DOLLAR COST AVERAGING - Rocky's Broccoli Bake

Hi there and welcome to another addition of DIGestingINvesting.

Yesterday I was at the supermarket and saw a great deal on broccoli (superfood) and was happy to see that it was on sale for .89 a bunch. I was delighted to see this delectable vegetable was less then what I had paid for it a few days earlier ($1.29) So I loaded up my grocery cart with 3 bunches of broccoli for a total cost of $2.67

Now this is where the real value comes into play. When I purchased 3 bunches of broccoli for $2.67 and add to that the one bunch purchased earlier for $1.29 my total average cost for the four bunches was $0.99 (.89x3 + 1.29 / 4)

This is an example of (short term) Dollar-Cost-Averaging.

Now here is something to think about. How many times have we been out at the supermarket and found a 'deal' on a food item and purchased it because it was on sale? Then take the item(s) home and toss it in the freezer for some future meal, knowing that it will keep for weeks, months ... years!? yuck!

In the investment world, Dollar-Cost-Averaging can be applied to good quality investments that offer good value in the long run ... very much the same principle as our shopping purchases. In the investment world, Dollar-Cost-Averaging requires a long term systematic discipline that requires regular purchases (monthly/quarterly/semi-ann/annually)

If I purchase $500. worth of a good quality investment that is priced at $10.00 / share I will purchase 50 shares of that investment. If the share price drops to $8.00 / share and I invest another $500. in that same investment, I will purchase 62.5 shares of that same investment, thereby bringing my total number of shares to 112.5 with an average cost of $8.89 ($1,000/112.5 shares) If I invest another $500. when the share price rises to $9.00 I will acquire another 55.55 shares ($500/$9.00) thereby bringing the total share balance to 167.5.

With $1500 invested and a total share balance of 167.5 shares the average cost is now $8.95.

When the share price rises back to the original $10.00/share the investment value is now $1675. ($10.00x167.5 shares)

Dollar-Cost-Averaging works well with mutual funds (index funds) and can be set up for automatic deposits. With a long term horizon and a good quality investment, Dollar-Cost-Averaging is an effective investment strategy.

'Hey Jeff, I get it! Now what about that broccoli recipe'?

If you are looking for a quick and easy broccoli casserole, something that the kids will enjoy, then you're going to love this.

Rocky's Broccoli Bake (named after our son Connor who loves his broccoli)

Here's what you need;

3 eggs

2 cups cottage cheese

1 onion (chopped )

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup of flour

1 bunch of cooked, drained, chopped broccoli

I like to add a 1/2 cup of mushrooms but the kids would prefer that I don't.

salt and pepper to taste.

MIX everything together and pour into a buttered baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes and you're good to go.

Quick.Easy. Nutritious. Tasty.

Now, if you head off to the supermarket once a week and purchase a bunch of broccoli every time you go, you will not always pay top dollar for your purchase, but you may not always get the best deal of the week. In the long run, you will have paid the long term average price.

For more details on Dollar-Cost-Averaging you can use 'Google', or you can post your questions at the end of this blog.

In the meantime, if you try this broccoli recipe with the Cinnamon Salmon and Blueberry Shazzam from our earlier posts you will be enjoying 3 amazing Superfoods all in one sitting.

Shazzam!

Thanks for stopping by feel free to provide us with your feedback for future posts.

DIG IN!

Jeff & Beverley

NO BEAR. NO BULL - A Fabulous (meatless) Frittata

Hi again and welcome to DIGestingINvesting.



Recently I was asked the difference between a Bull Market and a Bear Market and realized that this would make a great topic on this blog. So today we will simultaneously mix this up with my fabulous frittata while learning more about these bear and bull markets.

We often hear the business world referring to the beginning of another 'bull market' or the end of a 'bear market', or visa-versa. Surprisingly, many of us go about our day-to-day lives paying little or no attention to these common phrases.

worldnetweb.com describes a bull market as a market characterized by rising security (stock) prices while moneymanager.com describes a bull market as an advancing market, the opposite to a bear market.

Quite simply, a 'bull market' is period in which the stock market(s) are trending upwards and a 'bear market' is quite the opposite. One is good and the other is ... not-so-good.


Naturally, the next question would be, "okay Jeff, so is it actually bulls that make the stock market trend up"? Good question. The stock market is driven by supply and demand, in much the same way that the real estate market, the commodity markets (food incl) are. The more buyers we have the higher the price that can be demanded. When nobody wants to buy, sellers outweigh buyers, values drop and a bear market takes over.


So if you are a long term investor with a lot of your current investment dollars in cash or short bonds, and you suddenly feel compelled to convert those assets into equities(stocks) then you are 'bullish' on the stock market as you feel confident that the market will be trending upwards over the next several months/years. Hence, bulls do in fact drive the stock markets higher.


So what about that Fabulous Frittata?

There are times that I just don't feel like firing up the oven or the barbeque while trying to figure out if I'll be making chicken, beef ... ? I just want something that is light, quick and easy, won't make a big mess in the kitchen, and chances are I will have all of the ingredients in my fridge.


This frittata goes great with a garden salad and french bread (w garlic butter) and the kids love it. Now pay close attention because this goes together so fast... you might miss it.

Here is what you'll need;

3 cups/750 ml(total) chopped fresh veggies (red pepper, onion, aspragus, drained sun-dried tomatoes/diced seedless tomatoes
8 eggs
1 cup/250 ml grated mozzarella
1/4 cup/ 60 ml milk
1 tbsp butter
Pinch of basil, salt and pepper


1/ In a 10 inch non-stick frypan - at medium heat -stir your 3 cups of fresh veggies in a little melted butter for about about five minutes.

2/ Beat together the 8 eggs, add 3/4 cup of the grated mozzarella (save the rest for later) and the 1/4 cup of milk. Add the basil, salt and pepper, and pour everything into the pan over the veggies. Cover and cook at medium-low heat until the bottom is set. ( approx. 3-4 mins)

3/ Take the pan off the burner, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and pop in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes (egg is set and cheese melted)

Easy as 1 - 2 - 3 !

As I said earlier, serve this up with a garden salad and french bread (any of your favourites will do) and you'll have a quick, nutritious meal ready in no time.

And don't forget this. It was once said and has since been quoted that, "Bulls make money. Bears make money. But pigs get slaughtered." anonymous

Have fun with the frittata and look out for those bears!

Thanks for stopping by.

Jeff

GREEN SHOOTS - Carrot Tofu Taste Sensation!(Salad)

Hi everybody,

I'm Beverley and I would like to welcome you back to DIGestingINvesting.

Over the last several months I have been working with Jeff to get 'DIG IN' up and running and admittedly, I have always believed that this was a fabulous idea. Why? Because to a '40 something' career professional single mom, quick and easy recipes with ingredients that I will always find in my cupboard makes perfect sense. Combine this with brief, easy to understand explanations of financial stuff that I probably should be familiar with and DIGestingINvesting truly is a winning combination.

Before I met Jeff I had very little interest in being in the kitchen and even less interest in my financial stuff and retirement plans. Cooking was a chore, recipes had too many ingredients and I found all of this investment stuff boring and confusing.

Shortly after we met, Jeff cooked me a steak dinner one evening which remains one of the most memorable meals that I have ever enjoyed. Up until that moment I thought the only thing I would ever want on my steak was ... steak sauce. Jeff changed all of that when he plated an orange-cranberry sauce under the steak, placed a slice of Gorgonzola cheese on top of the steak and finished with caramelized onions and mushrooms on top of the cheese. And he made it look so easy ... and fun. Wow!

Furthermore, with a background in the financial industry Jeff helped me to understand a lot of the industry jargon - like 'Green Shoots' - and explained to me the difference between an equity and a stock (there is no difference).

So, Jeff has been busy putting together the last several posts and I suggested that he take a 'blog off' and let me put this post together, introduce myself and introduce you to one of my favourite salads.

But what about these 'Green Shoots'? Up until recently the only green shoots that I understood were those that were growing in my veggie tray in the fridge. Then a few months ago the headlines on the news networks and business pages were all referring to ... 'Green Shoots'? I asked Jeff why don't they just say that there are signs of economic hope? Jeff went on to explain that when an economist or a politician uses the term 'Green Shoots' it immediately conjures up an image of tulips popping up through the ground, -after another long, cold winter -and everyone understands that those 'shoots' will eventually yield a wonderful end result, but it will take time.

Thinking that this explanation was a little too simple, I checked out Wikipedia for a definition and this what was stated;

"Green Shoots is a term used colloquially to indicate signs of economic recovery during an economic downturn."

Hmmmm, problem solved. Right? Not quite!

What does 'Green Shoots' have to do with this salad recipe? Well absolutely nothing! But now that I have satisfied your appetite for knowledge, let me share with you an incredible salad recipe from Jeff's 'Book of Jeff', that I absolutely love! (the salad that is)

Shortly after meeting Jeff I was introduced to the wonderful world of tofu. Up until that time I had believed that tofu was a tasteless gooey substance that you only found in soup at a Chinese restaurant, or the vegetable section of at your grocery store. And I sure had no idea how good it could taste or how good it is for us. But that was to change.

I have since discovered that tofu is high in protein and minerals, low in sodium and fat (no fat?), is deemed a Superfood and can take on whatever taste you want it to. Furthermore, there has been much written about the health benefits of tofu in a woman's diet and the positive effects that this soy product has on menopause. So what do you have to lose?

For an incredibly tasty and healthy meal try this with the Cinnamon Salmon from the earlier post. Also goes great with any stir fry or complement that sushi that you picked up on the way home.

CARROT TOFU TASTE SENSATION! (SALAD)

Here is what you will need:

1 package of medium texture tofu (drain well)

1 medium sized carrot (I prefer grated but shredded works too)

1/2 cup of finely chopped green onion

1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp of sesame seed oil

2 tbsp of minced (or finely chopped) ginger

2 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds

Tofu is like a sponge and will absorb the flavours that you introduce it to. So be sure to drain your tofu well.

Cut the block of tofu into four even pieces.

Using your kitchen grater, grate the carrot and set aside.

Using scissors, finely cut the green onions.

Pour the soy sauce evenly into four bowls, then place a section of tofu into each bowl.

Spread 1/2 tbsp of the minced ginger over each piece of tofu

Spread 1/2 tbsp of the sesame oil over each piece of tofu.

Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to cool and allow absorption of flavours.

Spread the grated carrot evenly over each piece, do the same with the green onion.

Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the top. (Sometimes I double up on these. Wow, they taste good!)

Easy. Quick. Healthy. Tasty. I strongly recommend you to try this.

So there you have it. A fairly simple explanation of 'Green Shoots' (not the one's in my fridge) along with a refreshing salad idea that will be a hit with everyone. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did and encourage you to comment on this post and don't forget to subscribe as a 'DIG IN Follower' in that little area at the bottom right of this post.

By the way, if you haven't already done so you should refer to Jeff's rub recipe from his last post, whip up a batch and try it on back ribs. I know he suggested that you try it on his chicken dish but is it ever good on ribs. Just a thought.

Thanks for stopping by.

Beverley

DON'T GET BURNED! - Grilled Rosemary Chicken

Hey there, and welcome to another addition of DIGestingINvesting.

This weekend has proven to be the sunniest weekend of the summer by far! As I'm sitting here in the comfort of the a/c I am wondering to myself, "self ... do you really feel like heading back out into that sweltering heat today"? Oh ya baby! You bet! Loads of heat, heaps of sunshine, ice cold coolies and the backyard barbeque. Perfect!

Talking about 'sunshine', I met up with a pal of mine a couple of weeks ago and he had a pretty good tan considering the absence of sunshine we've had this summer. I asked him where he had found the sun. Gone down south? Or been to the electric beach? (tanning bed) He replied jokingly, " I got burned in the global stock markets." Naturally I asked him how he had let this happen, to which I received a reply that I have heard hundreds of times before ... "I don't know, guess I didn't ask enough questions."

Before we went any further I reminded my pal that the global stock markets and the bond markets have gone through a pretty tough cycle over the last couple of years and we would be hard pressed to find any investments in these arenas that had done well. This is where that old adage, 'misery loves company' comes into play as even I have had a gut wrenching ride over the last two years. Furthermore, I have read about former five star mutual funds that now post negative returns over the last five years. Egads!

Retirement plans being down 25-40-60%, or more. Retirees having to rejoin the workforce to subsidize their lost retirement income and so on, and so on.

But before I could really DIG IN to the painful underperformance of these once stellar investments I just had to throw out a few backyard barbeque ideas for him to try this weekend to help ease his anxiety. (food always makes us feel a little better)

REMINDER: any questions regarding the content here? Post your questions at the end of this blog and I will do my best to get you the answer.

Figuring that everyone would want to be cranking on the 'q' this weekend I decided to go with ;

Summertime Grilled Rosemary Chicken

(includes recipe for Jed's secret rub)

BBQ'd Ginger Taters

Now I'm going to toss out this idea to you. If you haven't already tried that 'Blueberry Shazzam' (two posts back) then you gotta think that THIS is a perfect time to try this dessert. I just made this on Friday night. It took me about six minutes to make (an hour to set) and it was a huge hit!

Summertime Grilled Rosemary Chicken

Quick, easy, tasty.

Here's what you need;

6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

3 tbsp of your favourite seasoned rub (try making my recipe at the end of this blog)

2-3 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of dried rosemary (1 1/2 tbsp of chopped fresh if you have it)

Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts and then apply the rub.

Pre-heat the grill on high heat

Be sure to coat all of the chicken with rub and then drizzle with olive oil.

Place chicken on the grill and turn heat down to medium. Rotate chicken 90 degrees after five minutes (to make the grill marks) and then turn over five minutes later. Repeat the rotation process again and total grilling time should be about twenty minutes.

Remove from grill, sprinkle with rosemary, cover with foil, let it rest for 3-4 minutes.

NOTE: I would prep these potatoes and get them on the grill BEFORE putting on the chicken. This way, the taters and the chicken will be done at about the same time.

BBQ'd Ginger Taters

6 medium red potatoes

1/2 cup sliced onions

1/2 tbsp finely chopped ginger (that's right...ginger!)

1 tbsp butter

Toss the potatoes in the microwave for 2-3 minutes to pre-cook before going in the grill.

Once done, place the taters on a large piece of aluminum foil (you're going to wrap 'em up later)

Slice potatoes in half, add onion evenly to each tater.

Sprinkle ginger evenly over each tater.

Add butter, salt and pepper to taste.

Fold over the foil, wrap these up tight and put them on the top shelf of your grill.

Jed's Dynamite Rub Recipe: (this is a secret recipe, so do not tell anyone!)

This is simple to make and is a blend of common household spices. Make up this batch, put in an airtight container away from heat and light and it will last ... until you have to make it again.

Great on chicken,ribs, seafood and beef.

1/2 cup of paprika

1/4 cup of chili powder

1/3 cup of salt (sea salt if you have it)

4 tbsp white sugar

3 tbsp garlic powder

2 tbsp of onion flakes (powder if you don't have flakes)

2 tbsp of cumin

2 tbsp of mustard

1 tbsp of thyme / 1 tbsp of basil / 1 tbsp of oregano

1 tbsp of coriander / 1 tbsp of ground pepper

Alrighty then, dinner is well underway, everybody's happy ... well, everybody except my pal who watched his investment portfolio decline with the meltdown of the global economy. I suggested to my friend that he and his wife sit down and re-visit their investment and retirement objectives with their investment advisor and ask a ton of questions. Maybe re-assess their risk tolerance and get down to basics. I mentioned the 'RULE OF 72' in my earlier blog and I believe that everybody who invests their money should be aware of this simple and effective tool. Google 'Rule of 72' for a crystal clear definition.

Remember. If your investment has declined in value by 50% that means that you have to achieve a 100% return on your investment to get back to your original investment. If your investment yields an 8% Rate of Return it will take 9 yrs to get back to where you were. If you are getting a 3% Rate of Return it will take (72 divided by 3) 24 years to get back to where you once were.

Wow! Warren Buffett once said, "Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful." I think it is safe to say that there are a lot of fearful investors out there. What do you think?

Remember, 3% = 24 years. 8% = 9 years. "Be greedy when others are fearful".

Re-visit your goals. Re-visit realistic returns. Re-visit your risk tolerance. Make all of the necessary adjustments to ensure a good nights sleep. Don't get burned. And don't overcook that Summertime Grilled Rosemary Chicken 'cause it sure is good.

Don't forget that Blueberry Shazzam!

All the best, enjoy the sun, but for Heaven's sake ... don't forget the sunblock!

DIG IN!

Jeff

ps. a little footnote to my friends Cora and Joe who are the biggest fans of DIG IN and the coolest friends that anyone could ask for. Thanks you two ... hope you have a great time this weekend in Deerhurst.

RED HERRING - Cinnamon Salmon!

Hello again and welcome to DIGestingINvesting.

In keeping with the objective of DIGestingINvesting I will make every attempt to combine an investment theme that is related to the attached recipe. This explains the connection in my previous blog, Get Rich Quick, to a dessert theme (get it?) and today's connection between a Red Herring (investment theme) and a salmon recipe. Not that a red herring is a salmon, but they are both fish ... in most cases.

A few of the future headings include;

'NO BULL.NO BEAR' - A Vegetarians Delight

'GREENSHEETS' - A Salad Lovers Dream

'ROLLIN' IN DOUGH!' - Quick and Easy Bread Recipes

Let's get on with today's blog.

RED HERRING - CINNAMON SALMON!

The following definitions of RED HERRING are found in Wikipedia;

1/ a smoked herring having a reddish colour.

2/ a deliberate attempt to draw attention away from the central issue.

3/ 'red herring prospectus' means a preliminary registration statement that must be filed with the appropriate exchange describing a new issue of stock and the prospects of the issuing company. The red herring (preliminary prospectus) is updated frequently before being called the final prospectus. The red herring does not have complete particulars on the price of the securities offered and quantum of securities offered and contains passages in red that states that the company is not attempting to sell its shares before the registration is approved by the exchange

Which of these three definitions is the one that applies to today's topic?
You are correct! #3 is the definition that applies to today's blog, and the only fish that we care about that has a reddish colour is the salmon in the following recipe. #2 is definitely out.

Before I go on I just had to mention that 'small' herring (red or otherwise) are also referred to as ... 'sardines'. I am sure that many of you know that the sardines are named after that Mediterannean Island of Sardinia, and refers to various small fish that are all members of the sardine family. And you have to know that these little fish are absolutely LOADED! with heart-healthy OMEGA-3s, in fact, they harbour the highest levels of OMEGA-3s of all fish. That said ... I still don't care for them myself.

I'll bet that more than one of you has just asked yourself ... "self, is it me, or is Jeff deliberately attempting to draw attention away from the central issue"? (definition #2) Good point. Let's get on with this salmon recipe.

Talking about OMEGA-3s ... how about that salmon recipe? Salmon is also loaded with those OMEGA-3s and is also deemed a SuperFood (like those blueberries in the last post)

If you're searching for that (almost) perfect recipe that is easy to make, loaded with goodness, and tastes incredible I am sure that you're going to really enjoy this.

There has been a lot written about the health benefits of salmon in your diet and there has been even more written about the Atlantic salmon versus Pacific 'Wild' salmon. Almost all Atlantic salmon is raised on commercial fish farms whereas almost all Pacific salmon is caught in the wild. There are notable differences in the diets of these fish which explains why we should limit ourselves to one portion of farm raised salmon per month versus eight portions of wild salmon per month. (so most experts claim) Personally, I prefer to use wild salmon in all of my recipes.

CINNAMON SALMON

4 (wild) salmon fillets

1 tbsp. maple syrup

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp course Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon (secret ingredient)

1 tbsp ground cracked pepper

2 tbsp of chopped fresh dill

Place fillets in a shallow (greased) baking dish. Mix together the olive oil, Dijon, cinnamon and cracked pepper and then pour evenly over fillets. Bake uncovered in pre-heated oven at 425 degrees for 14 minutes. (not 12 minutes, not 16 minutes) Remove from oven, sprinkle fresh dill over fillets ... and you're good to go.

If you enjoy the flavour of cedar plank salmon, well this can be done with this recipe with a few modifications to the cooking time which depends on use of your oven, or your bbq. Serve this up with a hearty wild rice or bean salad and this is a winner every time!

So with today's blog you have a little better understanding of what a red herring is. The next time you're at a dinner party and someone starts talking about red herrings, you can step right in with confidence and tell eveyone that you much prefer the CINNAMON SALMON!

Thanks all for stopping by, and thanks for your feedback on previous posts.

DIG IN!

Jeff

GET RICH QUICK! - Blueberry 'SHAZZAM'

Here is my HOT TIP for you. Get rich quick schemes don't work, and there are no 'HOT TIPS'.

And you don't have to worry about the blueberries in this dessert being hot ... 'cause they're frozen! But I assure you, this dessert is rich, and it's quick to put together.

I recall back in the '90's there was a well known mutual fund company that used to promote themselves with, 'Get Rich. Slowly'. There is a lot of truth in this as the alternative - Get Rich Quick! has proven to be the demise of many investors. Often we are blinded by the short term vision of easy money believing that, 'this time is different', only to be left with the sinking realization that this time was in fact, the same. It was the late great Sir John A Templeton that warned us that the four most dangerous words in investing are, "this time is different".

My suggestion to you is that you sit down with a pen and paper, look at where you are today, and determine your short, mid and long term financial goals. Develop a sober plan, a realistic strategy and utilize a common sense practical solution and stay focused on your objectives. DO NOT allow any short term potentially catastrophic 'hair brain' ideas to de-rail your plan. Ever! The risks are too high.

If you feel yourself being drawn to the temptation simply ask yourself this. "Would I purchase $10,000. worth of lottery tickets"?



So what about this Blueberry 'Shazzam'?!

With blueberries being in season that there couldn't be a better time to share this incredible recipe with you. Furthermore, I was raised in blueberry country and home to the annual Blueberry Jamboree and these delectable berries are in my blood. Blueberries rank amongst the highest Super Foods in the world, they taste really good and they are really good for you. I will be talking a lot more about blueberries and Super Foods in future posts.




What you need for the crust:
2 cups of crushed graham wafers
1/2 cup of melted butter

What you need for the filling:
8 oz of softened cream cheese
1 of a cup of white sugar
1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of vanilla
pinch of cinnamon


500 ml Cool Whip
3 cups of blueberries

Mix the crushed graham wafers with the melted butter and press most (4/5) into an 8X8
pan. Mix the first 5 ingredients for the topping (mix well) and once done, fold in the Cool Whip and than the blueberries.
Spread the mixture over the graham wafer base, sprinkle with remaining crumbs and toss in the freezer for 1 hour.

So while you're waiting for your dessert to set in the freezer, let's get back to the 'Get Rich Quick' theme. Do you wish to double your money in your retirement plan? Of course you do. Let me share with you a RULE OF THUMB that was taught to me back in the mid-eighties: 'THE RULE OF 72'.

THE RULE OF 72 states that if you divide 72 by your Rate Of Return (ROR), that's how long it will take for your investment to double. If you are achieving a 6% ROR on your investment it will take 12 years for your investment to double. (72 divided by 6 = 12) A 9% ROR will take 8 years to double, 12% will take 6 years. Some of you may realize that if you yielded a 72% ROR, your money will not double in 1 year. That's because the Magic of Compounding does not factor into this equation. Ah, the Magic of Compounding. We will save this topic for another time. But I will remind you that compounding growth and 'Get Rich Slowly' do go hand in hand.

Warren Buffett once said, "you only have to do a very few things right in you life, so long as you don't do too many things wrong". Good advice coming from one of the wealthiest persons in the world who accumulated his vast wealth through investing in the global capital markets and being a world reknown advocate of 'buy and hold'.

Enough said about this. Go and get that Blueberry Shazzam out of the freezer and DIG IN while I start on my next blog. 'Red Herring' is the theme for my next article which will provide an explanation of what a 'Red Herring' is in the investment world. However, if you like salmon, (another Super Food) you're going to love the recipe.

Thanks for stopping by.

DIG IN

Jeff

THE OPENING BELL

Hi there,
My name is Jeff Douglas and it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to my blog and welcome you to DIGestingINvesting.

Over the last couple of months I have been asked about this title, DIGestingINvesting, and the merits of the combination of these two very different worlds: A reasonable inquiry indeed. Ironically, Beverley (my "brown eyed girl") is a national sales manager with a major food company and my background is in the financial industry. Now THAT is a coincidence! Because our relationship had nothing to do with marrying these two themes together. But it could be a sign.

Recently I retired from my career in the financial services industry which began over twenty three years ago. My titles ranged from financial advisor, investment advisor, stock broker, senior financial advisor, manager, but I always considered myself to also be an educator of financial services and the myriad of investment options available. After hosting countless seminars, some with as many as five hundred guests and conducting thousands of client meetings over the last two decades, I was, and still am astounded at how little the average person knows or cares about investing.

Here's the link. I often find myself in the kitchen with Beverley, or my mom, and/or with our four great kids, whipping up a Sunday breakfast, cooking dinner, Saturday barbeques, desserts, salads, casseroles ... actually, I am always in the kitchen! But the truth is, I love being there. While in the kitchen I often find myself talking about mutual funds, diversification, retirement planning, stocks, bonds, the equity markets and so on. Boring right? Well not so if you're combining the theme with another that everyone enjoys. Recently, our son Connor asked me to explain, "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket" and Haley asked me to explain a mutual fund while I was making chicken caesar wraps. And, I recall being asked why money is often referred to as 'dough', or 'bread'.

WEBSTERS DEFINITION OF 'DIVERSIFY'
VERB:
di-ver-si-fy; di-ver-si-fied; di-ver-si-fies
1. To give variety to;vary:diversify a menu
2.To distribute investments among different companies or securities to limit losses in the event of a fall in a particular market or industry.

Several months ago I sat back and pondered my strengths and weaknesses, my likes and dislikes, and started putting ideas on paper. It was than that I realized that everybody eats, though many feel intimidated by the kitchen. Furthermore, everybody is experiencing this gut wrenching economic meltdown, though most do not understand how they got into this quagmire as their retirement plans went into meltdown. There are a lot of investors out there that just don't know what to do because they don't know what questions to ask or what options are available to them. They are as stymied about investing ... as they are about baking a pie.

It is fair to note that the financial services world goes to great lengths to educate their clients about investing but the reality is that most people would prefer to spend more time planning their next trip to Mexico, than they would like to spend on their retirement plan. The primary reason? They just don't understand the basics.

So, what if I created a medium that would blend these two themes together in an effort to feed everyone with the basic fundamentals to investing in a language that we all understand?

Welcome to DIGestingINvesting!

Thanks for coming by and stay tuned. There's a lot more to come.

Jeff

Your comments and ideas for future articles, themes or recipes are greatly appreciated.