First impressions landing into Japan: The airport was surprisingly chaotic (remenisent of Egypt). This was because we needed to line up twice, first to scan our QR code, passports for our biometric data to be taken at a machine. We then lined up for a second time to speak to a border agent prior to entry. A large group of the Argentinian Karate team was ahead of us (entering Japan for a tournament) and it's clear that their Visa requirements were extensive. Eventually, we were quickly waved through the gate after waiting behind the Argentinian delegation in line for over an hour. The hotel we are currently staying at is in Takadanobaba. The area is bustling with shops and restaurants, and it's extremely well connected with transit. We visited many shopping districts in Tokyo including the Nakano Broadway (the place to buy anime figurines or used luxury watches), Shinjuku, Shibuya (home of the famous Shibuya crossing) and the luxury highend retail stores at Ginza. Each neighbourhood has it's own distinct flavour and character. Japan is amazing, what stood out to me is how easy it is to get around. The commuter trains, subway etc all run so efficiently. We traveled everywhere including during the rush hour traffic and despite Tokyo having a population roughly 4 times that of Toronto, there were zero disruptions. The flow of people moved fast, as I would expect in Tokyo, a large metropolitan city. I didn't bump into a single person, there wasn't a single delay! (Let's not talk about the TTC in Toronto 😭). If you ever visit Japan, I highly recommend using a luggage forwarding service, this will make your life much easier not needing to lug suitcases around on the train when travelling between different cities. Tokyo is very clean, chalk full of amenities and teaming with street life at all hours of the day/night. Surprisingly, it feels much quieter than North American cities. Back home, they have zoned mixed use city amenities out of existance in residential areas, yet it's not a problem placing loud highways and busy aterial roads next to homes. Japan allows small business to set up shop everywhere due to zoning that supports mixed use density that allows for these truly vibrant and distinct neighbourhoods to exist. I am in awe of the prestine state of their roads, highways and trains.The infrastructure is over engineered (out of necessity unfortunately due to earthquakes, one just occured in the Kumamoto prefecture in the south). They have no daylight savings time in Japan, which confused me. At 4 am it's bright daylight already. A lot of the buildings have tiling everywhere that remind me of buildings in Southeast Asia. If only Bangladesh wasn't plagued with so much institutional corruption, perhaps that country could have reached this level of development. All summer my son was complaining there were no 'train' summer camps. We promised him that Japan would be the ultimate real life 'Train camp' and it exceed his expectations. In Japan you can get a stamp book from Tokyo station that can be used to collect stamps at each of the subway stations and also at popular destinations/ sites (So much fun!). One of our first stops in Japan was to the Popondetta Model Railway shop and a restaurant located between two train tracks! Another highlight for my son was him visiting the Kato model train headquarters in Nishiochiai, Shinjuku. My son found it fascinating that each train line has it's own musical jingle and that different subway lines have their own merch, some even selling treats (different snacks for each of the different coloured lines) to raise funds. He finds it amusing that when he taps his IC card, the faregate makes bird chirping sound to designate that he's a child 🐦. Anotherl observation is that the doors are left completely open at many of fare gates, you simply tap and walk straight through the open gate. (Anyone know why? are the doors broken?). You could NEVER do that in North America, you would get 100% fair evasion.😅. FYI transit is not cheap here, the costs adds up when travelling, I suppose that's why most employers pay for transit passes in Japan. My husband has been studying Japanese the last few months, so he can do basic communication and greetings with the locals. Meanwhile I am the typical North American tourist, wigging it. I told my husband I would study *a few* Japanese words on the plane, but I ended up sleeping instead. The Japanese convenience stores (known as Kombini) all have fantastic food. Thank you Brett for suggesting them and especially @Patrick_invests for recommending the egg salad sandwiches specifically. I have been eating those everyday since we landed. My son's favourite is the FamilyMart's fried chicken called 'Famichiki' that only costs 230 yen. Browsing the convince store isles here, I use Google translate image/ photo when buying processed snacks to understand what I am getting. Tobacco and Alcohol products are extremely cheap in Japan, these vices are taxed at a MUCH higher rate in Canada. What's fascinating to me is that you will have one row with cold refrigerated drinks and then the row immediately below will be heated for warm beverages such as tea! My husband and I DEEPLY missed living in a big city (we consider downtown Ottawa a small town at best). The human interactions of living in a city are universal. My husband noticed as a family got off the subway, a little girl left her hoody behind on her seat. He immediately sprang to action, running to it, grabbing the hoody, yelling to try to get the attention of the family that had left the subway car and were walked away. Finally rolling and throwing it off the train towards them once he got their attention, seconds before the subway doors closed. A group of old people sitting across from us all smiled and gave my husband thumbs ups👍🏽 Mission accomplished! Honerable mentions: 1. Japanese toilets with heated seats and water bidet with different settings and even a blow-dryer (press the button that looks like bacon 🥓 to dry your butt). 2. Vending machines everywhere outside for everything, hot drinks, ice cold drinks, full meals, ice cream etc. (more photos in comments)read more
Yesterday we went to Ryogoku, the Sumo district. In the months leading up to our trip to Japan, we got hooked watching Sumo wrestling tournaments together as a family. My son's favourite Sumo wrestler is Aonishiki Arata, a Sumo wrestler that's originally from Ukraine. We would have loved to attend an actual Sumo tournament, unfortunately we came during the off season (it only occurs during specific days on odd # months). Instead we visited the Sumo Stadium (which has a Sumo shop) and we also visited the famous Takashi Sumo Shop. The district is filled with restaurants run by retired Sumo wrestlers. In the stadium's sumo shop, My son asked if they had the signature and handprint of his favourite Sumo wrestler and they did. (We told the lady at cash to mark it clearly for us since we are completely illiterate in Japanese). My husband asked for the signature prints of the best fighters and I asked for the wrestler who fought with the most heart. The original goes for about $350-$400 dollars, luckily for us a copy of the signatures we got are only $3.5 dollars a piece. Today we had a magical moment, as we exited the subway station right by our hotel we saw a crowd of people surrounding real life Sumo wrestlers! In Japan these Sumo wrestlers are national celebrities. They date supermodels and are considered sex symbols! They couldn't walk, everyone was trying to get a photo with them. Their handler was getting the croud to go away, when a women with the Sumo wrestlers spotted my son. I head the woman say 'Chisana ko' a few times, something that translated to 'the little one'. She pointed to my son and told them to let the little one have a picture. The kind Sumo wrestlers immediately obliged, they couldn't say no to a child. The woman also invited us to get into the shot as well. She asked us to give a thumbs up (that's why my arms were flexed in the photo). This was an unbelievable, magical moment. We showed the photo to the gentlemen working reception in our hotel, his jaw dropped, he could not believe it! Japan is amazing, I still can't believe this happened. We went from buying sumo souveners to actually posing with real life sumo wrestlers in a photograph. What a trip!
GFUZ has already made some serious moves, and I’m wondering what everyone thinks from here. Do you guys think GFUZ has another huge pump coming, or has most of the hype already played out? 📈 What are you watching for? 👀 What would be the catalyst? 🎯 Where do you think it could realistically go? Curious to hear what the community thinks. Bullish or bearish on the next big move?read more
Hello , I need advice . I bought shares in SPCX Canada . I am losing around 30 % of its originale price . I do not know what I have to do . Do you think it’s value gonna increase soon ?
I agree with this meme that's being posted online. High-quality friends are often focused on their growth, careers, and families, which naturally means they have less free time. Its actually a good thing
Bought a half cow with two other families. Outside the stock market I invest in quality Sask cattle. Saves on beef through the year, and the quality is amazing!! Outside of the stock market what do other people invest in for the betterment of others and families?
Mikey got it right when he made fun of Yieldmax and the cult like following for Yieldmax or its Canadian subsidiary Harvest is spot on with his analysis. It’s too bad Mikey isn’t on this app maybe he saw something I should have and that’s why he never joined it. There are some very smart people on here and those who I have chatted with in comments it’s been a pleasure. There are others that absolutely cult like in their following of Harvest and those who are feel free to block me or let me know I am happy to add my blocked list!!
I noticed the write up for tax smart investing. If my posts helped make the changes for the presenters and made things more reflective of what they will discuss then I am happy that people on this app heard me and listened. Working in M&A tax for my career, teaching for CPA Canada in the in depth tax course, and wrote the chapter of taxation for private shareholders on buying and selling your business. I have other published works as well. It’s nice to see either people, blossom or the presenters listened and I would just like to say thank you for hearing me.
Imagine telling an investor in 1997 that one day $AAPL would become the most valuable company in the world. Most people would have laughed. At the time, Apple wasn't leading an industry. It was trying to survive. The company was losing money, market share was shrinking, and Microsoft had become the dominant force in personal computers. Many believed Apple's story had already ended. Some analysts openly questioned whether the company would remain independent. The turning point wasn't the iPhone When people think about Apple's comeback, they usually think of the iPhone. But the comeback actually started years earlier. In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple. One of his first decisions wasn't to launch a revolutionary product. It was to simplify the company. Apple had dozens of confusing products. Jobs cut most of them. Instead of trying to build everything for everyone, Apple focused on building a few products exceptionally well. Sometimes the biggest innovation is deciding what not to build. Then came one great decision after another The colorful iMac brought attention back to Apple. The iPod changed how people listened to music. iTunes made buying digital music simple. The Apple Store changed how technology products were sold. Then, in 2007, the iPhone transformed not just Apple, but the entire smartphone industry. The iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods and Services business followed. Each product strengthened the ecosystem instead of existing on its own. Apple wasn't selling devices anymore Apple was creating an experience. Buy an iPhone. You'll probably use AirPods. You might buy an Apple Watch. Photos sync automatically. Messages appear on your Mac. Your files are available on your iPad. Before long, switching to another ecosystem feels difficult. That ecosystem became one of Apple's biggest competitive advantages. What investors eventually realized Apple wasn't simply a hardware company. It had become a platform with loyal customers, recurring services revenue and one of the world's strongest brands. Its success wasn't built on releasing one perfect product. It was built on earning enough trust that customers returned again and again. The investor lesson When a company is struggling, it's easy to focus on everything that's broken. The harder question is: Has management found one thing that can change the direction of the business? For Apple, it wasn't one product. It was a series of disciplined decisions made over many years. Great companies rarely become great overnight. They usually improve one decision at a time, until the world suddenly calls them an overnight success.read more
I'll be on holidays, so unless you're feeding my cats or watering my garden while I'm away, you probably won't hear from me for a while. Speaking of... anyone wanna water my cats and feed my garden? Oh... and make sure to buy me some more $POW while you're at it.
Today, Spotify is much more than a music streaming app. It has become a platform for music, podcasts, audiobooks and AI-powered audio experiences. But just a few years ago, many investors believed Spotify would never become a consistently profitable business. The decline : During 2022, Spotify’s stock fell by more than 80% from its all-time high. The company continued growing users, but Wall Street had a different concern: “Will Spotify ever make meaningful profits?” Why investors became bearish : The bear thesis sounded convincing. Spotify paid billions in royalties to music labels. Apple Music and Amazon Music were backed by some of the world’s largest companies. The advertising market was weakening. Spotify was spending aggressively on podcasts and exclusive content. Despite having hundreds of millions of users, the company still struggled to deliver consistent profits. Many investors believed Spotify had built a great product, but not a great business. The bears were not completely wrong Spotify really was spending too much. The company expanded rapidly during the pandemic and invested heavily in podcasts before those investments generated the expected returns. Its cost structure had grown faster than its profitability. Management needed to prove that user growth could eventually translate into sustainable earnings. What changed : In 2023, Spotify shifted its focus toward efficiency. The company reduced its workforce, became more disciplined with spending and concentrated on improving gross margins. But the comeback wasn’t only about cutting costs. Spotify kept improving the product. Instead of becoming just another music app, it continued building the world’s largest audio platform. How Spotify changed the way we listen : Spotify introduced features that made listening more personal and interactive. Some of the most popular innovations include: • Discover Weekly – personalized music recommendations that helped users find new artists. • Spotify Wrapped – an annual summary that turned listening habits into a social event. • AI DJ – an AI-powered DJ that introduces songs and adapts to your listening preferences. • AI Playlists – users can create playlists using natural language, such as “Relaxing music for a rainy evening.” • Jam – lets multiple people build and control a shared playlist in real time. • Audiobooks – expanded Spotify beyond music and podcasts into books, creating another growth opportunity. Rather than simply licensing the same songs as every competitor, Spotify focused on creating a better listening experience through personalization and product innovation. The financial turnaround The strategy began producing results. In 2024, Spotify reported: • 626 million monthly active users • 246 million Premium subscribers • Revenue up 20% year over year • Record profitability and improving gross margins By late 2024, Spotify also guided toward its first full year of profitability, while continuing to grow subscribers and improve margins. The market stopped viewing Spotify as “a company that streams music.” It started viewing Spotify as a profitable global audio platform. What created the comeback? Spotify proved that: • Scale alone wasn’t enough—it needed profitability. • Cost discipline could improve margins without slowing user growth. • Product innovation created a better experience than simply offering the same music catalog. • Audio extends far beyond music, including podcasts, audiobooks and AI-powered discovery. The investor lesson A great product does not automatically create a great investment. Spotify’s comeback happened when management combined strong user growth with financial discipline. The company didn’t win because it had exclusive songs. It won because it kept building features that made people want to stay. Sometimes the biggest competitive advantage isn’t owning the content. It’s creating the best experience for discovering and enjoying it.read more
Well, haven't had a month like this in quite some time. I usually don't share losses, as I find they are generally counter-productive and discouraging to people, but every now and then, we've gotta remind people (and ourselves), that we are fallible. Weekly Winner will be posted later today! Stay tuned!
The market ($75.1 Trillion) is currently trading at 236% of American GDP ($31.9 Trillion) 😬 For reference, here were the buffet indicators during a few key moments in time: • 2000 dot-com peak: 143% •2021 pandemic-era peak: 197% Is this a result of a weakling dollar? Or is it due to undeserving and unexplainably hugh valuations in the market? Let me know 👇👇👇 $VT$VOO$MAGS$NVDA$PLTR$NBIS$SNDK$MSFT$MU$META$GOOGL$FXAIX$SPY$SPYM$QQQM$QQQ$VUG$MCD$PEP$COKE$CAT$SOFI$GE$WDC$STX$AMD$AMZN$VTI (Picture isn’t up to date and just for visual reference of the recent trend)read more
Everyone always claims to have big goals but there usually is an excuse coming... "Oh I am too worried, what will people think?" "Oh I am tired I can't do it now!" "What if I fail?" "I am scared, what if I am not good enough?" "I need to think of the best way to start before I can actually start." NO, do it WORRIED. Do it TIRED. Do it scared and yes it will always be imperfect. Successful people just do the thing, they aren't ruminating about it again and again then they would have done nothing. You get feedback by just doing the thing and that information you can use to refine your approach. But, you have to just START. Hopefully you guys like this Sunday motivation lol.read more
Holy crap this is one of the best days of all time for my portfolio up over 7% overall! Nice way to ride into the weekend I hope you guys all have a great one with friends/family.
A few months ago, I started vlogging my dividends journey. This is definitely out of the box for me to share my finances. However, I wanted anither way to help with being disciplined, and also share or show others that it's possible to create an additional stream of income without giving up more of your time by starting a "side hustle". Here's an update on my June and July dividends received. July has been the most income received since starting this journey. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbjMdWGSGPp/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Just hit 50 free subscribers on Substack despite only posting 1 actual article. I expect to post one this weekend if I have the time… Go subscribe if you are interested in longer-form content from me. A lot of it will be available for free. My Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/dudewhoinvests
$RDDT results look very strong. The Google referral concern is real, but seems overweighed. App retention (+50% YoY) points to stickier direct users who monetize far better than search traffic. After the selloff, $RDDT looks ~18x (or less) on forward earnings once you factor in continued growth and its cash balance. Google/OpenAI licensing remains free upside. PEG <0.7. 43% EBITDA margins. 8 straight quarters of 60%+ revenue growth.
How should I invest 250k CAD. I’m Canadian, I live in BC. I have 75k in my TFSA with another 35k of room left. My TFSA is mostly big name tech, Google, Nividia, Amazon, PLTR, Microsoft, some critical mineral etf SETM, some energy stuff like bloom energy and van ek uranium. And some other ETFs like tec.to, qqqm, a few other things. I already own a home. I have the 250k currently in HISA accounts. My friends say to DCA into the market but I haven’t been able to pull the trigger. I’m looking for long term, maybe med with an edge of higher risk. I noticed Canadian dividend stocks have really done well this year but I feel like I maybe missed that boat. Help me thanks.
Ever go through your house and realize all the junk that's sitting around? That junk is actually worth something that's why people have garage sales. I just went through my junk and found about $1500 worth of value just sitting there never being used. I got on market place and started listing things. So far I've already sold $1200 worth of items. That's a pretty nice chunk of change from things that were just sitting around anyway. I've also got the added bonus of decluttering the house. Need some extra cash? Start going through your junk and see what you can sell. There's hidden value in items you have right now that you aren't using
A big investing debate is dividend investing versus growth investing. Dividend investors love getting paid while they hold their investments. Growth investors would rather companies reinvest profits back into the business to grow even faster. Historically, many growth companies have delivered higher returns over long periods, but they often come with bigger ups and downs. Dividend investing may provide more predictable income, especially for people nearing retirement. Dividend Investing 💵 ✅ Pays regular income ✅ Can provide passive cash flow ✅ Often less volatile ✅ Popular with retirees ⚠️ Dividend payments are never guaranteed ❌ May have slower long term growth Growth Investing 📈 ✅ Higher long term growth potential ✅ Companies reinvest profits ✅ Often outperforms over long periods ✅ Better suited for younger investors ❌ Usually no passive income ⚠️ Can be more volatile Do you prioritize dividend stocks, growth stocks or both? Let me know! read more
Can we please not get anymore of these ads as a pro user? I am already paying for your app… I don’t want to see your junk ads for high income ads I will probably never use! @blossom
Look, I understand there’s been a lot of hype around AI, memory, and just semiconductors period. However, the way I look at it, if a holding has you in the positives of even a 5% increase, and you decide to realize your winnings, you’ve won. I think we’re forgetting that a lot of these companies or even the industry itself is very reputable. Just because you don’t get that 10x return doesn’t mean you didn’t win. The S&P still yields only 7-10% a year. For example, with $DRAM I was up 80% at a point if I’m not mistaken, with the dip + DCA I believe I’m up 8% which is still an average yield on a YEAR. However I’m still right side up and that’s all that matters to me at the moment. Is it dissapointing, yeah. But it’s also short term PA, if you believe then hold your position.
Investors, I think we all share the same thoughts, July was full of crazy stuff, absolutely cinema but personally I still ended up on a positive note. Keep it up everyone , and let’s welcome August to make us good money 💰and keep building something bigger than ourselves! Wish you all goodluck and take care ! Let’s Go ⚡️
A huge thank you to every one of you for following my investing journey, sharing your ideas, asking thoughtful questions, and making this community such a positive place to learn. When I started sharing REQT, my goal was never to convince anyone to invest like me. It was simply to document a real portfolio, explain the reasoning behind every decision, and encourage long-term, evidence-based investing. I’m incredibly grateful that so many of you have chosen to be part of that journey. Here’s to the next milestone, and to many more years of learning together.👍🚀🚀
