Last Finance Post

https://sites.google.com/site/theguideoffinanceofchristian/
Link to my great finance website!

Final Product

Passion Project on Prezi

Final product

Final Product

Here it is guys:

I have taken all of my research about the factors of your life that affect the outcome of your future and have put it into a hyperlink game allowing you to choose these factors and find out their effects.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B28BMeHA-JsAUEZqeFdQYW1jQm8/edit

Interview Wth Expert

1/2. I interviewed expert Coach Latorre for my research project.  He has been a coach for many years and has been around the game of basketball for just about his whole life.  He is a teacher at Hinsdale Central and is also the head varsity basketball coach.  This gives much reason to believe that he is a valid source for this interview.
3. I interviewed Coach Latorre on a thursday morning before school and we met in person to discuss over my topic.

Questions:
1. Do you believe kids can be naturall talented from the day they're born or do you think it requires a certain number of practice?
A. I think it is a combination of both.  I believe it requires a good work ethic which can also come from the environment around him depending on where he lives.  I also think that kids can be naturally born with talent but that they also have to practice to become good.

2. What resources does a kid need in order to play the game of basketball?
A. Well all the6y need is a ball and a hoop in order to practice which I think is one of the best things because it doesn' take much and it is not as expensive as other sports like hockey or tennis.

3. Do blacks in the city try and replace school with basketball and use basketball to get into college? If so does that relate to poor grades?
A. I believe it relates to having a certain number of confidence and if the kid is over confident then it could come back to haunt him. Also if they have a background of being stars in the family they mightj slack off and then not make it.

Investment Strategies 7

-Bet on quality and well known brands.
-Invest with a fund manager, a guy who will invest for you in a hedge, mutual, pension, or trust fund.
-Some funds have high volatility, and so don't invest too much in them.
-Invest in countries with developing economies.
-Emerging markets are very risky, and so don't have a ton invested in them.
-Invest in a medium sized company because it can grow.
-Be careful of bonds issued by high risk companies because they may pay a higher yield.
http://www.smartmoney.com/invest/markets/4-investing- -for-uncertain-times-1310163369875/
Article is from 9/28/11. Wrote by Jonnelle Marte. It's from a site called Smart Money and the author interviewed a lot of famous investors and quoted them, but they didn't site any sources.

Tiger parents (Asians)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xz05GUU9I0&feature=related


How do some Asian parents push their child in school?

• Pushed into going into Ivy League
• Does not allow to go out during weekends
• Better opportunity of education in America
• Pushed into getting high SAT scores
• High expectations from parents 
• Studies during free time, during school, and out.

Source:
Date: November 2, 2010
Author: Unknown.
Accuracy: This video is found on YouTube thus not having a reliable resource although it is a great documentary about teenagers who face "Tiger parents" who push their children to strive hard academically.

Interview with Bond Trader

A.
1. The expert in my field is a bond trader, and they also trade stocks.
2. They trade stocks and bonds for a living, and so to make a profit in this field you have to know  lot about stocks.
3. The phone and two weeks ago.
B.
1.  What do you think of the future XIV? It's a high volatile inverse of a hedge.
2. What's a hedge? When people insure themselves for a negative event in the market.
3. How does volatility change in a stock, future or index? When good or bad news comes out it can change.
4. What is a good P/E ratio for a stock? There very high if people think the company will become good, but low if  it is very good.
5. Are there any resources you would recommend? The book Buffettology.

MEDIA'S LONG LASTING AFFECT ON YOUR LIFE

"How TV Affects Your Child"

An article about the long lasting affects of media you are exposed to in your childhood.

*Early exposure to media and television has an impact throughout your life.

*The article states that people who spend at least 4 hours a day watching TV have a great chance of being obese in the future, which will affect a lot of other factors in their life.

*Being engulfed in the Television can seriously hurt a child's developing social skills, which are a necessity in finding jobs these days.

*TV can pull children away from their homework, furthermore affecting their schoolwork which is necessary to excelling in high school and going to a good college and finding a well-paying job to support your future family.  

*Media can expose children to sex and drugs at a very young age and influence them to possibly do stupid things in their future.

*Media has a long lasting affect on every factor of your life whether it be obesity, behavior problems, social skills, and wits.

http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html#

This source is reliable because it was published only a bit over a year ago and reviewed by an MD who knows a lot in the field of study and was found on a big name site for parents and child heath.  

10,000 rule

• the magic number that researchers believe is 10,000 hours of practice.
• Noone is born naturally talented.
• The only way you can become good is by practicing.
• No examples of naturals who are supreme athletes/artists/musicians at this period of time.
• Researchers also did not find any "grinds" which are people who work harder than any other people but did not make it to the top.
• Researchers believe Mozart's early works are not outstanding. The earliest pieces were all probably written by his father
• His first 7 concertos were largely arrangements of works by other composers. The earliest that is now regarded as a masterwork was not composed until Mozart was 21, by then he had 10,000 hours of practice.
• Are there such things as natural athletes or does it take practice?
• Do the kids who do not have much money in their childhood able to still becom professional?
• Are kids with less money limited to practicing or do they focus more on practicing because they can't afford to do anything else?

Summary:
This chapter explains how kids with less hours of practice will not be able to become professional.  This chapter also shows that people who do not put in effort and practice can't become successful.  Researchers believe the magic number is 10,000. this book gives examples of successful people who have put the time in and also people who have not made it because they slacked off a little bit.  It says in the book, "You have to have parents that encourage and support you.  You cant be poor, because if you have to hold down a part-time job on the side to help make ends meet there won't be time left in the day to practice."  This makes me wonder if people with less money coorelates to being successful.

Finance and Economics

Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Chapter 1
Robert Kiyosaki

-"the subject of money is taught at home, not in school."
-The poor dad would tell him "I can't afford it." and the rich dad would say "How can I afford it?"
-When you ask "How can I afford it?" it puts your brain to work, but it's lazy when you say "I can't afford it."
-The rich dad believed his brain got stronger everyday.
-One dad said "The reason I'm not rich is because I have kids."  The other said "The reason I must be rich is because I have you kids." The one dad liked to talk about money at the table and the other hated to.
-The one dad said "Learn to manage risk." but the other said "don't take risks."
-The poor dad said "Money doesn't matter." but the rich dad said "Money is power."
-The book shows how one person can become poor, and another could become rich.

In this book, Robert Kiyosaki explains that he had two dad and how one of them became very rich, while the other became very poor. One reason that supports the main idea is the rich dad became rich because he thought how can I make money. Another reason that supports the main idea is the poor dad became poor because he never took financial risk and wasn't as motivated to become rich. Finally the author gives the example of how each of his dads had similar wealth, but the poor dad sank deeper and deeper into dept and the rich dad got more wealthy to support the main idea. These ideas are similar to Africa, because the wealth was unevenly distributed.

Outsmarting IQ

Outsmarting IQ
Free Press
Is IQ fair? (Culture Fair?)

• different cultures, different perspectives and attitudes and encouragement towards education
• Asian cultures: parents urge young ones to study diligently and hard in school and the parents are supportive with doing school work assiduously.
• stable homes affect a child's IQ
• Both parents present affect child's IQ
• Income size affect child's IQ
• Family size affect child's IQ
• Urban/ city environment affect child's IQ
• Asians have the lowest school drop-outs
•  Dropping out of school: "A disgrace in Asian community"

 In this book, the author expalains that the environment of a child affects it's intelligence. One reason that supports this main idea is, according to the author of this book, Asians mostly do better in school because of parental strictness and.  Another reason that supports this main idea is One reason/fact/example that supports this main idea is, the income, living, family size all affects the education of a child.  Finally, the author gives the reason/ that different cultures have different perspective and encouragement towards education to support the main idea.These ideas are similar to the ideas of how people who are in poverty and don't have a surrounding that is well established, don't do as well in testing vs those who receive good education because this shwos that environment is a big factor that plays in a child's learning.

Thin-Slicing

Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell: "The Theory of Thin Slices"

*This chapter talks a lot about first impressions and judgments.  We all make assumptions.

*A lot of the times we usually take what is on the outside and don't take a look at what someone is like on the inside, Malcolm Gladwell calls this theory thin slicing.

*If people in the world are being 'thin-sliced' or judged by first appearance or impression then one's appearance or personality is what will get them their future job at first, and it is not fair.

*Many times, people only have time for a quick first glance judgment.

*When Tom Hanks did a reading to be cast into a film called Splash, the producers at first did not think he was funny or looked the part.  They 'thin-sliced' or first-glanced him.  When they finally took the time to see past the crust and look inside of him and see more of who he was they decided he was the perfect fit for the part.  If Tom Hanks hadn't of gotten this role he may not have been famous.

*You never know where judged people would be today if they were not judged.

*This doesn't happen to everyone though and a lot of times people do not get jobs or opportunities they want to do being judged by others based on first impression.

*To see who someone really is, you need to restrict yourself from all judgments and see what the person applying for a position or job that will ultimately define his future is really like on the inside.

*People being 'thin-sliced' controls the outcome of their future.  If they do not have a good interview and first impression with an employer they will not get a job and therefore not have money to take care of themselves or their families and it will affect how they live for the rest of their lives.
*Sometimes people need to think fast though.  For example, if military officers did not think fast our country's safety would be in jeopardy

In this chapter, Malcolm Gladwell argues that people make judgments and decisions based on first impressions.   He calls this theory 'thin-slicing'.  One example of thin slicing that Gladwell includes in the chapter is the story of Tom Hanks, who was judged when he first auditioned for a leading movie role and did not get the job at first until the producers looked beneath the surface and saw more of his personality.  Also, Gladwell tells us that military officers use the power of first glance to make decisions in the battlefield.  Finally, Gladwell tells us that you need to know someone for a few months before you can make a judgment and say you truly know them.  These ideas remind me of a TV show called The Voice, where to eliminate judges' prejudice based on appearance, singers are not seen and only judged based on their sole voice.  

diversity

Elemantary school, middle school, high school all try to get you to open up to diversity. In high school you are exposed to alot more diversity and prejudice. the us is called the melting pot because of all the diversity that some peole dont take advantage of and dont appreciate.

African american women

• Sheila Johnson, who helped create Black Entertainment Television (BET)
• Sheila Johnson, became the first African American female to own a professional sports team.

Video on Identity, Race and Inequality in America

http://www.ted.com/talks/bryan_stevenson_we_need_to_talk_about_an_injustice.html

This video also looks at: the connection between history in America and inequality today. What makes us human?  What do we need to do in order to feel what others have felt? What is the opposite of poverty? What will future generations judge us by?

sugrery to be beautiful

Aesthetic surgery

-they under go knives to be considred as beautiful
-they risk their lives to be perfect
-abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), brachioplasty (upper-arm lift), breast augmentation, breast lift, buttock and calf implants, buttock lift, chemical peel, collagen injections, dermabrasion, face and forehead lifts, fat injections, gynecomastia (male breast reduction), laser skin resurfacing, liposuction, malar (cheek) augmentation, male-pattern baldness reduction, mentoplasty (chin reconstruction), otoplasty (ear surgery), penile and pectoral implants, rhinoplasty (nose job), and thigh lift.
-some people think it cures the soul because you feel prettier
-

Problems and challenges of Immigration

Problems and challenges of Immigration

- Alot of people started to migrate from Euriope Australia, andUnited staes either one illegally or two legally.
- Right aftter World war two
- They trying to escape poverty
- Poeple did nopt like having immigrants in there countries because they would take away the jobs of people who lived in the town
- Alot of groups of people became segregated against the immigrants.
-Differences in language, culture, and appearance between immigrant groups and the citizens of the host country.
Question What kinds of jobs did the immigrants take away from the people?]

http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-233877?query=immigrants&ct=eb

High and low skilled immigrants (3)

Enclycapedia britaqnica,  High and low skilled Immigrants,

 - Alot of immigrants that were not educated came to the United staets  from Mexico
  - The immigrants are in search of better income jobs.
-the new wage is better for the less educated people who had a horrible wage before.
-There were a lot of unskilled immigrants coming into the united staes but at the same time there were immigrants that had some ver y good skills.
-Immigrants from India had college degrees. (Engineering/ computer skills)
-The number of PHD students were students who were foreign born.

1) Why do people view immigrants badly if some of them have good skills?
2) Do people view immigrants smarter or less smart?


http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-258243?query=immigrants&ct=

Sociology of Sports

THE SOCIOLOGY OF SPORTS

Published in 2009 by Cengage Learning

Written by Jerry M. Lewis, a professor at Kent State University

The information found in this article is very accurate.  It is written by a college professor and the sources of information are all sited at the bottom of the page and it is published by a big name brand,

Cengage Learning.

Here is what I learned:

*Sports are relatable to all points of modern society, wether it be social media or simply something to talk about.  People may show interest in sports to 'fit in'.

*By sports being so popular, athletes receive a lot of money for playing for a specific team.  Some may play sports to get them into college because they would not be able to afford it otherwise.

*Sports are a big part of the modern economy, people invest in sports like stocks.  Stadiums/arenas make a lot of money that investors and/or the city may receive.  Are sports just a way to make money in a fun manner?
*Every city in the world want to host the olympics.  It's amazing what sports can do.  One city hosting the olympic games gets so many tourist and economic benefits and gets more publicity.  Sports are publicity.

*Sports are a whole lot more than just a game.  Without sports, there would be no broadcasting industry for people to watch/listen to and many sports journalists/reporters would be out of there jobs, furthermore hurting the economy.

*Sports are entertainment!  How many people watch the superbowl? A lot.  Advertising agencies invest a huge portion of there money for 30 second spots on this night just because they know that everybody is watching.

*On the other hand, some play sports to get out of the house or just have fun!  Many kids all over the world have trouble at home or their parents are fighting and just want to get out of the house.  High school sports are a good way to escape your normal life and leave everything outside of the field.

*People, generally, like that sense of competition and/or danger. It keeps them going and makes them feel like they are doing something fun, daring, or crazy with their lives.  Many play sports for this sole reason.

From this article, I have learned that sports cover almost every aspect of society and sociology, and I still have a lot more to learn.

Article: http://www.cengage.com/custom/enrichment_modules/data/0495598127_Sociology_of_Sports-mod_watermark.pdf

Are Asians smarter? (blog #4)

Life-long intelligence isn't just down to your genes

http://www.bionews.org.uk/page_118629.asp

When was the information published or posted?

January 23, 2010

Who is the author?
Linda Wijlaars

How accurate is the information?
The information was taken from researchers and the link came from a bionews database. The author talks about where she got her sources and quotes from.

•  nature and nurture both play a role on the achievements of 4,000 sets of twins.
•  a child’s environment will affect their learning as much as their genes
• children bring characteristics to the classroom that influence how well they will take advantage of the quality of teaching
• identical twins scored more similarly on their tests compared to fraternal twins who share only half of their genetic make-up.
• Tests that were given to people that scored pretty high on the intelligence tests shared similar SNP patterns
• Researchers from Scotland have found around one-quarter of changes in intelligence observed from childhood to old age may be due to our genes.
• 24 percent of the differences in intelligence between childhood at the age of 11 and old age was because of  genetic variations Such as variation in the APOE gene that is associated with late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

What is APOE?
Does environment of a child also play a role?

Why the Stock Market Crashed?

This is a picture of a chain store going out of business around the time of the 2008 stock market crash.

The market crashed because large companies who give mortgages, a debt instrument that is secure by collateral that the borrower must pay you back in a set of payments, would give people mortgages to people who couldn't afford them or to people with bad credit. They could always foreclose on the home, because a home is an asset and the value was increasing, but then people couldn't pay their loans and the home values were decreasing. On March 15, 2010 Bear Stearns, an investment back merged with JP Morgan Chase, and Bear Stearns lost 90% of it's value.  Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped from $10,831.07 to 48451.19 or 22.11%. Today at 2:43 PM it was at $12,977.04. When a large company gets a bad earning report, there is a bear market, most stocks go down. When the market is crashing investors fear and start to sell, which lowers demand and increases supply making the market go down.

http://www.money-zine.com/Investing/Stocks/Stock-Market-Crash-of-2008/
Stock Market Crash of 2008
The article said it's author was the title of the article, it didn't have a date of when it was written, and it said the information was coming from them. I did know some background information n the topic and it seemed to match with this article.

African American & Athletes

• As black sports sociologist Harry Edwards has said, there is considerable reason to believe young black Americans are forced into some sports as a way to escape poverty and earn possible riches, just as youngsters in some climates and income brackets are channelled into hockey and other winter sports.
•  "the necessities," have been a mite too sluggish in rewarding black athletes with management positions when their playing years run out.
• Notions of black physical superiority, some argue, only feed racist notions of black mental inferiority and, therefore, should not be afforded the dignity of formal investigation.
• Why do African Americans thrive in jumping?
• Are blacks born more naturally athletic?
• What sports are dominated by whites and what sports are dominated by blacks?
• Are blacks raised to be athletes?

Baskettball

In North America they play alot of football and in Europe they play ruby that is almost the same as football. The difference between the two sports is that in one sport they pass the ball forward and the other sport they have to toss it back. In basketball Wilt chamerlin scored 50 point a game and in one game he scored 100 points. He was the first center to score 25,000 point in his carrer.

What is beauty in different cultures?

• 
  
• How does it affect people lives?
• Do people lives revolve around beauty?
• What does it take to have beauty?
• How far will people go to be beautiful?

white doll black doll test

http://www.afroromance.com/fyooz/black-white-doll-test/

·         The video was about kids from ages 3to4 picking between the white and black doll which one looked nicer and prettier and both ethnicities chose the white doll and when they asked one black girl which one looked more like her she didn’t want to pick the black doll

·         The people from the blog think they chose the black doll to be mean and not prettier than the black doll is because of views on television and the stereotypes they’ve heard and seen

What's wrong with America?

1. Why unemployment rate so high?
2. How much debt is America in?
3. Why is America's debt so high?


What I already know:

Are Asians smarter? (blog 3)

http://search.proquest.com/docview/865042206/13510C24C19ABE9079/1?accountid=6222

• Ethnic Asians are in the library more often
• Ethnic Asians are more likely to graduate than any other heritage
• Parents push Asians to excel
• Asians are attached to a strong importance of education
• 39% Asians met college readiness benchmarks in English, reading, math, and science
• "2010 approximately 67 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander first-time undergraduates attained a bachelor's degree or its equivalent within six years
• 60 percent of whites, 48 percent of Hispanics, 42 percent of African-Americans, and 40 percent of American Indians/Alaska Natives."

• What drives Asians to work harder and excel in education?
• Are some people naturally smarter than others? or Can intelligence & academic ability be developed?

What will you do for money?

Global Issues In Context
"The seeds of decline: drugs and crime are unraveling rural America"

*Drugs are now a problem in rural areas, but never were before.

*Almost 70% of all farmers rely on government largess, or giving of gifts/money, to stay in business.

*Due to the farming economic collapse, farmers are looking to make money by using and selling crystal meth, a wildly growing drug in america, to make a few bucks

*Economy affects the outcome of these farmers' futures and affect who they are, before this they most likely wouldn't have done or sold drugs.

*Good people are now doing bad things because of a social/economic problem in America.

*Money problems change how people think and what they will do to survive through the economic crisis. This is sociology, these farmers' environments and wealth change who they and what they do now.

*The economy is responsible for the use and sales of meth.  Meth addiction leads to other problems such as crazy or violent behaviors that in turn are making these rural neighborhoods more dangerous than they used to be.  ALL BECAUSE OF MONEY.  One factor can create a chain reaction.  Sociology.

This article has taught me all of this knowledge on how sociology affects peoples' lifestyles and behaviors but I am still curious about this:

1. Is wealth destiny?

2. How far will someone go for money?

3. Do rural areas have even more drug problems than urban areas?

Link to GIC article: http://find.galegroup.com/gic/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=8de64512480f8c58026cd9fc2834cb47&prodId=GIC&userGroupName=hins30136&tabID=T004&docId=A95352684&type=retrieve&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0

Are Asians smarter? (2nd)

http://find.galegroup.com/gic/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=Relevance&tabID=T006&prodId=GIC&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchId=R2&searchType=&currentPosition=1&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28KE%2CNone%2C14%29asian+american%24&userGroupName=hins30136&inPS=true&docId=A176338972&contentSet=IAC-Documents&docId=A176338972&docType=IAC

• Eating habbits
• Asians eat on the low food chain (seafood and whole grains)
• Fish- "brain food"
• Asian Americans do not eat as much junk food or high calorie fatty meals
• According to Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, Chinese and Japanese babies are more alert and sensitive at birth
• Mother's diet during pregnancy affects Chinese and Japanese to be more alert and sensitive at birth
• Prof. Barbara Schneider pointed out that the unusually high academic achievements of Asian-Americans are a first- and second-generation phenomenon only.

Do all Asians eat healthy?

How do P/E ratios and dividends affect the stock market?

P/E ratios are the price paid per a share to the annual earnings. They affect the stocks price because they make the company worth more money if they make more money. Good P/E ratios are in the range of 10-20. Sometimes you see stocks with P/E ratios in the 1000s, because those stock aren't making money now, but people expect them to make money in the future. A small app development company may have a stock with a high P/E ratio. Dividends are what the company pays you for owning their stock. A good dividend is 3-6%. If a dividend is 4% and I own the stock for 20 years and the price stays the same, I'll have made my money back. If a company gets a good earnings report they often will lower the percent of the dividend. Investors who look at P/E ratios and dividends aren't day traders, stock traders who buy a ton of stock and trade it for a profit every day. These stocks aren't very volatile, with low betas of about 0.75-2. AT and T is a low volatile stock with a 6% dividend. Some terms I learned this week were,
Day Trader: A stock trader who hold a stock for a very short time.
Black Box Model: A computer program, which contains formulas and calculations, and automatically trades.
Interest: The charge for borrowing money.
Bond: An loan to the government with a defined period of time and fixed interest rate.
Commission: A service charge for a broker or investment adviser for handling purchases.
Collateral: Properties or assets to secure a loan.
Mortgage: A debt instrument that is secure by collateral that the borrower must pay you back in a set of payments.
I would like to research more about different types of traders, such as future traders, black box traders, and day traders.
http://www.investopedia.com

http://search.proquest.com/docview/427175555/135104E1F4D2EF0AF08/4?accountid=6222

• Derogatory-Showing a critical or disrespectful attitude.
• Superior-Higher in rank, status, or quality.
• Stereotype-A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.
• Genetic explanation for the success of black  youths in sports might compare for lack of success in school
• Most sports that involve athleticism are dominated by black athletes

1. Do African Americans rely on basketball to get into college?
2. Does that affect there lives if they do not get into college?
3. Are African American's born to play basketball?
4. How do there parents think about this idea of substituting basketball for school?