What Would You Like to See in an Investing Book?

Lmcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 01:01
Last edited 16/11/2019 - 01:42

Hi there everyone,

I'm currently working on a book which covers frugal finance, psychology, investing, statistical analysis, trends and assumptions (+ how to get rid of them).

I have been helping and giving advice to individuals on Ozb but I guess since I had some time, I would start this thread and see if I can help more n more people!

Things like including how understanding real estate, global trends, and stocks/ volume analysis, Google trends help each other in a way (some ways being more clear than others E.g. Using Versace Milan Design Week 2019 to know where your interior designer is getting their inspo, or seeing indoor plants trend in Google go nuts, meaning focus on including these in your property if renovating or staging)
+ my life tips and tricks as an Accountant, trader, real estate (first job), construction (owner builder), investor/ business person, and currently working on Ag-tech & Fitness Startups.

By having studied, experienced and developed a framework which consists of a lot of different insights and perspectives this has helped me develop some interesting transferable skills I thought were real cool.

If you give me a situation, or a problem, I can maybe see if I can share this insight through my application.

Wierd I know, but I have been getting a lot of questions in person and have solved some pretty crazy random stuff which has been very useful, and financially significant in how much I've helped friends save, not to mention the time. :)

See how this goes!

Education & Work

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 16/11/2019 - 01:10
    +6

    You need an editor. :p

    • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 10:46

      Sorry boss, was really tired. Funnily enough was just teaching all day and helping a friend so was trying to figure out how to reach more people but faster and more effectively hmmm

      • [Deactivated] on 16/11/2019 - 11:17

        I did think a couple of the tips were just testing if we read that far.

  • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 01:14

    Happy to give feedback on ideas such as furniture, if recently having moved out or - DIY air purifiers,
    - advice on bulk buying things like birthday cards on Pickles.com.au to prevent wasting time at 7/11 or buying $4 cards last minute, etc.
    - insulating windows using 3m insulating tape to prevent air con bill being unnecessarily high, or at least lower.
    - calling pool excavating company to drop off 1 Tonne minimum delivery of soil, then using that as well as compost for garden beds. Same applies for tree stump removal guys, and free mulch

    • brendanm on 16/11/2019 - 13:30
      +1

      Wow, you seriously need an actual direction of you want to write a book. You are all over the shop.

    • hadronox on 16/11/2019 - 20:42

      The idea of stock piling cheap cards is a good idea which i already do, but i call BS on buying them on Pickles. Can you actually?

  • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 01:51

    Also things like sourcing marble slabs ready to put on 2 legs, for $150-200 vs. $2000+ from furniture stores.

    Diy concrete furniture, esp if you have scrap metal lying around to use as REBAR enforcement inside.

    • onetwothreefour on 16/11/2019 - 20:59

      marble slabs ready to put on 2 legs

      Sounds wobbly.

      • mcfintech on 17/11/2019 - 01:15

        2 x V shaped. '><' (top view)

  • GnarlyKnuckles on 16/11/2019 - 02:26
    +7

    I agree with Fraggle rock's comment, above. If you truly aspire to writing anything that you actually hope/expect anyone to pay for, then you will either need to learn to write English properly/correctly (methinks you're a bit old for that), OR you will need to pay a good editor (quite a lot, given what they will evidently be 'working with') to transform your notes into something coherent and publishable.

    Incorrect use of the word 'which' instead of the word 'that', odd tense mismatches, missing and incorrect punctuation, the erroneous phrase 'By having studied, …', the classic mispelling of the word 'weird', etc.…

    Yeppers. The fraggle has nailed it. Before you entertain any notions of writing anything at all that you intend to sell, I advise ensuring that you have:

    1. Something of value/worthwhile to say that peeps will actually find useful (or at least interesting).

    2. A good editor at your disposal, so that they can transform your notes into something that is readable.

    Neither have evidently been achieved yet, but hang in there. Humble apologies for my frankness.

    • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 11:08
      +1

      Thank you for your detailed feedback, I am definitely going to take both of these things and learn from them :)

      Your feedback is much appreciated!

  • Kangal on 16/11/2019 - 03:01
    +3

    I'd like to see a $100 bill slide out. You know, just as a complimentary bookmark.

    • Almost Banned on 16/11/2019 - 09:17

      Or next week's lotto numbers

      • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 10:37
        +1

        I can't tell you that, I'm sorry. I work off of probability, risk management, expense reduction, capital preservation and help people around me see the 'make/grow vs buy' (where possible, including hand craft, concrete, small life hacks and growing stuff!)?

        Like using bamboo sticks and sticking them in your house exteriors weep holes, to grow tomatoes around them (vs rather than needing to bolt anything to the bricks or making some holes using a hammer drill).

      • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 10:38
        +1

        Or maybe patching up a gyprock wall using wet tissue paper + primer n scraper, vs. dry wall mix, when the hole is too big but not likely to be touched at all.

        Saves a shit tonne and many do it.

    • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 10:43

      Actually was going to include a $100 AUD gold plated note as a book mark. Best present I ever got someone when talking bang for buck.

      Obv not a real 100 AUD, but it is real 24k and it does look amazing.

      Thank you for reminding me!

      • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 10:43

        Costs $2 on ebay if you wanted to grab it or see what I'm talking about haha :)

        They are awesome gifts!

  • BertieBrown on 16/11/2019 - 07:16
    +1

    For me it would be basic stuff like how to invest in shares etc. Though I think I’d probably see a financial advisor for anything major anyway.

    • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 10:31

      That's fair but you must keep in mind, actual investors/ traders don't really work in that field as they manage their own funds or big fund portfolios etc.

      NOT SAYING they are not good, but if you see a financial advisor, thought it would be worthwhile sharing the point of view that a lot of the planners n advisors, for their own money, come to me :(

      Again, to protect yourself

      1. Even if your advisor suggests a return of 10%, in a fund, over the last year, but the market went up 20%, ask them WHY.

      It's not about their performance, it's a about relative performance.

      And if the market tanks 5% and your advisor only gets you 1%, keep this in mind too.

      1. Any funds he or she may suggest, check and see the funds' date of inception and if there's 2 options, pick the one that has been around PRE-2008 VS one which has been around POST-2010 only.

      Off the top of my head, a great example is Platinum Asset Management, one of theirs has been around for ages. Then there's Ausbil Micro Cap, a good one, but post 2009 ish inception date, so that's where I would be a bit more careful.

      1. Be direct. How much do they get, any kick backs, any huge commissions etc.

      You'd be surprised how much simply asking reveals lol.

      1. Do not forget the compounding effect.
        It is much more important than most think.

      E.g.
      Scenario 1:
      If you were to invest $2,000 EVERY YEAR, from 19-27 (8 years), assume 10% compounded a year.
      At the age of 28 you NEVER put any money back into this account..Aka stop depositing.

      Scenario 2:
      Another person STARTS investing, at 28, until 65 years of age. Same rate of return, assume 10% compounded.
      This person would be investing for like 37 years, $2,000 per year also.

      Scenario 1 makes $200k more by the end of that 37 year period.

      • BertieBrown on 16/11/2019 - 20:07

        Thanks for the reply. My understanding of money isn’t that great, so a lot of what you’re talking about doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I appreciate the time and effort. From my perspective I would probably need something more basic to get my head around things.

  • [Deactivated] on 16/11/2019 - 07:51
    +1

    What makes you think you'll be a good author, and why do you expect people wpuld be willing to pay for your advice when there are numerous similar products out there?

    • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 10:40

      I personally don't care if people don't buy it, I've been teaching for free for as long as I can remember.

      It's getting very difficult now to teach more and more, and after a few people who have passed away in my life from freak accidents, it's more just me following my own principles.

      Risk management. What if I wanted to leave notes. To help those I was just teaching or my kids?

      That's all, honestly don't care if it doesn't sell at all lol

      • mbck on 16/11/2019 - 11:00

        Make a website. Earn money through ad

        • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 11:04
          -1

          When you teach, you realise people trust books more. It is also great for reference (Aka monitor real estate may be already rare).

          Happy to do both of course. But the problem is (and I see this first han especially in this field, people buying books.

          • mbck on 16/11/2019 - 11:25

            @mcfintech: Seeing how unorganized your thoughts are, it's cheaper and better to go with a website. You can edit as you go.

            If you want to do a book, get an editor not OzBargain.

            You should know, different people learn and absorb differently. Podcast, website, books.

            Know your target market is what I'm saying.

    • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 11:01
      -1

      Also, I have read a LOT of them. Too many cover about 50% of the stuff you need to know, none really cover how to apply 'stock/ market knowledge' to property or even clothing or holiday purchases.

      For me this has helped me immensely over the years.

      (Also not enough on the ASX) and their ASX courses are too basic (went to one to see if I should recommend it to friends etc. as I really do care about people learning the right things).

      Mine would be a big addition + compilation + relevant, not focused just on stocks, AND I've got real life examples, of literally 50-100+ purchases which again, rules out many authors who have no real proof.

      I'd also be charging minimal (10-20) at the most.

      I could tutor for $50-60/ or more an hour. I just can't. Time poor and rather $10 book and just get back to studying things I've wanted to for awhile, unrelated to finance etc.

  • mbck on 16/11/2019 - 07:56
    +7

    This just sounds like a personal ad…

    • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 10:04
      -2

      Not an ad, otherwise I would talk about it :)

      Was half asleep last night typing, sorry!

      I am not sure if any of the people I've helped see this, but I have really spent hours with each person here that's messaged me on Ozb, which gave me the idea in the first place.

      I haven't ever asked for anything, nor do I even want to charge for it (literally would be like $10-20), because as much as I'd hate to admit it, no one wants to read half the free stuff!

      It's an ad, advertising and wanting to help anyone with any questions..

      Can't believe the hate with this one lol

      Did not mention anything but wanting to help, due to the sheer number of questions I get day to day.

      I'm not sharing any names and if you even just check out my replies in the past threads :)

      Sorry for the lack of sleep lol!

      Still, happy to help anyone with any q

  • mskeggs on 16/11/2019 - 09:55
    -3

    Tough room!

    • [Deactivated] on 16/11/2019 - 10:26

      The original post was a bit of a brain dump. :) v v v

      • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 10:41
        -1

        Yep it was! Haha

        Was very tired, and that's my mistake!

  • StonedWizard on 16/11/2019 - 10:04
    +1

    Buying a Mercedes as a high yielding investment

    • mcfintech on 16/11/2019 - 10:19
      -1

      No more things like

      1. Realise your Almond milk is only 2% maybe 3% almonds, and if it's a larger house hold, grab an almond tree. Some people always giving them out on Gumtree for real cheap.

      1st year, 10kg on average makes about 250L of double ish creaminess = free for life

      1. How to build a deck easy

      2. Using overlaying maps of Queensland, Melbourne and Sydney to get a significant edge in where the next rezoning and densities are go

      3. Hedging with a trailing stop loss, with 20% usually.

      4. Using the stock codes McGrath, LLC, REA, DHG or the property sector INDEX, as a leading indicator for a 😒market.

      5. CNBCs fear and greed indicator works veery well in judging a potential correction or worse. This gives you an alert system to work with so you know when to take risk off of the table.

      6. Sourcing marble from suppliers, especially small pieces enough to make furniture like side table costs like 1/50th (not really exact but); same as concrete.

      7. If you grow bamboo that has a faster rhizome structure, you can flip it weekly if you tee up with your local pool excavation + tree removal, can start turning $2 of concrete into $100-200 side gig.

      Some tips off the top of my head.

      No ad, just see people chasing the wrong thing a lot of the time, and have helped them re assess the value of money and time.

      Was just trying to help 😔❤️

  • ihbh on 16/11/2019 - 11:49

    Investing Book

    Do you want to self publish (also known as the vanity press) or get a publisher to publish it (e.g. Wiley, Penguin, etc.)?

    If you want a publisher to publish it, then write a summary, maybe first chapter and pitch it to the acquisitions editors of a few publishing houses. Check out the competition first and try to fill a gap in the market.

    If you want to self publish, consider hard or soft copy or both, and the reasons people use for each.

    If you can't write, an editor won't compensate for it. Consider getting a "joint" author to do the writing for you.

  • Architectonic on 16/11/2019 - 13:52

    Ethical investing, knowing about the global impact of both your consumption and investment choices, in an Australian context.

    • GnarlyKnuckles on 17/11/2019 - 02:50
      +1

      Aah, the old 'ethical investing' chestnut. Riddle me this, Archaic tonic:

      Is it better to 'ethically invest' in something that provides a modest 5% return per year and 'pocket' that/live off that 5% (i.e. have zero influence/effect on anything much at all, good or bad, until death), or is it better to invest heavily in something that is just 'standard' in ethical terms (not UNethical, but not exactly wind-farms in Iceland or quokka tourism) and returns 15% per year, then donate (that's give; not 'invest') about 5% per year to 'ethical' causes? Or alternatively, spend the additional 5% to 10% at 'ethical' businesses/establishments? Also Arches, while I'm here, what would be your top 3 tips for 'ethical investment' at the moment? I've heard the notion kicked around more and more of late, but no one seems able to suggest a single 'ethical investment' that sounds even remotely realistic/viable to me.

      I suspect the entire concept may have 'bubbled up' from the bottom of a bucket bong.

    • WhoGiveAShxt on 17/11/2019 - 14:38
      +1

      Ethical investing is just another fancy makeup word to fool people who believe in it. You will be much better off by focusing on the last word "investing" rather than "Ethical investing"

      Besides, think about how much Apple spent on preventing illegal workforce/pollution/green energy in their outsourcing partners' factories/companies but there are still missing dirty spots from time to time. Are you sure the so-call Ethical investing companies are truly ethical?

      And also, do you know Samsung also manufacture weapons like tanks. Modern companies, especially most S&P500 companies, are usually operate in multi-industries.

      Digging deep and you will be surprise

    • jalwa on 17/11/2019 - 23:35
      +1

      I worked in ethical investing a long time ago for a short while. Couldn't accept how poor the returns were, how fat the fee was, how unethical the pitch was and how conventional the actual investments were.

      I would avoid the whole ethical sector.

      If there are companies that you believe in, please invest directly.

  • WhoGiveAShxt on 16/11/2019 - 18:27
    +2

    All the other people here are just too nice to say, so I am the bad guy to tell the ugly perspective: just don't do it. Quit your writer dream and just focus on blogging if you really want to write something down.

    All the topics you mentioned are not small topics that could pick them up easily. In at least three of those topics (Investment, property, psychology and trend), I know deep down in my bone that every one of them could be easily broken down into several topics that need books to address. I believe you really should list only three topics you have edge in that fields, prioritize them by the depth of your knowledge/experience/Ideas, then forget the second and the third, only focus on the one. Otherwise, what you about to do just add to the noise and waste your time.

    Blogging and write down whatever you want to say, if you are the next Ray Dalio, people will find out and shit tons of money will hit you in the face with no time.

    Good luck

    • GnarlyKnuckles on 17/11/2019 - 03:03

      Yeah, this. Best you divert your attention elsewhere McZebra-Finch, a writer you are not, methinks.

      Now I don't intend to be mean, but if I may ask, numerous times above you refer to 'helping people' with their investments/money matters—but how have you measured that? Has anyone actually ever taken your advice, then made a decent amount of money from an investment that you suggested to them? Or when you say 'helping people', are you referring more to helping them understand the 'industry jargon', potential risks associated with 'money markets', etc. …?

      • ihbh on 17/11/2019 - 07:40

        Most importantly publishers don't publish books with lists of tips - that is for the vanity press.

  • Icecold5000 on 17/11/2019 - 20:42

    Incorporate general semantics into a survey of earnings

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