The Online Investing AI Blog

After writing about Zappos yesterday, I remembered a few interesting things that I didn’t mention in the post about the company. I had heard about the wonderful customer service and company culture about 3 years ago. So I decided to do a little experiment. I called the customer service line to talk with whoever answered, to find out what it was like to work at Zappos.

Tony Hsieh, Co-founder of Zappos

I had heard about what a great company Zappos was, but I was a bit surprised when I actually talked to the customer service representative. Before I tell you what happened when I called Zappos, let’s think back about what a “normal” customer service call is like.

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Business Strategy, Dreams Come True, Success Amazon, business, customer service, happiness, shoes, Success, tony hsieh, zappos

Now is the time to make the time,
Hope is still in sight.
Let us not go gently,
To the endless winter night.

– Rush, Red Tide

I don’t know about you, but I love to plan. Plan the day, the month, and most importantly, the year. Most people are running around shopping like crazy, but I think now is the most important time to stop, think, and plan.

The end of the year is a great time to evaluate this year, and think about what we want to happen for next year. I like to ask myself the following questions:

Am I better off now than at the beginning of this year in the following categories:

• financially
• emotionally
• with respect to my relationships
• with my body and health
• in my career or business

If I have one most important goal in life, what would it be? How much progress did I make toward it this year?

Here are some more questions that are great to ask:

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Accelerating Technology, Dreams Come True, Success goals, happiness, health, holidays, job, planning, Success, work

There are a lot of things to be depressed about. The stock market is sagging and the economy seems to be faltering (again).

But, first, I’m a Schumpeterian. I think that a certain amount of creative destruction is need to pave the way for bigger and better things.

I also believe that for every bit of news out there that depresses you, there are things that should make you happy and excite you to make the world a better place. Whether it’s Dracula’s interview of Winston Churchill or advice on how to battle back if you missed a goal, there are always bits of advice on the web that will make you happy.

Let’s take a look at some of those now.

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Dreams Come True, Internet, Money, Online Investing AI, Success happiness, happy, posts, summary. wrap up, week, weekly wisdom

Now that the recession appears to have abated and everyone is saying that we can relax, I think it’s time to reevaluate the situation. If you consider that the country’s financial situation has worsened significantly, it’s pretty clear that we are not out of the proverbial woods. The government spending of trillions of dollars may have stopped the recession, but it may also have set us up for a worldwide depression.

Think I am full of doom and gloom? Absolutely not. Both Matt and I are extreme optimists. But consider these facts: depressions happen on average once per lifetime, or every 80 years or so. It’s been 80 years since the last depression. The government is running budget deficits on a scale that has never been seen before, and has no way of paying back the money. The housing market has leveled off, but there is nothing to help it recover after the current first time house buyer’s stimulus wears off. The unemployment rate is getting higher, and there is nothing to slow that down. The US automakers have recovered for this month, but only because of $3 billion dollars of free money for (mostly American) clunkers. As soon as that stimulus effect wears off, the American car manufacturers will be in even worse shape than they were last month.

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Investing, Money, Success, US Economy bankruptcy, banks, depression, economy, financial crisis, happiness, Money, opportunity, recession, stimulus

After a recent post about abundance, I started thinking. Abundance is so attractive and it is such a powerful way of thinking, but why is scarcity so common? Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems that there are a lot more people who believe in scarcity than believe in abundance. And this is even after The Secret became popular.

Why would anyone choose scarcity over abundance?

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Business Strategy, Dreams Come True, Money, Success abundance, beliefs, family, happiness, Money, scarcity, Success, the secret

After watching The Secret, it really made me think about how we attract things into our lives, and how our beliefs create our world. It sounds stupid and metaphysical, but I really believe it’s true. It applies to every aspect of our lives, including money.

Many people go through life penny pinching and believing that there is not enough money available for them. And, since there is not enough for them, they don’t even think about anyone else. I suppose that there is not enough money for other people as well. At least in this scarcity paradigm.

In contrast, there is the opposite point of view: that money is available in abundance, and we can have as much as we want. We don’t have to lie, cheat, or steal to get it.

Why is there so much criticism about The Secret?

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Dreams Come True, Money, Success abundance, finances, happiness, jack canfield, Money, oprah, scarcity, Success, the secret

Can Automated Trading really create happiness? Can money make us happy?

Sorry to say it, but I think the answer to both is no. Yes, Automated Trading can help us do better in life, and make it possible to achieve financial freedom sooner. And, I don’t know if more money will really make anyone happier.

Blasphemy? Definitely for the gambling industry. And maybe even for the investing industry, it seems. But it’s true. More money will not make people happier. Most lottery winners are poorer 5 years after they get their big win. And more miserable as well. Don’t believe me? Read about the lottery and the guy who won the biggest jackpot in history.

Because more money will not make us anything different than what we are now. If we are not happy now, more money will not make us more happy. It only makes us more of what we already are. If we are dissatisfied with our life, more money will make us more dissatisfied. If we are drinking too much now, more money will only help us drink more.

So how will Automated Trading help us?

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Automated Trading, Investing, Money, Success Automated Trading, doritos, drink, financial freedom, happiness, Success, tv

Many people think that Automated Trading could be the answer to all of their financial problems. We are big believers in the technology, and think that it will revolutionize the world. And, we also believe that even if it solves people’s financial problems, that is not enough. Because solving problems alone is not a solution to life; it is merely a means to finding our own life’s purpose.

Most people hate their problems. They spend all day thinking about them and wishing that they were gone. The funny (?) thing about problems is that as soon as we solve a problem, it is replaced by another problem.

What am I talking about?

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Automated Trading, Dreams Come True, Investing, Money, Success giving, happiness, heart, helping, life, lottery, meaning, Money, soul, Success

Ever feel like you are working in a factory, like a robot? There is a good reason for it. The American school system was developed during this century to create a large supply of factory workers. These workers were given repetitive, mindless work and taught not to ask questions. “Managers” were supposed to keep the workers busy.

How times change. But only a little. Nearly all the factory work has been exported to other counties, where the cost of labor is a small fraction of what it is in the U.S. However, what has not changed is the factory worker mentality. Good employees are supposed to stay in their cubicle and not ask questions. They do exactly what they are told to do, and nothing more. This keeps the person above them comfortable in knowing that their underling will not try to take their job.

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Money, Success college degree, education, employees, financial success, fulfillment, happiness, job, school system

One of the main themes of the Online Investing AI blog is creating financial freedom. And one of the best ways of doing that is through starting and building your own business. The challenge is that most people have no idea how to do it. So how is it possible to succeed in building your own business, when we don’t even know where to start?

Easy. Follow the footsteps of someone who’s gone there before. One of my favorite blogs is called “My Wife Quit Her Job.” It’s the story of a couple, who one day decided to stop wasting time, do what has to be done, and escape from cubicle prison. At least the wife has so far. But I’ll bet Steve is not far behind.

This is a wonderful blog, because it actually tells you some of the strategies that they used to succeed. There are many posts about specific problems that Steve and his wife encountered and how they overcame them. For example, for the first month that their online store was open, they had exactly zero sales! The powerful lesson is that just because you don’t sell anything in the first month does not mean that you failed. It just means you’re getting started!

One of the challenges with blogs is that there are too many of them. There are so many that it’s hard to find ones that I really enjoy. It’s great to read Steve and his wife’s blog, because not only is it entertaining but also is highly educational.

Business Strategy, Dreams Come True, Internet, Money, Success business, entrepreneurship, financial freedom, happiness, my wife quit her job, starting own business, Success