October 2011

What is Systemic Poverty?

A set of beliefs and conditions that hold people in chains to their cultural influences and absence of opportunity. People living in systemic poverty not only lack the knowledge, but also resources and training to throw off the yoke of poverty in order to better their lives and embrace hope for a better future.

 

“Never doubt that a sma! group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.” –Margaret Mead

 

One of Our Accomplishments This Month 

 

One of the organizations that we support is Plan International. Recently, we received an email from a manager at Plan, saying that our efforts at Work For All “inspire” him. Our work is inspiring people to make a difference against systemic poverty. That, in itself, is an accomplishment; one that we must continue.

 

Investologist Prognostication

 

Dear Reader:

 

“We are now in the final innings of the Endgame. Greece is likely to default no later than the end of this year, if not by the end of this month. Which for a! intents and purposes they have already done. If you can’t get the market to finance you, that means you can’t pay your bi!s without the kindness of strangers. If Greece were an individual or a company, it would be in bankruptcy proceedings. It is now just a matter of time.” – John Mauldin, Thoughts from the Frontline, October 8, 2011.

I am still not comfortable enough with the news to invest in the public market. We haven’t seen the worst of it yet. I carry a 2008 one hundred billion dollar Zimbabwe banknote around with me as a reminder that the Greater Fool Theory is alive and well in the 21st century. Instead, I have been buying real estate in Alberta, Hawaii, and Las Vegas. Money, including gold, is only valuable because we all agree it is. Property might change in monetary worth but, it has inherent value.

We spent the first ten days of this month in Alberta, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of fall. My youngest children, Owen and Anna gathered many shades of red and yellow leaves to show their friends on Kona. Now, they are back in school and I am back to work in Hawaii. I’m enjoying my real estate investment more than my stock portfolio!