Shooting in So-Cal

This week I enjoyed my first shooting experience since coming to southern California. Upon the recommendation of the proprietor of a local sporting goods and gun shop – Grant Boys – I drove out to Huntington Beach (not too far from Newport, where I call home) to the Firing Line. This indoor shooting range is small – which could be expected for both an indoor range, and one in Huntington Beach, but it was not crowded, and had a nice atmosphere to it. Like every range I have been to, you signed a liability waiver before shooting, but this was in no way a hassle as some ranges tend to make it. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable without trying to get into a pissing contest with customers over gun knowledge or tactics – again, as some ranges tend to do.



Firing Line - Huntington Beach, Ca



There is, of course, the standard set of indoor range rules that anyone who has shot before knows about – no presenting from the holster, no “rapid fire” (meaning, as usual, no more than one round fired per second) double taps, etc. But no one seemed to take exception when I shot some defensive drills, Mozambque drills, and did quick reloads... basically getting some training besides basic fundamentals out of my range time.

The price for basic range fees was fairly steep at $18, but guests shoot on the same lane for $9, which isn't bad, and the annual membership deal is pretty good. $150 annual fee gets you unlimited range time, as well we 10% off their already cheap (but reloaded) ammo, and it is a family membership. With their initial range fees, this would more than pay for itself, even if you only shoot once a month.

The pro shop had a good deal of handguns in their rental program ($10 a gun, plus ammo prices, but free for members... another plus for membership) if there is something you have been itching to shoot before you buy, and a good selection of targets – everything from standard bullseyes to military style silhouettes and even zombie targets (ya know, for training purposes)

I shot for about an hour, with my .40 cal and my .45, with ammo and targets purchased on site, and dropped about $55 total. Overall, a bit on the pricey side, but a good experience. If I plan on shooting even semi-regularly, then I'll put out for a membership, and cut those expenses by quite a bit – especially if I will be taking students to this range for one on one instruction and private classes.

Halloween in Hollywood

Last night was my first Halloween on the west coast. At first I was a bit concerned as to whether or not I would actually do anything to celebrate this typically very enjoyable holiday. Jaime was working on Saturday night - she said she didn't want to work on the day of the holiday, and get all the crazies that accompany Halloween in the hospital that night... but as we figured out, almost all of the parties going on for Halloween were scheduled for Saturday, not Sunday the 31^st. This left us with a dilemma... we wanted to do something, but not much seemed to be going on. After asking around on Saturday night someone suggested simply “Try Hollywood” - a cursory Google search confirmed that the Hollywood Halloween Carnival was something that we wanted to do.

I have been all over the country for all kinds of parties – Mardi Gras in New Orleans, New Years in NYC, etc. and Halloween in Hollywood is definitely comparable. The carnival website said that they expected hundreds of thousands of revelers, and after being there, I believe it. The traffic getting off on Santa Monica Blvd (4+ miles down from the site) was terrible... one lane of the highway hardly moving, while the rest is empty. The stop and go traffic off the highway and going towards the revelry was mostly stop and hardly any go... we quickly abandoned our original plan to go to one of the parking lots set aside specifically for the event, as it simply wasn't practical to get there, and ended up paying $20 to park more than a mile away, but after sitting in the car for over an hour and not moving a city block, that price was well worth it. I dressed as a Spartan soldier, while Jaime was a Greek Goddess (she looked the part far more than I) and although the press of the crowd was severe, there was a festive, enjoyable atmosphere, without the any of the shady or sinister feelings that accompany many similar events.

The costumes on display at the carnival were insane! There was everything from the store bought “Snooki” and Lady Gaga outfits to home made works of art that would be worthy of Las Ramblas in Barcelona. Los Angeles has a huge gay and lesbian population, and they were out in force – mostly with stylized military uniforms in protest of the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” legislation that is so prominent in the news lately. Another popular choice, which to my mind was a bit too soon, were the hundreds of people dressed as the trapped Chilean miners who were so recently rescued. My personal favorite were several BP oil chefs, serving up fresh gulf coast seafood, covered in home made, and very artistic black tar.

What struck me as noteworthy though, was that unlike many of the other street parties and celebrations that I have been too, especially those involving the sheer number of people present at the Hollywood Halloween Carnival was that there was not the drug and alcohol infused atmosphere that practically drips from New Orleans events. Everyone was having a good time and enjoying themselves, even though I don't remember a single person who was noticeably inebriated (though I am sure that they were there somewhere.) The scandalousness of many costumes (worn by both men and women) and the lateness of the hour were the only things that would keep the carnival from being a full family event – though one that was still thoroughly enjoyed by the twenty something crowd as well.

Reagan said it best

... Life is not so dear and peace not so sweet as to be purchased by the chains of slavery.

There are still we few out there who beleive it is better to die on our feet than live on our knees, that war may be an ugly thing, but it is not the ugliest thing. To paraphrase John Stuart Mill, we know that those cold and dispasionate souls who beleive nothing is worth fighting for will only be made and kept free through the efforts of better men than themselves.

And so, I give you, President Ronald Reagan:

Reagan - We Must Fight speech

Always remember than people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

General Motors IPO

Recently in the financial news, the IPO (Initial Public Offering) from General Motors has made quite the headline. Some argue that since GM took TARP money from the Federal Government, that this IPO is the American people buying up the debt that the company still owes to Washington – the debt that was already paid for by the American tax payer. Yes, I certainly see their point in this, but GM is already in the process of paying back the TARP funds, and this IPO is going to serve as capital for expanded growth. I recently spoke to a long time GM manager, and he is, understandably, very excited about the possibilities offered by this IPO. General Motors is one of the leading American green / hybrid car manufacturers, and the capital acquired from the IPO will go towards hiring new employees – everyone from engineers and managers to line workers, and funding new and expanding projects, like the Chevy Volt, a highly anticipated entirely electric car. The company is saving money with their new hires by putting them on contracts as opposed to full employee status – meaning good and competitive pay, for a specified project or period of time, but without the benefits and pensions (or union status) that the automotive industry had become known, and condemned, for over the past few decades. The biggest question in my mind, and that has been asked on CNBC and other financial news shows, is whether or not the $25+ price tag on the IPO shares is really worth it. This is a significant increase over past GM prices – even before the bankruptcy, and there is some question as to the actual value of this new stock offering. This will require a bit more research before I invest any of my own (currently non-existent) capital, but my initial feeling is that GM is a company that has adapted and overcome hardship and changes in both the economy and popular culture for the better part of a century. They are well managed and have a good foothold in the future of the auto industry – hybrid and electric cars – far more so than many of the other American auto manufacturers out there, and this IPO will facilitate a high rate of growth. Combine this with the emerging middle class in China, which is pining for American goods, to include cars, and the emerging potential in India (again with a preference for American imports) I think that though $25 a share is expensive for what it will yield this year or next year, this is the ground level of a growing project, which may have the endurance for a long and profitable run.

Re-Blog from Getsatisfaction.com - Fastest way to lose customers

A buddy of mine sent me this link - getsatisfaction.com - something I had never heard of, but that I certainly found interesting, especially since my life, and my blog, has taken a more business minded turn lately. This particular page describes how the reason most customers move on from a company, or change brands (brand loyalty being one of the most valued and profitable aspects of the customer - company relationship) simply through dissatisfaction with customer support and response times. It's really very interesting, especially the part about social media, like twitter, and I really like the way the page is put together and the information is presented. let me know what yall think.

Fastest Way to Lose Customers

By Andy Wibbels on October 4, 2010

 

http://blog.getsatisfaction.com/2010/10/04/fastest-way-to-lose-customers/?view=socialstudies

The Dow is back at 11K... Is this good news?

These last couple of weeks the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the market in general, have improved quite a bit, as much as 7-8% in some areas, but is all this bullish activity really a good sign of an improving economy? Some pundits out there – even some respected ones – say “no” and who am I to argue? Well, I'm me, and I say... “Maybe”

The main argument against the idea that an improving market is bringing the US economy out of recession has to do with the rapid increase in the deflation of the US Dollar in the past few weeks. Just yesterday CNBC correspondent Erin Burnett said that the S&P 500 and the value of the US Dollar – two data streams that usually have a positive correlation are running against each other. The S&P has been up 8% in the past few weeks, while in the same time frame, the value of the US Dollar has dropped 7%. some argue that the weakened dollar is one of the driving forces in US stocks being traded – that foreign investors can get a good deal hedging their investments due to the exchange rate. This is, of course, true, but I doubt that the one caused (or causes) the other. Yes, savvy investors always look for favorable exchange rates in foreign markets to get the most out of their investments, but when they start to invest foreign capital into the American market, it still benefits our production, and our overall economic situation, until the exchange rate evens back out.

A devalued US Dollar will not last long, and the increase in capital to our market that we are experiencing at the moment, whether caused by the lower value of the dollar or not, will keep showing returns far after the dollar has leveled off and begun to increase in value.

Another safety net in place is the idea that some of our major economical competitors like China and India may be overvalued – like what happened with Japan just a few months ago. The massive deflation of the Yen caused a huge drop in the Japanese market, and then an influx of foreign investment. Japan is, of course, still recovering from this drop, but it is on the road to digging itself out of that hole. Many experts believe that China is soon going to be forced to do a similar devaluation to the Yuan, and the Indian Rupee might be in the same situation.

The current situation with the value of the US dollar may not seem favorable for emerging market investment, and if the future holds a deflation for China and India, then investors would be wise to stay away from there as well. All the same, UBS investments is very favorable to emerging markets, and relies heavily on these investments to make their returns. South Korea and Malaysia have been given as examples of undervalued and producing nations that could see significant economic growth in the future. I personally like Latin American markets for their agriculture and bio-fuel / green energy potential, and Brazil is at the top of my list.

Overall, the dramatic increase in the market these last few weeks is restrained somewhat by the devaluation of the dollar, but not to the point where the two cancel out. If anything I see both activities as facilitators for US Economic growth. I plan to keep investing, hedging my American companies and funds with the emerging markets that I have been a fan of for a while. 11,000 in the Dow is milestone, but in my opinion, by no means a plateau.

Deployment Investments

My old battalion is about to deploy again – this time to Afghanistan, and one of the things that I wanted to touch on today was finances and investments while overseas. I know a lot of the people who read this are military, or at least former military, and not many of those of us in uniform get much training on what to do with our money. Many of the men I served with used their combat pay to buy a new Mustang, which they subsequently wrapped around a tree, or squandered it on extravagances like video game systems or the latest gadget (these days that would likely be an iPad, a few years ago it was an xbox 360) yeah, sure splurging on something every now and then for putting up with everything you do overseas is fine, but I got a lot more satisfaction by being that much richer after deployment.

One of the simplest and best options while overseas, is also one of the most overlooked. The Savings Deposit Program, or SDP is an excellent way to rack up a bit of interest on your already tax free pay. The program yields a guaranteed 10% APR, and although it maxes out at $10,000 it doesn't take very long to get to that point while deployed. You have to be in country for 30 days before you can sign up for it (your time in Kuwait counts, so you can really sign up before you get fully into sector) and one of the best things about this program is that you still receive interest on your money for 90 days after DEROS (date of estimated return from over seas) so on a 12 month deployment you'll receive 14 months of quarterly interest payments.

When I was in Iraq I alloted every cent of my paycheck to go to the SDP, and any incidentals that I needed – which wasn't much - I put on a credit card (USAA will drop your credit card interest rates to 2% for the duration of any deployment, so you're turning a profit by delaying payment) in about 3 months, after the interest payments, I was more or less maxed out at $10K and stopped the allotments (you can make cash or check deposits too, but you have to go to the finance office on whatever FOB you're close to, and sometimes thats more trouble than its worth). I even withdrew the interest when it went over the max so I wasn't losing any opportunity cost. All in all, I made more than $1000 in interest from a 15 month deployment, and the craziest thing was that I was the only soldier in my company that enrolled in the program. This is a great opportunity while you are overseas, and if you don't take advantage of it, you're missing out.

I spoke with an accountant friend of mine about taxes overseas, and taxable income specifically for this blog. It's no secret that your pay while deployed is tax free, but what is taxable are capital gains. Any investments that you make and earn money off of is taxable (the profit from it, not what you invested)

while you are overseas and have Internet access – not a given by any means if you're in an Infantry outfit or another combat role, feel free to play the market – buy low and sell high. USAA and most other banks offer investment programs and investment advice (for a fee, of course). If a stock or mutual fund is doing well, of course you don't want to sell it, but if you see a plateau or you think it has toped out for the moment, sell it and then reinvest low. Any profit you make you'll owe taxes on, but thats the beauty of investing while deployed – if your entire taxable income is just a few thousand dollars, you likely won't pay a dime come tax time. Even if you don't want to start investing on your own or day trading, being deployed is a great time to get involved with an investment program, which are fairly easy to get started and a definite force multiplier for your cash.

One government program that I do have an issue with is the Thrift Savings Plan, of TSP. I contributed to my TSP for about 8 months while I was in the Army before I decided it just wasn't worth it. This package is sold as a 401K type deal for soldiers, but it really isn't. There are no matching investments (which is odd, considering they match investments for DOD civilians, just not service members) and the investment options are just way to conservative for my tastes. I am young, as are most people in the military, and an aggressive investment plan is really the way to go in the long run – you'll make way more money than playing it safe, and anything that doesn't do well because it is aggressive, is canceled out through your diversification (which is why I like mutual funds – instant diversity). Yes, its true, anything invested in the TSP is tax free till you retire, and that has some advantages, but when you are deployed, and everything is tax free, that takes away the only perk. The TSP is all well and good, but I would have made a lot more if I had simply kept investing instead of contributing to my TSP.

Once again guys, stay safe over there. I'm truly sorry I can't go with you this time (to the point that I'm seriously considering commissioning to the National Guard... I have unfinished business). Keep your heads down, and don't blow this chance to walk away with a bit more cash.

Don't Tread on Me!