Lou Pickney's Online Commentary
Back on the Road
Friday
May 12, 2006
In just a few minutes, I'm going to be back on the road, driving up Interstate 65, heading home to Ca$hville. Sunday is Mother's Day, and for the first time in a long time, I'll be home for it.
I plan on opening an online stock trading account next week. There's always been a part of me that's had interest in stock investing, and it should be fun to see how it plays out. This is with thoughts toward long-term investing, though I do like the idea of having the capacity to move my money around as I see fit. E*Trade is the one that I've been looking toward the most; I thought about going through my bank for it, but the online brokerage firms have rates that brick-and-mortars can't touch.
|  | This is The Hustler by Andrew Sarnoff.
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In the summer of 1998 (as I recall), an internet start-up called TravelZoo offered free stock to people, with you receiving extra shares if you could get others to sign up. I ended up with five shares; it split at one point, so it became 10. However, it was a non-tradable stock, so I never thought much of it.
However, about four years ago, TravelZoo went public, and those shares transfered to public shares. At one point it was more than $100 a share, though it has since dropped down to $35 or so. Since I paid nothing for it, there's not that gut-wrenching "oh no!" feeling to it that I might otherwise feel. So perhaps I'll stick it out for awhile with it, even when I get the chance to potentially sell it off in favor of another. Once I open my account, it's a rather simple process (from what I understand) to move the stock into my portfolio.
Last month I bought a set of five posters online (from Platinum Billiards in Jacksonville) that are prints of paintings by Arthur Sarnoff of dogs playing pool. I had them framed by a local company, Bill's Custom Framing, which did an excellent job with them. If you're near Alabaster, AL and need something framed, give them a try; they have my recommendation. My Dad was down here on business today, and he saw them in my apartment and seemed to like them. I think they add quite a bit to my apartment, which is beautiful and spacious but needed some decorating...
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