small rural town like Escanaba could do to attract new investment opportunities? Think of the geography, attributes inherent to the town, and what the market is saying is on the upswing for the next 30 years. (I'm not expecting you to answer it but just think about how each town has some solutions that are likely to improve its attractiveness to domestic and foreign investment).
BEA indicates that jobs were up 272K and unemployment was relatively low at 4%. One should look at where these jobs rose and why they rose. It was a positive report in a mixed market where some info is positive and some is negative leaving most economists confused. Time will tell what the whole economy will do.
"Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 272,000 in May, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.0 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment continued to trend up in several industries, led by health care; government; leisure and hospitality; and professional, scientific, and technical services."
According to the survey below it would appear there are a number of concerns of the youth and if given the right pathways these youngsters can change the face of elections. They are the largest most diverse generation the country has seen and they will need to compete in a world the Baby Boomers and some of Gen X may not have had to experience so their perspective is very different. Prior generations were in a prosperous time inherited from mechanical modernization from two World Wars and allowed their offspring to thrive. The young don't get an immediate boost from the work of our grandfathers/mothers. The Greatest Generation prior to Baby Boomers created a new way of living through grit and ingenuity during the Industrial Era to overcome global challenges. This generation will need to do it again in a Digital Era and further ensure the ship is (or continues) to be pointed true north on American values.
-55% (18-29) say country may not be on the right track.
-76% of the young believe they can change the country.
-Half say they are informed about politics.
You will also notice from the survey what type of institutions they trust and where they get their information for decision making. As the Digital Era takes hold there will be lots of competing information and some will be accurate and some not but as a collective whole there will be many more ways of obtaining accurate news meaning that diversity of perspective is likely. With different news and ways of looking at things there will be new ideas and that is part of democracy's development. i.e. the universal democracy as the next stage.
Thus, it is their time to start making their wishes and desires more known through positive and helpful political engagement. Voting is where the rubber hits the road by providing support for good leaders and putting in place new leaders when needed (The HFP only asks for us to think but not necessarily come to a specific conclusion as that is left to the reader and their thought processes.). What we hope is that they think through all of their choices and decisions to ensure they help the most amount of people possible and keep the democracy strong, healthy, and rejuvenating with each new generation. When they are old in grey they may say that democracy thrives when everyone thinks beyond today to keep the torch bright to lighten our way.
For, example the young appear from different articles and polls more interested in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, learning, opportunity, their environment, small business, institutional integrity, diversity, technology, global warming, housing, jobs, personal debt, govt. deficit, geopolitical issues, extremism, political integrity, education, crime, justice integrity and corruption. If they feel strongly about some of these issues they can constructive ways of ensuring their needs are reflected as a whole in the political discussions. Support the good stuff and change the bad stuff. Each generation has a right to push for the things they want because it ensures the nation changes to the realities of an ever changing world and environment. It keeps us strong and a beacon of freedom.
The Hypothetical Feather Party is non-existence and is used for learning purposes only. It is meant to be a thought experiment on providing another lens in which to understand politics and raise awareness of the political process. It is about discussion and not necessarily create an opinion unless that opinion is based in part in science. It makes no distinction between parties and beliefs but does encourage critical thinking and thinking about the next generation's needs as a key aspect of modern leadership. Older generations have a responsibility of ensuring they are setting the stage for the young and sharing their values through being good stewards and examples. It is a process inherent in democracy. Where there are things to improve genuine leaders seek to improve them. The Importance of Democracy
"the cure for the ills of democracy is more democracy". John Dewey
Interesting Articles on Hypothetical Feather Party:
*The Hypothetical Feather Party is for learning purposes and is designed as a thought experiment on how a third party aligned to core American principles, logic, science, critical thinking and the next generation can improve national decision making. Please don't attack the Feather Party. We do not exist at this time in history. Its a discussion.
Lot of great things going on in Delta County MI. these days. Recently there has been a change in the board so there is some enthusiasm to do things in a new ways. It is fairly normal anytime there are new board members who want to showcase their skills and get some things don't on their checklist. Anyways.....as they go about making decisions we hope that everyone keeps the community in mind and what is in their long-term interests. Reject national politics and keep things as focused on as much of the root of our community/democracy as possible. Good jobs, good lives, good investment opportunities, good services, fun events/quality of life, safe streets, fiscally sound decisions, critical and strategic thinking, etc. so on and so forth are all part of good decision making and responsibilities. When one is in a leadership position well thought out opinions and flexibility in those opinions when new information comes forward that can help understand a situation or perspective.
A few points:
-A commissioner discussed the Railroad Retire Group coming to Escanaba. A local business Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad Co. 50 employees and has openings for skilled trades. They also hire veterans that help make them contributors to our society. Let me say that bringing in groups that have connections to industry to see firsthand our local manufacturing and available facilities can help organically manage our local offerings to those who can reach people who make decisions and invest in those fields. Being strategic about trying to get some of these groups up here not only encourages tourism but could also impacts long term economic development by attracting related industries.
-DTE is still interesting in solar power initiative. Seeks signature to get on ballot for a vote. In general, I support solar power to connect to enhance the power grid but some of this agreement can be swayed by the details. If the panels are going to provide power directly to local consumers to decrease our costs and create energy independence from rolling blackouts then it is two thumbs up. If it is improving the general grid alone then it is one thumb up. Aesthetics and size are likely to still be a discussion so that could require some flexibility. Not sure on the rest....
-Police and fire discussion on sharing. One idea is to take a local department and provide centralized training from there. That will help ensure each person has similar skills and they can cross coordinate between departments. Training together regularly will help create such symmetries even if not intended as people share ideas, tactics, ideas, members, etc. Economies of scale rise when experts can be brought in for multiple departments at once. I was also sort of thinking about the benefits of a local training center along with a youth and/or cadet course teaching the basics of fire safety and then use that for recruitment into local service. Anyway...its just an opinion I'm sure others have theirs. Perhaps there are State and Federal grants that would help. Facts and Opinions
-Vet Millage. Remember they served our country so let's not be cheap on them. Work with leaders to find ways to save money throughout the economy and create net positives. That would offset the costs of veterans millage. Just so we keep in mind the responsibility to always seek fiscal responsibility because organizations like this can be the beneficiaries of cost savings/service enhancements in other areas.
-Improving the airport by adjusting size of planes. Anything we can do to bring in new business and even commercial shipping would be a good idea.
CEOs made 200 time more than what workers did last year according to the article. The good is that strong CEOs can command high wages and the bad is that there is greater disparity between the average and the top in society. Thus, we will need to think of ways to raise worker value and improve wages through broad based capitalism. The goal being to encourage larger scale development of whole society in a world where globalization requires greater mass competitive positioning.
Broad based meaning that a significant percentage of profits are funneled back into high potential innovative businesses, community initiatives that have net positive effects, infrastructure that improves transaction efficiencies, education/training, research, and other activities that raise the whole of society through economic fundamentals. Doing this naturally in a way that helps investors, entrepreneurs, and workers is a very big discussion that ranges from skill development to policy and investment vehicle creation (i.e. Delta County Hedge Fund as a possible example).
Some of the ways we can do that include,
1.) Improve human capital, education and training.
2.) Develop new and innovative products to ensure that the highest value products in the supply chain are produced domestically .
3.) Raise the earning power of workers with new technology that enhances creativity and productivity.
4.) Encourage advanced manufacturing to update and ensure they pay workers well.
5.) Support American companies that reinvest back into U.S. economy through encouraging small business, community development, infrastructure, and general human capital development.
Hate can be against groups or individuals and can be fostered by deep seated insecurities from fear of others. When it is normalized and encouraged or protected it hints at deeper inappropriate values. The Different Forms of Hate. Where bigotry and bias lives and breeds it causes all types of problems not only for the victims but also for many others. As a type of moral cancer that infects souls it is important to make institutions and systems more immune to the impact and effect of toxic personalities and corruption. Protection of a concept called Justice is helpful to diverse nations that seek to thrive generation after generation. This article is meant to raise the idea of Justice as one central institution to shared communal living but stands by party, race, religion neutrality in societies that should see universal perceptions as central to social and national development.
Hate is a type of mask to hide the inner group members motivations in misusing their position to help themselves and their friends enrich off poor behaviors. Where the masks slips you often see a group logic that has a high probability of similar related poor behaviors in other venues. Hate aggression can be one data marker for additional issue (s). One might think of how data could lead to a statistically likelihood of corruption and produce a map of observed involved members. Such discovery occurs once you find a couple of connecting variables to form a pattern and then test that pattern to ensure it accurately is being reflected within the network. A leads to a predicted F.
The Theory of Mirrors
The Theory of Mirrors (there are very similar ideas and names for the type of theory) is sort of similar to, parts taken wholesale from, but a touch different than The Looking Glass Self. Basically as people act and react to a target based on specific stimuli they define themselves. This means their subconscious tells us who they are without their knowledge no matter how much they hide it. The theory is only semi tested but seems accurate. Metaphorically the reflective cue maker provides the canvas for others to paint on as groups or individuals. They splatter their thoughts and other brain trash into the interpretation. Other theorists discovered most of the concept but it is sort of interesting to think of its possibilities and use for catching bad guys/gals; even if the legal structure sometimes protects and rewards such behaviors. (Symbolic Interactionists). The concept is based in the neural network firings and how they quickly interpret info and react to cues ☝️. While some of it is disheartening some things are impressively noble and positive. In this example no matter its outcomes the long term prospects are good for a much brighter tomorrow. Hate supporters can't derail development for long periods of time because on a deeper level even the perpetrators know its wrong and systems can't function at their optimum with serious disparities and discrepancies. A few years might make a big difference in perspective. The broom from sweeping things under the carpet is getting increasingly sticky with new data and technology that encourages transparent performance improvement. Game Theory
A Hypothetical Example
Let me give you a hypothetical example for learning purposes only. A hate group mixed with some officials targeted a family to enrich off of them for racial (pick any), political (pick any) and religious reasons (pick any). They told the targets what they were going to do while engaging in trickery and then used coordinated threats and attempts at violence to force their social order, manipulate local legal officials, extort and cleans people from their community. One of the targets who earned their place in the country 10x told the perpetrators "no" and reminded them of their duties and oaths. They quickly rejected the sacrosanct values. The victim went further and reached out a helping hand to encourage them to choose wisely but attempts were further rebuffed and the hand slapped away. The targets choose the higher moral order and didn't care much what else others thought or what unchecked aggression against them would bring because the issue is bigger than this. Developing society requires the ability to push its development and stand for basic values. Because of corruption the 100+ group continued to escalate even though the targets were polite, positive, helpful but stayed firm on the constant violation of their boundaries. The more they held firm the further enraging key players within the network became. One of the targets became known as "The Bitch" even though he/she has a history of bravery against insurmountable odds in order to protect his/her nation and community. The subjectivity of blind nationalism was highlighted. Other community complaints came forward that indicated similar behaviors happened to others and corruption was further discovered to be a bigger issue. The inability to correct even with overwhelming evidence the most astonishing creating a type of immunity for crime. However, they realized the couldn't be as open and bold with their hate as before. Fearing being caught the "in group" members moved from overt aggression to the more subtle forms such as blocking employment, hate chatter, microaggressions, social media manipulation, creating toxicity, and other dehumanizing behaviors. They took pleasure in mocking our laws and the sacrifices of generations before who helped obtain such freedoms. Even the target has served his/her nation but was dehumanized to remind them of their lower place in society. A type of lawlessness with a lack of moral conscious.
The Underpinnings of the Example
Hate is driven by a need of belittling/dehumanizing others and when that is protected legally, politically, and socially there really isn't a back stop but opens up a much larger long term sociological issue. Thus this is why in this learning example the clan can move from overt aggressions to microaggressions and then back into aggression when the environment is again supportive of such behaviors (The environment and subtle social cues are important in created expectation). The legal, moral, political, social, economic issues, etc. set the stage and the actors used that. In this leaf vs. forest example perspective we see is that the environment and homogeneous ethnocentrism mixed with disturbed social influencers in the right positions put normally good people and officials in fear. Instead of reporting hate crimes they decided to be silent for self interests thereby meaning some adjustments will be needed to avoid this in the future.
The targets might be polite and competent but to the perpetrators they are seen as incompetent, lower than, of subvalue/second class citizens and shouldn't be allowed to live or work near them, and should have no protections under the law even if those protections are guaranteed by the Constitution. This would be a moral outrage situation that runs directly against our oaths and values as a people (I mean assuming if these things are still central to our existence). Thus we all have a stake as a collective togetherness in supporting the Constitution, our social contracts and the deeper meaning of justice. Makes no difference the party, race, religion, gender or other as the needs of the collective whole should be of higher importance than any individual part. The Neuro Basis of Hate
A 4th wave of hate in this example could be likely because of the difficult root problem of holding the perpetrators to account and reversing the damage they caused. The fear of upsetting the local clan which has an influence on local social and political life, was primary concern and made them silence people with their group narratives. The community and other victims may not be a priority as well so a reorientation to local institutional purpose may be needed. i.e. keeping the compass true north. Consistent unchecked hate and corruption is a type of system failure that includes recruitment, policies, culture, checks & balances, oath integrity, and values. All systems must stand for their values and while most do there are places where this may not always be true. Poor behaviors can be encouraged without the right type of leadership. When they don't, and there is no recourse it isn't a free pass but goes into the collective conscious of people and their blended perceptions between words and reality.
Two Anchored Outcomes
Let us say there are two possible outcomes to this brain teasers. Most situations would likely fall in between these extremes. Albeit even closer to the ideal because as a collective whole we understand the need of the greater purpose of existence and the important values that resonate with every person.
1. Free Pass Extreme Worst: The technicalities of the law are more important than its spirit, the Constitution applies to only some, victims of past or future are dehumanized, a class of half citizens form not in lip service but in practical outcomes, freedom of speech and religion are not true freedoms, institution protects dysfunction and it grows thereby wasting taxpayer money, and institutional trust declines. Courts appear to feed the legal industry of attorneys making justice complex to support the more wealthy members of society who provide regular campaign donations. Some citizens are considered parasites and their rights can be swept away to benefit others in alignment with wrongs of the historic past. Wrongs are protected, they are not corrected when found wrong, mass apathy develops among some groups, human capital declines, and the nation gets weaker generation after generation. There is refusal to reform even though outcomes are questionable and new methods possible. A segregated society develops. This would be a situation no one would want except the most dark souls.
2. Accountability Extreme Best: The system lives up to its standards, holds to account perpetrators based on culpability, protects future and past victims, corrects the wrong, safe guards are put in place to better tackle corruption, entire institution moves up, perpetrators are rehabilitate and returned to society, all citizens are treated equal and a universal society is encouraged where freedom of speech and religion are valued. Courts seek to simplify and make connections to people and don't require attorneys to navigate them. Rich and poor are seen equal before the law. Laws are passed in the spirt of all societal members. Judges protect what is good, people, people value the system, they are highly engaged in keeping communities safe, human capital rises and the nation gets stronger generation after generation. Always seeking to improve to provide essential justice. Institutional trust rises and social cohesion grows. Human capital productivity rises because all citizens are working toward a greater purpose. All people are full citizens with endowed rights.
Even if we are doing 100% perfect (institution) we should seek 110% (the stakeholders). Keep looking over the horizon because there is good stuff over there if the ship is navigated well; the duties of leadership. Ensure that you don't fall into the trap of group think, dangerous bias and corruption by always asking questions when people tell you stories that don't seem to line up well. Our very futures may rely on our ability to think critically and solve problems as a people.
It's a party neutral article to help us think of the importance of liberty and our daily choices and responsibilities to encourage it. 🗽
*This is a thought experiment on freedom of speech and religion. It is a hypothetical example for learning purposes only. Take with a grain of salt. Theoretical dribble so feel free to discard.
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