Trip to Hakone & Mt. Fuji

It was the first day of the new year holidays and we decided to go to Hakone, a beautiful place about 1.5 hrs by train ride from Tokyo. The climate on the day (30th Dec 2006) was perfect, our moods were on high and we looked forward to an exciting day and this is just what we got to experience; i would call it as our most memorable trip til date. The events throughout the day follow.......

6:10 am - We got out out of our cozy beds, brushed and bathed and got ready

7:20 am - 10 min taxi ride to Nishi-kasai station (660 Yen)

7:35 am - 30 min train ride to takadano baba station (230 Yen)

8:10 am - 5 min train ride to Shinjuku station (130 Yen)

8:25 am - boarded the "Romance Car" train for Hakone. Journey took about 90 min to reach Hakone Yumoto station (5,500 Yen free pass + 1000 Yen express ticket that is valid for 3 days unlimited travel)

10:15 am - reached hakone yumoto, had breakfast (sandwhiches, apple pie and cake about 1500 Yen) and took a train to go to "Gora"

11:00 am - cable car ride to go to Souzan

11:30 am - 15 min rope way ride from Souzan (provides fantastic view of Fuji and the surrounding landscape and hot springs)

12:10 pm - time to relax and get a taste of eggs boiled in hot spring water! the taste is no different from a ordinary boiled egg only thing is the egg cover is black in color, it is believed that eating such eggs will increase ones life by 7 years!

2:10 pm- boarder 20 min bus to reach "Ashi" Lake

2:45 pm - boarded a 30 min cruise to go to Hakone- moto machi

3:35 pm- had lunch! at a cafe (shrimp piraff, pizza abt 2200 Yen)

4:10 pm - 40 min bus ride to hakone yumoto

5:20 pm - boarded "Romance Car" train to return to Shinjuku

6:45 pm - Arrived at Shinjuku and took Yamanote line to go to Yurakucho (190 Yen)

7:45 pm - Dinner at a Thai restaurant in Bic Camera building (the soup was fantastic, the yellow curry was delicious though a bit sweet, total aout 4000 Yen)

8:30 pm - took a 10 min taxi ride to Kayabacho (the taxi driver lost his way in between and we decided to get down at Monzen-Nakacho, he charged us only 660 Yen instead of 1300 Yen!)

8:45 pm- 10 min train ride back to Nishi-kasai (160 Yen)

9:00 pm - 5 min taxi ride back to our SWEET HOME! (660 Yen)

The whole day was filled with fun, enjoyment, excitement, and content in all aspects and would reamin as an unforgettable trip for many many years to come.

Make hay while the sun shines

NIFTY has reached the 4000 mark, SENSEX has zoomed past 13000 and there are debates whether it would cross 15000, India`s GDP growth has been an incredible over 9% this year....are these are all positive news for the retail investors?, is it time to get more equity exposure to your portfolio?. Maybe yes...

Many of us wish to increase our wealth by working hard, negotiating for a higher pay package and in the process end up changing jobs, dream to become a VP in the next 2 years? the list is endless.....all these aspirations are not bad, its a human tendency...but do we plan our investments? do you know how much amount and in which instrument (bank CD,bonds,stocks,Mutual Funds) and for how long you wish to stay invested? Just ponder over these following points.....

Some investing gyaan from what my investment experiences have been till now....

1. Dont work for money. Make the money work for you. Ofcourse returns on investment are not guaranteed but saving a part and investing it wisely and in a disciplined manner would yield good returns. These days a 5% return on a bank CD may look peanuts in front of a Mutual Fund giving 40% annual returns, but just dont ignore these safe investment avenues (bank deposits, government bonds), they should make up certain percentage of your folio (how much % is up to you to decide).

2. Dont be obesssive about stock index and the stocks in your folio! Dont panic when the index falls (most people do this mistake and end up liquidating their portfolio at a loss). Have an investment horizon of atleast 2-3 years. Frequent trading will make only your broker rich!

3. If an investment decision has resulted sour, just accept it. Maybe sell it at some loss but you can reinvest the amount in some other way."A sensible investor
is one who takes losses".

4. "People sell their winners too early and keep their loosers for too long". The message is clear and is a feature of investment pshycology!

I shall be posting more of my experiences in the near future....your comments are most welcome.

My Investing Experiences and Views

Investing in the Stock Market : Lessons learnt by a retail investor

It is said that investing is an art but i think its also much of a common sense.

Its not that i have been investing since many years, infact i am a
small time retail investor pretty new
to the business of investing. Would like to share my experiences and
views. Hope you find them interesting and helpful.

1. Please remember that investing in the stock market is risky
business. Dont invest just because everyone else is.
Understand your risk appetite. Generally, the younger you are, the
more will be your risk taking ability. But it really depends on one's
financial situation and future needs.
It is said that the percentage of one's investments in stocks out of
the total savings should be around 100 minus his present age.
But this is only a generalization, its your hard earned money and
think carefully before you take the decision to invest.

2. Invest in companies whose business you understand well. If you dont
understand then dont invest.

3. Start with a small amount. Stop dreaming about making it big the
first time you invest. Dont buy & sell
stocks frequently, this way you are only making your broker rich. Be
patient and think investment with a long term in mind.

4. Dont fall prey to the attractive schemes of investment companies.
They all are the same but under different banners. Remember their bread &
butter depends on YOU, the retail customer, and they will go to any length to sell
you the "right" fund. This does not mean all investment schemes are
bad but think twice before you commit your money to them. Reviewing
the track record of the company and the fund manager would help
but its not the only criteria as today's winners may not
necessarily be tomorrow's champions.
Understand all the clauses mentioned in the scheme, the risks
involved, investing style of the fund manager and the company in general,
the various fees invloved (referred to as load), if there is any
lock-in period, etc.

5. Dont spoil your's and your family's health by investing a lot in
equities ! Invest a considerable amount of your savings
in bank fixed deposits and government bonds ! The returns are low
but they are GUARANTEED and you may find them very attractive when the
stock market has taken a hit and your portfolio is taking a trip down south.

6. Enjoy the process ! Investing is like playing a game wherein some
win and some loose. If you win, celebrate the success but dont become overconfident as you might soon be the next looser; if you loose, revisit your
investment decision and think what went wrong and how can you aviod making the same
mistake again.

7. Last but not the least, give a part of your earnings to the
community. Ofcourse your aim is to maximize your ROI (Return On Investment) but
it wont hurt if you give back a small portion to the needy and poor around you. Remember that sometimes giving is more satisfying than receiving !

HAPPY INVESTING !

Prasahant Damle Night!

He is the darling of marathi drama with the amazing ability to bring laughter to the mass regardless of age or religion. I got a chance to meet him at the Ganesh festival organized by the Tokyo marathi mandal. Initially, we were hesitant to go there as we knew the place would be crowded and also there wont be much food available and the total fee of 5000 Yen for an evening looked on the higher side.

But finally, i and my brother`s family decided to go there and we were really fortunate to meet the man who with his supreme acting skills has been a leading entertainer in marathi drama & films for the past 20 years. For the first time outside India, i felt proud to be an Indian and especially a Maharashtrian!

Receiving or Giving?

Life is so strange. I returned home quite early from work today and was just wondering about life! and a thought struck my mind and had a deep impact within me. All our life, we think about our wants, our needs, our dreams, our ambitions and our aspirations. But how many times in our life do we care about the people around us? And if we do think, then do we take any steps to make others life easier in any way? I guess the answer for most of you will be in the negative.

But i guess the real fun in life is not in receiving but in giving. Try to make somebodys life around you better in any way...by donating money to the poor, by feeding an empty stomach, by offering a helping hand to a blind, or just a smile..it can make a huge difference to their and your life. This is true happiness!

This is shocking and unfortunate

It was sunday morning and i got up pretty late just like every other sunday. With a cup of coffee in my hand, i was checking on any new mails that may have hit my Yahoo! mailbox. After a quick look at the mails, i opened up times e-paper, for some sunday news and i was shocked to read the news on the first page. "A mentally disturbed young man stabs two girls at Gateway". It was horrifying to read about the news and the pictures of the girls lying in a pool of blood was really disturbing. The two young girls had come to visit mumbai city from manipur but were unfortunate to become the victim of some crazy, jobless youth.

One girl died on the spot while her friend was seriously injured due to the chopper attack. Detailed story is available at the URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1200458.cms

I stood silent and shoked thinking about the innocent girls and their families. May their souls rest in peace.

Bayern Munchen !!

The temperature was very high this weekend in Tokyo. But this did not stop me and my brother to go to watch the soccer match between Bayern Munchen who are touring japan currently and a local japanese club known as Jubilo Iwata or something... sorry i cant remember the exact name!

It was the first time for both of us to watch a soccer match LIVE! and we were as much excited as the crowd (including Japanese and gai-jins!) around us. The support for Jubilo was phenomenal and the roar of the supporters was fabulous.

We were lucky to see the german goal-keeper Oliver Kahn and forward player Ballack in action. The japanese were strong and their passes quick. But the germans were extremely good in long passes and attack. The match ended 3-1 ofcourse in the favor of Bayern Munchen! and our day was made.

Life is so strange

The other day over the weekend, one thought crossed my mind....... and i feel it is so true.
It was about money....When we dont have money, we are unhappy simply because we dont have money! we wish of a bigger and beautiful house, a nice car, good education for our children, good food, good clothes, etc,etc,etc and when we have the money sufficient enought to afford all these luxuries, we have yet another head-ache, that of managing the money! and we are still un-happy.

The point is when are we really happy? Are we ever satisfied from within? There are no limits to human aspirations but then if we are not content even once in our life then whats the use of being born as a human being?? I feel that the key is to remain happy with what one has with him/her. I beleive that having aspirations to have more goodies in life is not bad but being obsessed with that goal will be self-destructive!

This is my first post!

.... and i will try my best to keep the blog updated regularly!
Although this blog is a simple reflection of my thoughts regarding the world of Finance and Economics, it is also an expression about my life experiences in general and especially in Japan.. at home, at work, on a train, in a restaurant, ....
Your comments are welcome. Have a nice day.