Archive for March, 2009

Which debt to pay off first?

Thank God I am not an expert on debt. Or of debt repayments for that matter!
The caveat first – I hate debt. I hate debt. I hate leverage. I rarely do an Options trade, nor do I ever buy a share in a Futures trade. All assets have been paid and bought.
Now let me ask [...]

Warren Buffet’s March 09 letter

No I am not reproducing the letter here. This is just some of the side lights from that letter. If the worlds richest man hires you, keeps you for 23 years that is proof that you are good.
Just see what he says “When Ajit Jain joined us..we knew we had acquired a great talent. So [...]

World’s richest frog

Once upon a time there was a frog in a pond. Obviously like the porverbial frog in the pond, it did not know too much about the world outside.
One day the frog got a Rs. 5 coin (when my Grandmom told me the story it was a 0.50 Re coin, but lets adjust for inflation!). [...]

Why invest in Government securities?

What are the advantages of investing in Government Securities? are there any at all?
Yes. Let us look at some of them:
1. No TDS – immaterial of amount there is no TDS / no witholding tax on the principal. Very useful if you are a big company but have no tax liability because of brought forward [...]

Valmiki was luckier than Vadlamani!

One little boy was lost in the forest (he was the son of a sage) – his name was Ratnakara. A hunter found him and brought him up and he grew upto be a fine young man. He fulfilled his family needs by hunting and killing people – with an intention to steal.
One day when [...]

Financial dilemmas!

A few financial dilemmas that have been plaguing me. Frankly am looking for an answer! Here they are:
1. How long will IT companies enjoy 30% margins and 30% p.a growth rate for the work that many of them do?
2. How long will there be disparity in salaries in India. High end salary islands like IT, [...]