Suffering from hair loss? Don’t worry because castor oil, also know as the hair growth oil, have been used therapeutically for many health conditions including as a hair growth treatment and remedy.
Castor oil hair growth treatment is a natural method that helps your hair to grow healthier and thicker. That’s why, if you notice that your hair is becoming thinner every time you check yourself in the mirror, it’s probably time for you to find out more about the various castor oil uses and pick one.
Hair growth treatment by means of castor oil has long been recognized in the alternative health field. It is considered a type of natural hair oil for baldness, which is actually a result of many factors such as your genetics, diet, stress level, environment and lifestyle. A popular example of castor oil that prevents hair fall and thinning is the Jamaican Black Castor Oil.
What Are the Benefits of Castor Oil for Hair Growth?
Regular castor oil use on your hair’s roots and scalp will help:
Increase hair growth
Thicken hair that is starting to thin out
Reduce and prevent hair damage
Eliminate dry hair
Make the hair fuller and shinier
Deeply condition and moisturize hair and scalp
Prevents dry scalp
Boost your hair’s overall health
Applying castor oil to your hair tips will also prevent your hair from looking frizzy and having split ends and damage. You will also notice that your hair is stronger and won’t develop split ends that easily anymore.
How Do You Use Castor Oil to Prevent Hair Loss?
Here are the common step-by-step techniques for using castor oil in hair loss:
Using your fingertips, apply high quality castor oil to your roots and scalp.
Make sure that you distribute the oil evenly on the scalp.
Do your best to avoid the oil fro getting into your hair as its thick consistency may be hard to wash out.
After applying it to your scalp, cover your hair with a plastic cap and wrap it in a towel.
Let the oil stay in your hair for at least 15 to 20 minutes or allow it to set overnight.
Wash it out with shampoo after to remove the castor oil.
Do this once a week for 6-8 weeks to see the results.
Depending on your preference, you can also mix the oil with other oils (i.e. grape seed) to eliminate the super-thick consistency and unpleasant scent of castor oil.
Total Hair Care Is Key
Using castor oil on your hair is just one of the strategies to encourage hair growth. Having a healthy diet, taking essential hair supplements (which contain essential hair vitamins), getting enough sleep and regular exercise will help you grow your hair back longer, thicker and stronger.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
the great indiian ipo disaster
What is one of the functions of financial markets? To help growing companies raise capital efficiently. However, that hardly seems to be happening as far as IPOs are concerned the world over. Indeed, going by statistics, the IPO market seems to be in a state of crisis. This is despite the fact that there appears to be no dearth of public issues waiting to hit the market. Fathom this. According to FT, almost US$ 10 bn of IPOs were pulled in Europe in the first half of the year. This has been the worst 6-month period for scrapped IPOs since at least 2005. The situation has been so grim that it has left a sour taste in the mouths of both companies and investors. There have been several reasons for this. For starters, the worsening debt situation in both the US and Europe have dampened investor sentiments in global financial markets. As a result, companies are not too enthused about raising capital. Especially in a scenario where there is so much uncertainty.
There has been considerable lack of investor interest too. Investors have been nursing a lot of grouses against IPOs. They contend that issuers and bankers are too greedy, fees are too high with no transparency, the syndicates of banks brought in to sell an issue are too big, advisers and issuers are in too much of a hurry and more importantly the IPOs are overpriced. Investment bankers, not surprisingly, are bringing out their version of the story. They are of the view that investors' expectations of prices are too low. And that they are not making efforts to assess the management of companies before the latter come out with their IPOs.
That may well be the case. But the argument that IPOs have been overpriced is not without merit. We have seen instances like these in the Indian IPO market as well. Companies and their bankers have come out with issues that have been unrealistically priced. This has been with the hope that optimistic market sentiments will justify the high price that they have been charging. But investors are also becoming a savvy lot in India at least. Earlier, the lure of listing gains resulted in money being poured into overpriced IPOs. But over time, various problems of some of these companies came to the fore, which resulted in share prices coming down. Therefore now, investors are vary of putting their money into IPOs at the drop of a hat and very rightly so! At the end of the day, whether in India or in the world markets, investors have to take into account the quality of the managemen t, the long term growth prospects of the company and the right price before they consider investing their hard earned money into public issues.
Do you think that the global and Indian IPO market is in a state of crisis? Share with us or post your comments on our Facebook page.
01:26 Chart of the day
When it comes to global asset allocation, the fact that equities and fixed income accounted for a significantly large chunk in Q2 2011 hardly comes as a surprise. But investors also put in money into alternative investments that accounted for around 17% of the total global asset allocation during this period. And as far as these investments are concerned, it is hedge funds that topped the list by a wide margin (almost 60% of the same). Indeed, after suffering quite badly in the financial crisis of '07-'09, hedge funds have once again begun to worm their way into investors' minds. Whether they will be able to give good returns on a consistent basis, however, remains to be seen.
There has been considerable lack of investor interest too. Investors have been nursing a lot of grouses against IPOs. They contend that issuers and bankers are too greedy, fees are too high with no transparency, the syndicates of banks brought in to sell an issue are too big, advisers and issuers are in too much of a hurry and more importantly the IPOs are overpriced. Investment bankers, not surprisingly, are bringing out their version of the story. They are of the view that investors' expectations of prices are too low. And that they are not making efforts to assess the management of companies before the latter come out with their IPOs.
That may well be the case. But the argument that IPOs have been overpriced is not without merit. We have seen instances like these in the Indian IPO market as well. Companies and their bankers have come out with issues that have been unrealistically priced. This has been with the hope that optimistic market sentiments will justify the high price that they have been charging. But investors are also becoming a savvy lot in India at least. Earlier, the lure of listing gains resulted in money being poured into overpriced IPOs. But over time, various problems of some of these companies came to the fore, which resulted in share prices coming down. Therefore now, investors are vary of putting their money into IPOs at the drop of a hat and very rightly so! At the end of the day, whether in India or in the world markets, investors have to take into account the quality of the managemen t, the long term growth prospects of the company and the right price before they consider investing their hard earned money into public issues.
Do you think that the global and Indian IPO market is in a state of crisis? Share with us or post your comments on our Facebook page.
01:26 Chart of the day
When it comes to global asset allocation, the fact that equities and fixed income accounted for a significantly large chunk in Q2 2011 hardly comes as a surprise. But investors also put in money into alternative investments that accounted for around 17% of the total global asset allocation during this period. And as far as these investments are concerned, it is hedge funds that topped the list by a wide margin (almost 60% of the same). Indeed, after suffering quite badly in the financial crisis of '07-'09, hedge funds have once again begun to worm their way into investors' minds. Whether they will be able to give good returns on a consistent basis, however, remains to be seen.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
share market turbulence may reach 16 k
No, that's not us making a prediction.
This is a BIG investment bank... people who you should closely follow and listen to. The so-called "experts".
Why? Because every time they make such calls, it's usually a great time to buy stocks.
But not just any stocks... only blue chip stocks that are available for dirt cheap.
And to know exactly how you go about doing that, just read on...
Warm regards,
Rahul Goel
CEO, Equitymaster.com
Ignore what your stock broker, your friend and the "talking heads" on TV tell you, and...
Get Rich with
Safe Stocks
Some of these 'Safe Stocks' previously
surged 28 times... 33 times...
And one even jumped 53 times!
Dear Investor,
Blue-chips, or Safe Stocks as they are often called, are known for providing stability and consistent returns.
But please take a look at this now...
Company Name Returns (%)
Asian Paints 133% in 15months
Crompton Greaves 107% in 17 months
Hindalco 132% in 15 months
TCS 94% in 14 months
These are just some of the returns that members of a very privileged group have made - and consistently make - from some of the market's safest stocks.
And I'm going to reveal all about this group in the next few minutes... including their recent stock picks.
In fact, of all the stocks that were recommended for purchase to this group, 82.5% hit their mark.
I know your initial reaction is probably that this number is too good to be true. To tell you the truth, I felt exactly the same way when I saw the report on the track record.
But I even got it cross checked by an independent auditor. And as it turned out, it's absolutely true.
I will shortly share with you complete details about the track record, including the stock picks that did not work out.
But before that, there's something else you should know...
You've been lied to. . .
You see, if you're like most other investors out there, you too were made to believe that there are basically only two kinds of stocks:
1) Safe low-return stocks
2) Risky high-return stocks
If you wanted bigger returns, you were told that there's no other option but to invest in stocks that involve at least some amount of risk.
Or else, just settle for the dividends and small returns that the safe stocks gave you.
What if I told you now that Safe Stocks can make you triple-digit returns also?
It's true!
And how big could these returns possibly be?
Well, let me give you 3 examples...
We recommended L&T on 5th November, 2002 when it was selling at Rs 48*. And when we gave a SELL on it in March 2010, it had risen a whopping 3,275%.
Similarly, Voltas too, which we recommended on 30th June, 2003 returned 2,840% until August 2010 when we gave a SELL on it.
Then we recommended Titan on 21st July, 2003 when it was selling at Rs 67*. Today the same stock is priced at Rs 3,601.
An increase of 5,275%... and we haven't recommended a SELL on Titan yet.
(*Recommendation prices have been adjusted for bonuses and stock splits over the years)
You might say - Such big returns
don't happen every time
Agreed!
But you can make at least double your money from safe stocks consistently, if not more.
You already saw 3 stocks before that generated 100% or more returns in less than 2 years.
Apart from those...
Tata Steel gave 269% in 24 months
Bharat Forge gave 251% in 20 months
Tata Motors gave 129% in 13 months
And there are many, MANY more stocks like these.
So why settle for just tiny returns and dividends, when you can make 100% or more from SAFE large cap stocks easily?
All you need to do is hold the stocks for 2-3 years...
Oh and, you'll also need to do one other thing that most investors don't!
What books, schools or brokers will NOT teach you. . .
What I'm about to tell you now will be in complete contradiction to what you hear usually.
You won't hear this from your investor friend, your stock broker or your fund manager. And you also won't read about it in any financial magazine or see it on television investing news.
Listen...
Ever since you got into stocks, you must have had many people tell you that you should always see what the other investors are doing and take cues!
In other words... if a lot of investors are buying a stock, you can safely assume the stock is a good one and buy it.
And if a lot of investors are selling a certain stock, you can take it that the stock has turned bad and sell it away or refrain from buying it.
But while you may think that you'll become rich investing in stocks this way, the truth is you won't get anywhere doing what everybody else is doing.
On the contrary, you'll just end up like most of the investors who are forced to settle for meagre returns and never make the kind of money they want from stocks.
To make more money than other investors
You have to do what most other investors won't do
Invest in companies that everybody else is avoiding.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not telling you to invest in bad stocks. People are obviously avoiding them for a reason.
But sometimes, even perfectly good stocks get ignored due to some misconceptions. Those are the companies I'm telling you to go after.
Let me explain...
See, we all know there are no better companies than the large caps when it comes to stability.
Large caps are all well-established companies with stable earnings and no extensive liabilities.
They are well-managed and have consistently performed across business cycles
They have the resources to not only weather the downturns and disturbances, but also emerge stronger from them
Long-term prospects for large caps are outstanding
So the risk associated with large caps is very low, and you can be assured of steady returns and dividends from them year after year.
However, there's something most people
don't know about large caps. . .
There's a strong belief among investors that large caps are virtually immune to any and all kinds of problems.
That's not really the case.
The truth is that even large cap stocks go through hardships from time to time.
The reasons could be anything like:
Change in the company's top management
Some new initiatives started by the company turning out to be failures
Fall in demand for the company's product in the market
Bad economy
...or anything else for that matter
When things like that happen, the demand for the large cap stock falls temporarily... bringing its price down and making it available to you at a discount!
This is when you need to act fast and grab the stock.
When you grab good companies for cheap, doubling or tripling your money with them becomes all the more easy.
Don't believe me?
Just see these 2 examples. . .
Example #1: Indian Hotels
This was a stock recommended at the height of the global crisis in November 2008.
High inflation, cost pressures, liquidity crisis and regulations concerning the real estate sector had made funding difficult. This coupled with unrealistically high land prices and government red tape was resulting in hotel projects taking longer to fructify.
The slowdown had also led to sharp declines in tourist traffic and room rates, and that too was impacting the company.
But we kept the long term picture in mind and expected the crisis to not have any material impact in the company's future over a 3 to 5 year period.
And the stock is up 93% since then.
Example #2: GSK Consumer
We recommended GSK Consumer in February 2009 when the Indian malted beverage market was seeing stiff competition from new entrants like Dabur and Hindustan Unilever.
In the midst of all this, GSK initiated a 7% price hike in its flagship brand 'Horlicks'. It also leveraged its brand power to launch new variants.
This firmed up our confidence in the company retaining its 70% market share. Plans to introduce products from its global parent's portfolio in oral care, energy drink and other segments over the next 3 to 4 years was the additional sweetener.
So we maintained that despite competition GSK Consumer would be able to leverage its brand power to emerge stronger and improve returns to shareholders.
The stock is up 270% since then.
The Real Reason Why People Avoid Large Caps
Regardless of what everybody says...
We believe the main reason why people avoid large caps is because they aren't aware of this unique, time-tested, highly effective way of making BIG returns from large cap stocks.
Why else would someone say no to triple-digit returns from safe large cap stocks?
Of course, others with vested interests (you know who) also force investors to believe that large caps cannot generate big returns...
Plus, ordinary investors usually won't have the resources to execute this method properly.
But whatever their reason for avoiding large caps, this gives YOU an excellent opportunity to multiply your money safely.
Since you're investing in large cap stocks using this approach, you need not feel that you're taking on too much risk.
Agreed that no investment is 100% guaranteed. Not even large caps!
But with the big companies, you can be confident that they will not disappear overnight and take your entire investment with them.
Moreover, this approach is based on the time-tested investing principle of being greedy when others are fearful, and fearful when others are greedy.
So if done correctly, it is certain to produce profitable results... as has been proved already in the examples presented to you.
But that said, not every large cap company
will be a good buy
You need to know exactly which big companies are likely to recover faster and make bigger returns for you... and of course, when is the right time to buy them.
And this is where Equitymaster comes in...
You see, we've got this Premium research service called StockSelect.
Simply stated...
If you're looking at building a portfolio of blue-chip stocks that could deliver steady returns over the long term, then StockSelect is the service you need to be signed up for.
StockSelect tells you which big companies are a "must-have" for your portfolio... and more importantly, it notifies you as and when they're available at attractive valuations.
It works on a simple principle - buying great companies at bargain prices and making staggering returns on them when the company grows rapidly in a few years.
So with StockSelect, you not only earn consistent dividends but also big returns from the large caps stocks we recommend.
Take Tata Steel for instance...
We recommended Tata Steel in December 2008, when the stock was trading a mammoth 80% lower than its 52-week highs!
The stock's underperformance then could be attributed to its balance sheet that had been loaded with debt on account of the leveraged buyout of Corus.
While we saw the concerns as being valid, we knew those were far too exaggerated. Our calculations showed that even if the company's earnings were to fall by 50%, there would still be enough cash flow for it to pay for its financial expenses on the debt.
So we remained confident that the company will come out of the downturn rather unscathed.
And the stock is up 269% since then.
Please understand that we make all our predictions with a 2-3 year period in mind.
However, in some situations, the markets get into action and bump up the stock price sooner than expected.
In other cases, a market crash leads to the stock price falling rapidly.
So our advice to you is that you ignore the near-term variations and focus only on what you could make in 2-3 years time.
Great companies always recover when the storm passes.
So if you buy the blue-chip stocks at the right time, you could easily make attractive returns over 2-3 years.
Why you can trust us to deliver
We're not stock brokers. We don't gain anything even if you buy the stocks we recommend.
However, our credibility... and more importantly, our income... depend on whether or not the stocks we recommend make you money.
Because if you don't make money from our recommendations, you will simply not renew your subscriptions. Furthermore, you'll also tell your friends not to sign up for our services.
We don't want that, and that's why we take extreme care while finalizing the stocks to recommend.
All our recommendations are supported by thorough research - we list out the reasons to buy and also the investment concerns that we foresee
We travel far and wide to meet companies before we put out reports on them
For each stock, we clearly state the target price and also the time horizon for achieving the same
That's exactly why over 907,500 registered members (of all Equitymaster services combined) trust us!
And there's one other thing...
I bet you too, like numerous other investors, were taken aback by the 'Satyam' fiasco and started wondering how many more companies of that sort are there in India.
Well, guess what?
Because we meet various companies face to face, do our due diligence and continuously track our recommendations... we reduce the risk of a Satyam like situation emerging in stocks that we recommend.
Here's what one subscriber had to say about our research...
"It's been 5 years since I have been a subscriber to all the products of Equitymaster (EM).
EM's "power to people" approach is what made me to associate with them initially. EM's honest, independent and consistent research on stocks is worth appreciating.
In short, I must say it has been a "rewarding" experience."
-- S R Samratt, a StockSelect subscriber since 2005
Another big reason why our research tends to be accurate
more often than not . . .
You see, most investors take the return on stock investment to be the key yardstick while deciding whether or not to buy a stock.
But legendary investors like Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett have always maintained that 'evaluation of risks' should be given as much importance as 'estimation of returns'.
It is in this direction that our research team has developed the Equitymaster Risk Matrix or ERM which helps quantify the risk attached to a stock. The ERM is an integral part of our stock selection process.
Look, you probably understand that no two companies have the same degree of risk associated with them. Even if they operate in the same sector, their business dynamics, managements and valuations are different.
That's why it is important to evaluate the risk involved in each case separately...
And the ERM is designed just for that!
The ERM is a matrix designed to evaluate the key risks attached to a business, it financial history and its management. It ranks not just the company but also the sector in which it operates based on its relative risk profile.
When markets were at their nervous best in late 2008, our Buy recommendations on ACC, Tata Steel, Corporation Bank and Maruti Suzuki were backed by our confidence in the low risk profile of these companies as shown by ERM.
As expected, these stocks went on to multiply our subscribers' wealth several times.
Again, it is the same ERM that we rely on to quantify the risks we believe subscribers need to be cautioned about while recommending a 'Sell'.
"In 2007, Equitymaster was probably the only research house which will give most of HOLD or SELL recommendations rather than BUY reports and everyone knows what happened after that. I feel to be proud subscriber of equitymaster seeing again that you still are not afraid of giving the right opinion irrespective of market moods. Great Job!!!
At the same time in 2007 there were some brokers who will say BUY on every damn stock and stopped releasing updates when market tanked. They are doing similar thing now again giving BUY target on every damn stock. Old habits die hard."
-- Deepak Aggarwal, StockSelect subscriber since 2007
Given the complex operating environment that Indian business are aspiring to be a part of, we believe the ERM can offer immense value to investors seeking to maximize their long term returns by without taking on too much risk.
"I am a subscriber to these services for the past five years. I realized the value of fundamentals for investment decisions only after I started using the services of equitymaster.com.
Earlier, my decisions used to be based on "tips" or "advice from friends" etc.; Equitymaster taught me to base them on business fundamentals.
One very good quality of your organization is that I never have even 5% of doubt about your unbiased approach and your integrity to the retail investors.
Overall, I value the services offered by Equitymaster.com and I acknowledge their contribution to make my investment decisions more scientific."
-- Satish Pendse, a StockSelect Subscriber since 2003
But I won't lie to you -
Sometimes we make mistakes too
Like I said before, StockSelect has an accuracy rate of 82.5%.
That means for every 6 large caps stocks we recommend through StockSelect, 5 hit their target.
So there's 1 stock out of every 6 that does not perform as expected.
Now, there's no doubt that we recommend a stock only when it meets all the required parameters.
But sometimes... despite having all those valid reasons for recommending the stocks... the assumptions we make turn out to be incorrect.
For example, here are 2 stocks that didn't do like we expected them to...
1) Raymond:
The Indian textile industry had just broken the shackles of the quota regime. The government's benign subsidized loan scheme for this sector made it more appealing. What better time to recommend one of the most established names in Indian textile manufacturing and retailing? This was the thought behind our 'HOLD' recommendation on Raymond way back in September 2006.
The company then had a reasonable debt to equity of 0.7 times and net profit margin of 15% which was one of the best in the sector. Since then the stock corrected by 67% (on a point to point basis) until we recommended a Sell on it in September 2008.
Despite having recovered India's largest and technologically most advanced manuthe stock is down 16% from the price at which we recommended a HOLD.
While our judgment of the management's ability to takeoff the joint ventures with foreign partners was faulty, forex losses on sales as well as external borrowings aggravated the matter.
Economic recovery in the developed markets too did not shape up too well over the last two years. The management still remains quite unsure of where its focus lies.
2) Punj Lloyd:
We had recommended Punj Lloyd in 2008 backed by our optimistic assumption about the company consolidating its position as the second largest engineering and construction player in India. Its foray into the oil and gas pipeline business was especially encouraging.
We expected the company would grow due to a strong demand from sectors like pipelines and terminals, aggressive forays into newer segments, and execution of large scale domestic and international projects.
But unfortunately execution delays and cost overruns marred the performance of the company. Our attempts to meet the management to get some clarity on the future direction of the business were also in vain.
In addition to this, after some change in the senior management, the new members seem very reluctant to share the long term outlook for the company. Finally we asked our subscribers to stay away from the stock.
Meanwhile the stock never came back to the recommended levels and the company's problems are far from being resolved. And today, the stock is down 65% from initial recommended levels.
The truth is, despite making all the efforts to be as accurate as possible, there will always be factors that we can't control.
But all said and done, you can rest assured that when you receive a research note from us, it is our honest opinion about the stock - based on certain time-tested criteria and assumptions.
"I would want to acknowledge the fact that Equitymaster is ACTUALLY REALLY GENUINE in its research, SELFLESS and not giving recommendations with a HERD mentality !! Like some magazines and news channels do..."
-- Nishank Mehta, a subscriber since 2009
So here's what all you get by subscribing to StockSelect. . .
52 Blue-chip Recommendations in a year
Every Friday, we'll send you a StockSelect report recommending a Buy/Hold/Sell on one large cap company.
In this report, we will provide you detailed and extensive analysis of the company along with our expert opinions.
Look...
Even though large cap companies are a dime a dozen, it's still important to know which stocks are the right stocks and what is the right price and time to buy these stocks.
StockSelect tells you just that!
Consider the case of Bharat Forge...
Bharat Forge is one of India's largest and technologically most advanced manufacturers of Forged & Machined components...
We recommended this stock in April 2009. The company was then facing serious issue on the balance sheet front as it had loaded the same with debt.
Our view was that the company was soon to get a return on the expansion it made using this debt. We expected the company's domestic operations as well as foray into other segments to minimize the impact that sharply lower exports were having on its overall business.
While we agreed that the company was no doubt struggling to grow at rates that it has managed to do in the past, we thought the fall in stock price was much exaggerated.
And the stock is up 251% since we recommended it.
By subscribing to StockSelect, you'll be notified of 52 exciting Blue-chip Buy/Sell/Hold opportunities at the right time.
You can then explore the opportunities further if you like, and pick a final list of blue-chip stocks to invest in.
In addition to these, we also release special reports from time to time on attractive large caps opportunities.
Fast action takers will benefit from these reports also.
"As regards the positives....the reports are very comprehensive, logical and the analyst seems to have a good understanding of the industry and the firms biz model which I have found lacking in most other reports and recommendations that I come across.
Also it compares the company with their peers too in the market. These days whenever I think investment in stocks ...my 9 year old son Chirag has an opinion but he also insists that I look up the opinion of Equitymaster too !!!..
So you see your team has a lot of credibility not just in this generation but also in the future generation."
-- Tarun Malkani, a StockSelect Subscriber since 2007
Ongoing Research on
The Companies Recommended. . .
And we don't just recommend some companies and forget about them.
At the end of each quarter we review all the stocks that we recommended during the six month period prior to that.
We provide subscribers our latest analysis on all those recommendations... and whether we maintain our views on them or have changed the same.
We illustrate in detail our reasons for maintaining the stance or change in stance, and finally summarize all of those into a table as you can see below:
Apart from these quarterly reviews, another thing that forms part of the "ongoing coverage" is the Quarterly Result Analysis that we write for all companies under coverage... wherein we also mention whether the results are in line with our estimates or not, and whether we maintain our view on the stock or not.
Given that the markets are likely to remain bumpy for some more time, this kind of information can come in very handy.
Here's what one subscriber had to say about our review reports...
"I appreciate your dedication in giving periodic reviews and outlook/current recommendations. This is a stand out feature in your basket!"
-- Srinivasan S, a StockSelect Subscriber since 2008
S-Features
These are articles and reports that are available to our premium subscribers only.
We release over 800 of them every year.
You might understand that there a lot of factors influencing the stock price, most of which need to be monitored regularly. So from time to time, we release instant reports and updates on various companies.
These articles include excerpts of management meetings, extracts of conference calls, updates on the happenings in a company and our personal views on it, and so on.
This is all "unadulterated" information and it will serve as a valuable input for your investment decision.
The Portfolio Tracker
The Portfolio Tracker is an online utility that helps you track all your equity and mutual fund investments in one place! It's online, and is available to you 24 hrs a day.
You just have to enter the details of stocks or mutual funds owned by you ONCE... and Portfolio Tracker will show you what your entire portfolio is worth AT THAT MOMENT anytime you log into it.
Furthermore...
You can set your account to send you automatic end-of-week and end-of-month performance updates for all your portfolios.
You can set up priced based alerts for all the stocks that you own (and also the stocks that you don't own but only wish to track).
Plus, you can also track your SIPs and get NAV alerts for the mutual fund schemes with Portfolio Tracker now
But wait...
What makes the Portfolio Tracker the indispensable tool that it is are the intelligent reports that come along with it.
You see, we at Equitymaster have spent a considerable amount of time trying to understand how the fund managers who invest for the long-term track and review their portfolios.
And it is the relevant learnings from this exercise that we have translated into reports.
In a nutshell, these reports help you answer questions like -
Should you be buying stocks from the automobile sector or the consumer products sector? Do you have too much of cement stocks in your portfolio?
Which stocks deserve your maximum attention?
Is the construction of your portfolio in line with what a smart fund manager would have?
...and so on
Here's what one long-time user had to say about Portfolio Tracker:
"I have been using the Equitymaster Portfolio Tracker since 2002 and have found it very useful to track my investments, and also to carry out meaningful analysis.
Moreover, what is equally important, I have found the team at Equitymaster extremely responsive.
This applies both to requests for the inclusion of new Mutual Fund Schemes/Scrips as also designing new reports."
-- Jose Rodrigues, a member since 2002
The Portfolio Tracker usually costs Rs 330 for a year. But by subscribing to StockSelect, you get it absolutely FREE.
"How to Plan Your Equity Portfolio":
Our Recently Released Asset Allocation Guide
Our experience shows us that a majority of new investors fall into two main categories:
Those that primarily aim for big returns and often take unnecessarily risks to achieve the same
Those that are overly particular about safety and often forgo excellent money-making opportunities just because there's a slight bit of risk involved
The truth is... if you want to make to lead a RICH and HAPPY life with the money you make from your stock investments, you must learn to tread the middle path between the two.
Therefore our intention through this guide is to help you allocate your investments properly... to not just give you a chance of maximizing your stock market returns but also keep the risk involved to a minimum.
So after reading this guide, you will FINALLY know how to distribute your investments between large, mid and small caps stock... apart from a lot of other things.
And this guide, too, will be available to you FREE when you subscribe to StockSelect.
The Equitymaster Yearbook 2011 (PDF Version):
Be among the first to get it
An extremely popular publication, the Equitymaster Yearbook, is a guide consisting of financial analysis and business profiles of the leading 200 companies in India.
It helps you understand the long-term trends associated with each company and sector, and thereby plan your investments intelligently.
For each of the 200 selected companies, the Yearbook provides a full page of financial and other important data, conveniently tabulated under relevant headings with a host of important ratios.
And apart from this, you also have detailed notes on over 20 sectors, the Indian economy, mutual funds and a lot more.
Simply put, this Yearbook offers accurate, unbiased and detailed data on leading companies, sectors and economy all in one place... and there's no other resource that offers all this information together.
That's why it's something every investor must have.
The Yearbook costs Rs 750 to buy separately. But if you subscribe to Equitymaster through this offer, you will get the PDF version of this Yearbook absolutely FREE.
Free subscription to
The Daily Reckoning . . .
Are you someone who's interested in monitoring or even investing in the global markets?
Now you can read what knowledgeable investors across the globe read every single day for global market analysis and investment ideas.
Yes, we are delighted to bring you 'The Daily Reckoning', a daily financial e-column by Bill Bonner, Publisher and Editor, and three-time New York Times best-selling author.
The Daily Reckoning is published every day in 3 languages from offices in 6 countries - US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, South Africa.
Now, it's India's turn... and your turn to get it for FREE!
When you subscribe to StockSelect, you automatically get a free subscription to the Daily Reckoning also.
- - - And I've saved the best news for last - - -
You might be thinking all this would cost a lot, but no!
The price of StockSelect is normally Rs 5,000 per year, which is anyway not much to pay for a service like this.
But for the next few days (till 28th February,2011), you can subscribe to StockSelect for Rs 2,450 only.
At more than half-off!
And, you can sign up at this highly discounted price and test-drive StockSelect for a full 30 days.
If you don't like it, get in touch with us before the 31st day, and we'll refund the full fee you paid. That's a promise!
However, you must act quickly.
This offer will close at 5PM on the 28th of February. And after that, the subscription price of StockSelect will also go back up to the usual Rs 5,000.
So to summarize, here's all you get by signing up to StockSelect...
StockSelect subscription for Rs 2,450 only... (less than 50% of actual price)
Equitymaster Yearbook 2011 (PDF Version) worth Rs 750
Special Reports from time to time
Quarterly reviews of our recommendations
S-Features
The NEW Portfolio Tracker
Our Special report - "How to Plan Your Equity Portfolio"
FREE subscription to 'The Daily Reckoning'
Try StockSelect without any risk. . .
Look, StockSelect has an extremely good success rate of 82.5%, and you'll also be investing in the some of the market's safest stocks by subscribing to it.
Plus, you've also got nothing to lose...
If you make use of this offer, you can subscribe to StockSelect at a highly discounted price, and try the service for 30 days without risk.
During this one month, you'll get 4 current issues of StockSelect... plus access to archives of all the previous issues.
After going through the current and past issues, you should have a good idea of whether StockSelect is for you or not.
If you don't like what you see, just let us know before the 31st day and we will refund the entire price - no questions asked.
So you have at least 2 good reasons to sign up for StockSelect NOW:
To get your subscription to StockSelect for just Rs 2,450 instead of the usual price of Rs 5,000
To get access to our extremely popular Equitymaster Yearbook 2011 costing Rs 750 for FREE
Why delay any more?
[Sign up now! Click here]
Regards,
Rahul Goel
Chief Executive Officer
Equitymaster.com
P.S.: This offer will close at 5 PM on 28th of February. So sign up before then to get...
Subscription to StockSelect for just Rs 2,450 (usual price = Rs 5,000)
A free copy of the new Equitymaster Yearbook 2011 (PDF version) worth Rs 750
Our Special guide - "How to Plan Your Equity Portfolio"
...and much more!
P.P.S.: There's a 30-day money back guarantee on this offer. So sign up and at least see what StockSelect is all about. If you don't like it, we'll give you a FULL refund anyway.
P.P.P.S.: Here's what another subscriber has to say...
"I am a subscriber to StockSelect, MidcapSelect & Hidden Treasure.
Equitymaster has really shown its skill in finding the PICKS much before others do.
I know that it is not so easy for an analyst to 'pick up' ahead of others always.
BUT YOUR RESULTS INDICATE THAT THE TEAM WORKS HARD."
This is a BIG investment bank... people who you should closely follow and listen to. The so-called "experts".
Why? Because every time they make such calls, it's usually a great time to buy stocks.
But not just any stocks... only blue chip stocks that are available for dirt cheap.
And to know exactly how you go about doing that, just read on...
Warm regards,
Rahul Goel
CEO, Equitymaster.com
Ignore what your stock broker, your friend and the "talking heads" on TV tell you, and...
Get Rich with
Safe Stocks
Some of these 'Safe Stocks' previously
surged 28 times... 33 times...
And one even jumped 53 times!
Dear Investor,
Blue-chips, or Safe Stocks as they are often called, are known for providing stability and consistent returns.
But please take a look at this now...
Company Name Returns (%)
Asian Paints 133% in 15months
Crompton Greaves 107% in 17 months
Hindalco 132% in 15 months
TCS 94% in 14 months
These are just some of the returns that members of a very privileged group have made - and consistently make - from some of the market's safest stocks.
And I'm going to reveal all about this group in the next few minutes... including their recent stock picks.
In fact, of all the stocks that were recommended for purchase to this group, 82.5% hit their mark.
I know your initial reaction is probably that this number is too good to be true. To tell you the truth, I felt exactly the same way when I saw the report on the track record.
But I even got it cross checked by an independent auditor. And as it turned out, it's absolutely true.
I will shortly share with you complete details about the track record, including the stock picks that did not work out.
But before that, there's something else you should know...
You've been lied to. . .
You see, if you're like most other investors out there, you too were made to believe that there are basically only two kinds of stocks:
1) Safe low-return stocks
2) Risky high-return stocks
If you wanted bigger returns, you were told that there's no other option but to invest in stocks that involve at least some amount of risk.
Or else, just settle for the dividends and small returns that the safe stocks gave you.
What if I told you now that Safe Stocks can make you triple-digit returns also?
It's true!
And how big could these returns possibly be?
Well, let me give you 3 examples...
We recommended L&T on 5th November, 2002 when it was selling at Rs 48*. And when we gave a SELL on it in March 2010, it had risen a whopping 3,275%.
Similarly, Voltas too, which we recommended on 30th June, 2003 returned 2,840% until August 2010 when we gave a SELL on it.
Then we recommended Titan on 21st July, 2003 when it was selling at Rs 67*. Today the same stock is priced at Rs 3,601.
An increase of 5,275%... and we haven't recommended a SELL on Titan yet.
(*Recommendation prices have been adjusted for bonuses and stock splits over the years)
You might say - Such big returns
don't happen every time
Agreed!
But you can make at least double your money from safe stocks consistently, if not more.
You already saw 3 stocks before that generated 100% or more returns in less than 2 years.
Apart from those...
Tata Steel gave 269% in 24 months
Bharat Forge gave 251% in 20 months
Tata Motors gave 129% in 13 months
And there are many, MANY more stocks like these.
So why settle for just tiny returns and dividends, when you can make 100% or more from SAFE large cap stocks easily?
All you need to do is hold the stocks for 2-3 years...
Oh and, you'll also need to do one other thing that most investors don't!
What books, schools or brokers will NOT teach you. . .
What I'm about to tell you now will be in complete contradiction to what you hear usually.
You won't hear this from your investor friend, your stock broker or your fund manager. And you also won't read about it in any financial magazine or see it on television investing news.
Listen...
Ever since you got into stocks, you must have had many people tell you that you should always see what the other investors are doing and take cues!
In other words... if a lot of investors are buying a stock, you can safely assume the stock is a good one and buy it.
And if a lot of investors are selling a certain stock, you can take it that the stock has turned bad and sell it away or refrain from buying it.
But while you may think that you'll become rich investing in stocks this way, the truth is you won't get anywhere doing what everybody else is doing.
On the contrary, you'll just end up like most of the investors who are forced to settle for meagre returns and never make the kind of money they want from stocks.
To make more money than other investors
You have to do what most other investors won't do
Invest in companies that everybody else is avoiding.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not telling you to invest in bad stocks. People are obviously avoiding them for a reason.
But sometimes, even perfectly good stocks get ignored due to some misconceptions. Those are the companies I'm telling you to go after.
Let me explain...
See, we all know there are no better companies than the large caps when it comes to stability.
Large caps are all well-established companies with stable earnings and no extensive liabilities.
They are well-managed and have consistently performed across business cycles
They have the resources to not only weather the downturns and disturbances, but also emerge stronger from them
Long-term prospects for large caps are outstanding
So the risk associated with large caps is very low, and you can be assured of steady returns and dividends from them year after year.
However, there's something most people
don't know about large caps. . .
There's a strong belief among investors that large caps are virtually immune to any and all kinds of problems.
That's not really the case.
The truth is that even large cap stocks go through hardships from time to time.
The reasons could be anything like:
Change in the company's top management
Some new initiatives started by the company turning out to be failures
Fall in demand for the company's product in the market
Bad economy
...or anything else for that matter
When things like that happen, the demand for the large cap stock falls temporarily... bringing its price down and making it available to you at a discount!
This is when you need to act fast and grab the stock.
When you grab good companies for cheap, doubling or tripling your money with them becomes all the more easy.
Don't believe me?
Just see these 2 examples. . .
Example #1: Indian Hotels
This was a stock recommended at the height of the global crisis in November 2008.
High inflation, cost pressures, liquidity crisis and regulations concerning the real estate sector had made funding difficult. This coupled with unrealistically high land prices and government red tape was resulting in hotel projects taking longer to fructify.
The slowdown had also led to sharp declines in tourist traffic and room rates, and that too was impacting the company.
But we kept the long term picture in mind and expected the crisis to not have any material impact in the company's future over a 3 to 5 year period.
And the stock is up 93% since then.
Example #2: GSK Consumer
We recommended GSK Consumer in February 2009 when the Indian malted beverage market was seeing stiff competition from new entrants like Dabur and Hindustan Unilever.
In the midst of all this, GSK initiated a 7% price hike in its flagship brand 'Horlicks'. It also leveraged its brand power to launch new variants.
This firmed up our confidence in the company retaining its 70% market share. Plans to introduce products from its global parent's portfolio in oral care, energy drink and other segments over the next 3 to 4 years was the additional sweetener.
So we maintained that despite competition GSK Consumer would be able to leverage its brand power to emerge stronger and improve returns to shareholders.
The stock is up 270% since then.
The Real Reason Why People Avoid Large Caps
Regardless of what everybody says...
We believe the main reason why people avoid large caps is because they aren't aware of this unique, time-tested, highly effective way of making BIG returns from large cap stocks.
Why else would someone say no to triple-digit returns from safe large cap stocks?
Of course, others with vested interests (you know who) also force investors to believe that large caps cannot generate big returns...
Plus, ordinary investors usually won't have the resources to execute this method properly.
But whatever their reason for avoiding large caps, this gives YOU an excellent opportunity to multiply your money safely.
Since you're investing in large cap stocks using this approach, you need not feel that you're taking on too much risk.
Agreed that no investment is 100% guaranteed. Not even large caps!
But with the big companies, you can be confident that they will not disappear overnight and take your entire investment with them.
Moreover, this approach is based on the time-tested investing principle of being greedy when others are fearful, and fearful when others are greedy.
So if done correctly, it is certain to produce profitable results... as has been proved already in the examples presented to you.
But that said, not every large cap company
will be a good buy
You need to know exactly which big companies are likely to recover faster and make bigger returns for you... and of course, when is the right time to buy them.
And this is where Equitymaster comes in...
You see, we've got this Premium research service called StockSelect.
Simply stated...
If you're looking at building a portfolio of blue-chip stocks that could deliver steady returns over the long term, then StockSelect is the service you need to be signed up for.
StockSelect tells you which big companies are a "must-have" for your portfolio... and more importantly, it notifies you as and when they're available at attractive valuations.
It works on a simple principle - buying great companies at bargain prices and making staggering returns on them when the company grows rapidly in a few years.
So with StockSelect, you not only earn consistent dividends but also big returns from the large caps stocks we recommend.
Take Tata Steel for instance...
We recommended Tata Steel in December 2008, when the stock was trading a mammoth 80% lower than its 52-week highs!
The stock's underperformance then could be attributed to its balance sheet that had been loaded with debt on account of the leveraged buyout of Corus.
While we saw the concerns as being valid, we knew those were far too exaggerated. Our calculations showed that even if the company's earnings were to fall by 50%, there would still be enough cash flow for it to pay for its financial expenses on the debt.
So we remained confident that the company will come out of the downturn rather unscathed.
And the stock is up 269% since then.
Please understand that we make all our predictions with a 2-3 year period in mind.
However, in some situations, the markets get into action and bump up the stock price sooner than expected.
In other cases, a market crash leads to the stock price falling rapidly.
So our advice to you is that you ignore the near-term variations and focus only on what you could make in 2-3 years time.
Great companies always recover when the storm passes.
So if you buy the blue-chip stocks at the right time, you could easily make attractive returns over 2-3 years.
Why you can trust us to deliver
We're not stock brokers. We don't gain anything even if you buy the stocks we recommend.
However, our credibility... and more importantly, our income... depend on whether or not the stocks we recommend make you money.
Because if you don't make money from our recommendations, you will simply not renew your subscriptions. Furthermore, you'll also tell your friends not to sign up for our services.
We don't want that, and that's why we take extreme care while finalizing the stocks to recommend.
All our recommendations are supported by thorough research - we list out the reasons to buy and also the investment concerns that we foresee
We travel far and wide to meet companies before we put out reports on them
For each stock, we clearly state the target price and also the time horizon for achieving the same
That's exactly why over 907,500 registered members (of all Equitymaster services combined) trust us!
And there's one other thing...
I bet you too, like numerous other investors, were taken aback by the 'Satyam' fiasco and started wondering how many more companies of that sort are there in India.
Well, guess what?
Because we meet various companies face to face, do our due diligence and continuously track our recommendations... we reduce the risk of a Satyam like situation emerging in stocks that we recommend.
Here's what one subscriber had to say about our research...
"It's been 5 years since I have been a subscriber to all the products of Equitymaster (EM).
EM's "power to people" approach is what made me to associate with them initially. EM's honest, independent and consistent research on stocks is worth appreciating.
In short, I must say it has been a "rewarding" experience."
-- S R Samratt, a StockSelect subscriber since 2005
Another big reason why our research tends to be accurate
more often than not . . .
You see, most investors take the return on stock investment to be the key yardstick while deciding whether or not to buy a stock.
But legendary investors like Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett have always maintained that 'evaluation of risks' should be given as much importance as 'estimation of returns'.
It is in this direction that our research team has developed the Equitymaster Risk Matrix or ERM which helps quantify the risk attached to a stock. The ERM is an integral part of our stock selection process.
Look, you probably understand that no two companies have the same degree of risk associated with them. Even if they operate in the same sector, their business dynamics, managements and valuations are different.
That's why it is important to evaluate the risk involved in each case separately...
And the ERM is designed just for that!
The ERM is a matrix designed to evaluate the key risks attached to a business, it financial history and its management. It ranks not just the company but also the sector in which it operates based on its relative risk profile.
When markets were at their nervous best in late 2008, our Buy recommendations on ACC, Tata Steel, Corporation Bank and Maruti Suzuki were backed by our confidence in the low risk profile of these companies as shown by ERM.
As expected, these stocks went on to multiply our subscribers' wealth several times.
Again, it is the same ERM that we rely on to quantify the risks we believe subscribers need to be cautioned about while recommending a 'Sell'.
"In 2007, Equitymaster was probably the only research house which will give most of HOLD or SELL recommendations rather than BUY reports and everyone knows what happened after that. I feel to be proud subscriber of equitymaster seeing again that you still are not afraid of giving the right opinion irrespective of market moods. Great Job!!!
At the same time in 2007 there were some brokers who will say BUY on every damn stock and stopped releasing updates when market tanked. They are doing similar thing now again giving BUY target on every damn stock. Old habits die hard."
-- Deepak Aggarwal, StockSelect subscriber since 2007
Given the complex operating environment that Indian business are aspiring to be a part of, we believe the ERM can offer immense value to investors seeking to maximize their long term returns by without taking on too much risk.
"I am a subscriber to these services for the past five years. I realized the value of fundamentals for investment decisions only after I started using the services of equitymaster.com.
Earlier, my decisions used to be based on "tips" or "advice from friends" etc.; Equitymaster taught me to base them on business fundamentals.
One very good quality of your organization is that I never have even 5% of doubt about your unbiased approach and your integrity to the retail investors.
Overall, I value the services offered by Equitymaster.com and I acknowledge their contribution to make my investment decisions more scientific."
-- Satish Pendse, a StockSelect Subscriber since 2003
But I won't lie to you -
Sometimes we make mistakes too
Like I said before, StockSelect has an accuracy rate of 82.5%.
That means for every 6 large caps stocks we recommend through StockSelect, 5 hit their target.
So there's 1 stock out of every 6 that does not perform as expected.
Now, there's no doubt that we recommend a stock only when it meets all the required parameters.
But sometimes... despite having all those valid reasons for recommending the stocks... the assumptions we make turn out to be incorrect.
For example, here are 2 stocks that didn't do like we expected them to...
1) Raymond:
The Indian textile industry had just broken the shackles of the quota regime. The government's benign subsidized loan scheme for this sector made it more appealing. What better time to recommend one of the most established names in Indian textile manufacturing and retailing? This was the thought behind our 'HOLD' recommendation on Raymond way back in September 2006.
The company then had a reasonable debt to equity of 0.7 times and net profit margin of 15% which was one of the best in the sector. Since then the stock corrected by 67% (on a point to point basis) until we recommended a Sell on it in September 2008.
Despite having recovered India's largest and technologically most advanced manuthe stock is down 16% from the price at which we recommended a HOLD.
While our judgment of the management's ability to takeoff the joint ventures with foreign partners was faulty, forex losses on sales as well as external borrowings aggravated the matter.
Economic recovery in the developed markets too did not shape up too well over the last two years. The management still remains quite unsure of where its focus lies.
2) Punj Lloyd:
We had recommended Punj Lloyd in 2008 backed by our optimistic assumption about the company consolidating its position as the second largest engineering and construction player in India. Its foray into the oil and gas pipeline business was especially encouraging.
We expected the company would grow due to a strong demand from sectors like pipelines and terminals, aggressive forays into newer segments, and execution of large scale domestic and international projects.
But unfortunately execution delays and cost overruns marred the performance of the company. Our attempts to meet the management to get some clarity on the future direction of the business were also in vain.
In addition to this, after some change in the senior management, the new members seem very reluctant to share the long term outlook for the company. Finally we asked our subscribers to stay away from the stock.
Meanwhile the stock never came back to the recommended levels and the company's problems are far from being resolved. And today, the stock is down 65% from initial recommended levels.
The truth is, despite making all the efforts to be as accurate as possible, there will always be factors that we can't control.
But all said and done, you can rest assured that when you receive a research note from us, it is our honest opinion about the stock - based on certain time-tested criteria and assumptions.
"I would want to acknowledge the fact that Equitymaster is ACTUALLY REALLY GENUINE in its research, SELFLESS and not giving recommendations with a HERD mentality !! Like some magazines and news channels do..."
-- Nishank Mehta, a subscriber since 2009
So here's what all you get by subscribing to StockSelect. . .
52 Blue-chip Recommendations in a year
Every Friday, we'll send you a StockSelect report recommending a Buy/Hold/Sell on one large cap company.
In this report, we will provide you detailed and extensive analysis of the company along with our expert opinions.
Look...
Even though large cap companies are a dime a dozen, it's still important to know which stocks are the right stocks and what is the right price and time to buy these stocks.
StockSelect tells you just that!
Consider the case of Bharat Forge...
Bharat Forge is one of India's largest and technologically most advanced manufacturers of Forged & Machined components...
We recommended this stock in April 2009. The company was then facing serious issue on the balance sheet front as it had loaded the same with debt.
Our view was that the company was soon to get a return on the expansion it made using this debt. We expected the company's domestic operations as well as foray into other segments to minimize the impact that sharply lower exports were having on its overall business.
While we agreed that the company was no doubt struggling to grow at rates that it has managed to do in the past, we thought the fall in stock price was much exaggerated.
And the stock is up 251% since we recommended it.
By subscribing to StockSelect, you'll be notified of 52 exciting Blue-chip Buy/Sell/Hold opportunities at the right time.
You can then explore the opportunities further if you like, and pick a final list of blue-chip stocks to invest in.
In addition to these, we also release special reports from time to time on attractive large caps opportunities.
Fast action takers will benefit from these reports also.
"As regards the positives....the reports are very comprehensive, logical and the analyst seems to have a good understanding of the industry and the firms biz model which I have found lacking in most other reports and recommendations that I come across.
Also it compares the company with their peers too in the market. These days whenever I think investment in stocks ...my 9 year old son Chirag has an opinion but he also insists that I look up the opinion of Equitymaster too !!!..
So you see your team has a lot of credibility not just in this generation but also in the future generation."
-- Tarun Malkani, a StockSelect Subscriber since 2007
Ongoing Research on
The Companies Recommended. . .
And we don't just recommend some companies and forget about them.
At the end of each quarter we review all the stocks that we recommended during the six month period prior to that.
We provide subscribers our latest analysis on all those recommendations... and whether we maintain our views on them or have changed the same.
We illustrate in detail our reasons for maintaining the stance or change in stance, and finally summarize all of those into a table as you can see below:
Apart from these quarterly reviews, another thing that forms part of the "ongoing coverage" is the Quarterly Result Analysis that we write for all companies under coverage... wherein we also mention whether the results are in line with our estimates or not, and whether we maintain our view on the stock or not.
Given that the markets are likely to remain bumpy for some more time, this kind of information can come in very handy.
Here's what one subscriber had to say about our review reports...
"I appreciate your dedication in giving periodic reviews and outlook/current recommendations. This is a stand out feature in your basket!"
-- Srinivasan S, a StockSelect Subscriber since 2008
S-Features
These are articles and reports that are available to our premium subscribers only.
We release over 800 of them every year.
You might understand that there a lot of factors influencing the stock price, most of which need to be monitored regularly. So from time to time, we release instant reports and updates on various companies.
These articles include excerpts of management meetings, extracts of conference calls, updates on the happenings in a company and our personal views on it, and so on.
This is all "unadulterated" information and it will serve as a valuable input for your investment decision.
The Portfolio Tracker
The Portfolio Tracker is an online utility that helps you track all your equity and mutual fund investments in one place! It's online, and is available to you 24 hrs a day.
You just have to enter the details of stocks or mutual funds owned by you ONCE... and Portfolio Tracker will show you what your entire portfolio is worth AT THAT MOMENT anytime you log into it.
Furthermore...
You can set your account to send you automatic end-of-week and end-of-month performance updates for all your portfolios.
You can set up priced based alerts for all the stocks that you own (and also the stocks that you don't own but only wish to track).
Plus, you can also track your SIPs and get NAV alerts for the mutual fund schemes with Portfolio Tracker now
But wait...
What makes the Portfolio Tracker the indispensable tool that it is are the intelligent reports that come along with it.
You see, we at Equitymaster have spent a considerable amount of time trying to understand how the fund managers who invest for the long-term track and review their portfolios.
And it is the relevant learnings from this exercise that we have translated into reports.
In a nutshell, these reports help you answer questions like -
Should you be buying stocks from the automobile sector or the consumer products sector? Do you have too much of cement stocks in your portfolio?
Which stocks deserve your maximum attention?
Is the construction of your portfolio in line with what a smart fund manager would have?
...and so on
Here's what one long-time user had to say about Portfolio Tracker:
"I have been using the Equitymaster Portfolio Tracker since 2002 and have found it very useful to track my investments, and also to carry out meaningful analysis.
Moreover, what is equally important, I have found the team at Equitymaster extremely responsive.
This applies both to requests for the inclusion of new Mutual Fund Schemes/Scrips as also designing new reports."
-- Jose Rodrigues, a member since 2002
The Portfolio Tracker usually costs Rs 330 for a year. But by subscribing to StockSelect, you get it absolutely FREE.
"How to Plan Your Equity Portfolio":
Our Recently Released Asset Allocation Guide
Our experience shows us that a majority of new investors fall into two main categories:
Those that primarily aim for big returns and often take unnecessarily risks to achieve the same
Those that are overly particular about safety and often forgo excellent money-making opportunities just because there's a slight bit of risk involved
The truth is... if you want to make to lead a RICH and HAPPY life with the money you make from your stock investments, you must learn to tread the middle path between the two.
Therefore our intention through this guide is to help you allocate your investments properly... to not just give you a chance of maximizing your stock market returns but also keep the risk involved to a minimum.
So after reading this guide, you will FINALLY know how to distribute your investments between large, mid and small caps stock... apart from a lot of other things.
And this guide, too, will be available to you FREE when you subscribe to StockSelect.
The Equitymaster Yearbook 2011 (PDF Version):
Be among the first to get it
An extremely popular publication, the Equitymaster Yearbook, is a guide consisting of financial analysis and business profiles of the leading 200 companies in India.
It helps you understand the long-term trends associated with each company and sector, and thereby plan your investments intelligently.
For each of the 200 selected companies, the Yearbook provides a full page of financial and other important data, conveniently tabulated under relevant headings with a host of important ratios.
And apart from this, you also have detailed notes on over 20 sectors, the Indian economy, mutual funds and a lot more.
Simply put, this Yearbook offers accurate, unbiased and detailed data on leading companies, sectors and economy all in one place... and there's no other resource that offers all this information together.
That's why it's something every investor must have.
The Yearbook costs Rs 750 to buy separately. But if you subscribe to Equitymaster through this offer, you will get the PDF version of this Yearbook absolutely FREE.
Free subscription to
The Daily Reckoning . . .
Are you someone who's interested in monitoring or even investing in the global markets?
Now you can read what knowledgeable investors across the globe read every single day for global market analysis and investment ideas.
Yes, we are delighted to bring you 'The Daily Reckoning', a daily financial e-column by Bill Bonner, Publisher and Editor, and three-time New York Times best-selling author.
The Daily Reckoning is published every day in 3 languages from offices in 6 countries - US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, South Africa.
Now, it's India's turn... and your turn to get it for FREE!
When you subscribe to StockSelect, you automatically get a free subscription to the Daily Reckoning also.
- - - And I've saved the best news for last - - -
You might be thinking all this would cost a lot, but no!
The price of StockSelect is normally Rs 5,000 per year, which is anyway not much to pay for a service like this.
But for the next few days (till 28th February,2011), you can subscribe to StockSelect for Rs 2,450 only.
At more than half-off!
And, you can sign up at this highly discounted price and test-drive StockSelect for a full 30 days.
If you don't like it, get in touch with us before the 31st day, and we'll refund the full fee you paid. That's a promise!
However, you must act quickly.
This offer will close at 5PM on the 28th of February. And after that, the subscription price of StockSelect will also go back up to the usual Rs 5,000.
So to summarize, here's all you get by signing up to StockSelect...
StockSelect subscription for Rs 2,450 only... (less than 50% of actual price)
Equitymaster Yearbook 2011 (PDF Version) worth Rs 750
Special Reports from time to time
Quarterly reviews of our recommendations
S-Features
The NEW Portfolio Tracker
Our Special report - "How to Plan Your Equity Portfolio"
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Wednesday, September 1, 2010
life is realtive
Life is 100% relative to your situation. Your life is built on your expectation. What you expect from a situation will determine whether or not you will be let down or amazed. For instance, if you’re going see a movie and someone tells you it’s a great movie, and all you hear about it is how good it is. You go to see it and it doesn’t live up to your expectations. Well, your then a little let down even if the movie was pretty good. Every aspect of life is like that.
If you’re going through a tough or bad situation it feels so much better when things get better. The tougher or harder the situation the better it feels later. I myself have gone through it time and time again, and I don’t expect it to stop. I just live for the good times and survive through the bad times. For me things are a little more extreme mainly because I am bipolar. So, the good times are really good and the bad times are tough.
If you’re going through a tough or bad situation it feels so much better when things get better. The tougher or harder the situation the better it feels later. I myself have gone through it time and time again, and I don’t expect it to stop. I just live for the good times and survive through the bad times. For me things are a little more extreme mainly because I am bipolar. So, the good times are really good and the bad times are tough.
Monday, April 5, 2010
ARAVIND ADIGA -"THE WHITE TIGER"
ARAVIND ADIGA "THE WHITE TIGER" - finished the entire book in mangalore not that great to be a booker awardee but it has its moments i beleive these westerners just love the idea of poor and illiterate india see all awards goes to these concepts like slum dog etc common there is so much better things in india wake up wake up wake up
Monday, February 15, 2010
my mom is she similar to u tell me na
Trust me read on this one really makes u thinks about ur mom
1.My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."
2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."
3. My mother taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, that's why."
4. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."
5. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."
6. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."
7. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"
8. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out." hehe
9. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. (this one for di)
"Stop acting like your father!" (janna)
10. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."
11. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"
12. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."
13. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT .
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."
14. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father." hehe
15. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."
16. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you
1.My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."
2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."
3. My mother taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, that's why."
4. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."
5. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."
6. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."
7. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"
8. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out." hehe
9. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. (this one for di)
"Stop acting like your father!" (janna)
10. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."
11. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"
12. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."
13. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT .
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."
14. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father." hehe
15. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."
16. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you
Friday, January 15, 2010
SOME OF MY ONE LINERS WHICH IS VERY CLOSE TO ME
1. I say no to alcohol, it just doesn't listen.
2. A friend in need is a pest indeed.
3. Marriage is one of the chief causes of divorce.
4. Work is fine if it doesn't take too much of your time.
5. When everything comes in your way you're in the wrong lane.
6. The light at the end of the tunnel may be an incoming train..
7. Born free, taxed to death.
8. Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film.
9. Life is unsure; always eat your dessert first.
10. Smile, it makes people wonder what you are thinking.
11. If you keep your feet firmly on the ground, you'll have trouble putting on your pants.
12. It's not hard to meet expenses, they are everywhere.
13. I love being a writer... what I can't stand is the paperwork.
14. A printer consists of 3 main parts: the case, the jammed paper tray and the blinking red light.
15. The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot. The guy who invented the other three, he was the genius.
16. The trouble with being punctual is that no one is there to appreciate it.
17. In a country of free speech, why are there phone bills?
18. If you cannot change your mind, are you sure you have one?
19. It's not the fall that kills you. It's the sudden stop at the end.
22. The cigarette does the smoking you are just the sucker.
23. Whenever I find the key to success, someone changes the lock.
24. The road to success.... Is always under construction.
25. Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but if you think again, neither does Milk.
26. In order to get a Loan, you first need to prove that you don't need it.
…….and here's the best of the lot.
27. All the desirable things in life are either illegal, expensive, fattening or in love with someone else.
2. A friend in need is a pest indeed.
3. Marriage is one of the chief causes of divorce.
4. Work is fine if it doesn't take too much of your time.
5. When everything comes in your way you're in the wrong lane.
6. The light at the end of the tunnel may be an incoming train..
7. Born free, taxed to death.
8. Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film.
9. Life is unsure; always eat your dessert first.
10. Smile, it makes people wonder what you are thinking.
11. If you keep your feet firmly on the ground, you'll have trouble putting on your pants.
12. It's not hard to meet expenses, they are everywhere.
13. I love being a writer... what I can't stand is the paperwork.
14. A printer consists of 3 main parts: the case, the jammed paper tray and the blinking red light.
15. The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot. The guy who invented the other three, he was the genius.
16. The trouble with being punctual is that no one is there to appreciate it.
17. In a country of free speech, why are there phone bills?
18. If you cannot change your mind, are you sure you have one?
19. It's not the fall that kills you. It's the sudden stop at the end.
22. The cigarette does the smoking you are just the sucker.
23. Whenever I find the key to success, someone changes the lock.
24. The road to success.... Is always under construction.
25. Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but if you think again, neither does Milk.
26. In order to get a Loan, you first need to prove that you don't need it.
…….and here's the best of the lot.
27. All the desirable things in life are either illegal, expensive, fattening or in love with someone else.
THE SONGS THAT HAS BEEN WITH ME THROUGHOUT
the songs that has been with me through out
1. When in college: Hum honge kaamiyaab, Hum honge kaam iyaab ek din.....
2. when giving interview to Multi National Company: Tu hi re.. Too hi re ....tere binaaa main kaise jiyunn....
3. waiting for interview result: Intehaa ho gai Intzaarki.. aayinaaa kuch khabar mere yaarki
4. Just joined: Too cheez badi hai mast mast......
5. after some time: Ye kahaan aa gaye hum??
6. After some more time: Naa koyi umang hai, naa koyi tarang hai, meri jindagi ek kati Pathang hai (booohoooo)
7. floating the resume: kabootar ja ja ja... kabootar ja ja ja... pehele pyar ki peheli chitthi...
8. finally when you don't get a better offer any longer:
Jeena Yehaan, marna Yehaan
iske siwa Jaana Kahaa…….!!
1. When in college: Hum honge kaamiyaab, Hum honge kaam iyaab ek din.....
2. when giving interview to Multi National Company: Tu hi re.. Too hi re ....tere binaaa main kaise jiyunn....
3. waiting for interview result: Intehaa ho gai Intzaarki.. aayinaaa kuch khabar mere yaarki
4. Just joined: Too cheez badi hai mast mast......
5. after some time: Ye kahaan aa gaye hum??
6. After some more time: Naa koyi umang hai, naa koyi tarang hai, meri jindagi ek kati Pathang hai (booohoooo)
7. floating the resume: kabootar ja ja ja... kabootar ja ja ja... pehele pyar ki peheli chitthi...
8. finally when you don't get a better offer any longer:
Jeena Yehaan, marna Yehaan
iske siwa Jaana Kahaa…….!!
LOVE YOU DAD
wen i was young
To see you now with life's scars on your face
Each one tells a story of its own
As the lines grow many and deeper with time
Your love shines through and never dims.
Things I took for granted like you'd always be here
Now weighs heavy like a stone in my heart
You gave me life and took from your own
With never a second thought never a blink
I hope that now as you look back
You see your love was not wasted on me
I could never be all that you are to me
I am merely a reflection of your heart
i know the pain you went through
when you couldnt see ur father when born
gods grace i am not unlucky like you
but to be blessed to have a father like you
Through it all I will always love you
thanks dad
To see you now with life's scars on your face
Each one tells a story of its own
As the lines grow many and deeper with time
Your love shines through and never dims.
Things I took for granted like you'd always be here
Now weighs heavy like a stone in my heart
You gave me life and took from your own
With never a second thought never a blink
I hope that now as you look back
You see your love was not wasted on me
I could never be all that you are to me
I am merely a reflection of your heart
i know the pain you went through
when you couldnt see ur father when born
gods grace i am not unlucky like you
but to be blessed to have a father like you
Through it all I will always love you
thanks dad
Sunday, January 3, 2010
FUTURISTIC TRENDS IN BAR- HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE LIQUEUR
I love chocolate liqueurs but the they usually fall short of the deep chocolate flavor that I adore.
I plan on using my amuse buche' shot glasses and topping each one with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and s sprinkling of shavings.
It's also just the thing to take plain vanilla ice cream way over the top with it's lusciousness!
This liqueur also makes just the most fabulous martini in the world and its so much fun to let it slip that you made the liqueur yourself!
SERVES 6
Ingredients1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 cup vodka
3/4 cup heavy cream, for topping
Directions
In a bowl, dissolve cocoa powder in boiling water.
In a saucepan, bring sugar and water to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Add sugar syrup to cocoa syrup.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a jar with a lid.
Add the vodka, cover and refrigerate over night.
To serve, stir well and strain again through a fine-mesh sieve into a martini glass, 2/3 full.
Top with lightly-sweetened whipped cream, or float heavy cream on top.
(Hold a spoon with the bowl down and the edge almost touching the liqueur in the glass. Pour the cream slowly over the back of the spoon until a layer 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep floats on top of the liqueur.)
Garnish with cocoa nibs or chocolate shavings.
AKSHAY ADVICE-YOU CAN ALSO ADD CREAM DURING MAKING PROCESS WHICH WILL MAKE YOU REACH NEXT TO BAILEYS OR DOOLEYS
TRY MELTED VANILLA ICE CREAM IT CAN MAKE WONDERS
TRUST ME
CHEERS
I plan on using my amuse buche' shot glasses and topping each one with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and s sprinkling of shavings.
It's also just the thing to take plain vanilla ice cream way over the top with it's lusciousness!
This liqueur also makes just the most fabulous martini in the world and its so much fun to let it slip that you made the liqueur yourself!
SERVES 6
Ingredients1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 cup vodka
3/4 cup heavy cream, for topping
Directions
In a bowl, dissolve cocoa powder in boiling water.
In a saucepan, bring sugar and water to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Add sugar syrup to cocoa syrup.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a jar with a lid.
Add the vodka, cover and refrigerate over night.
To serve, stir well and strain again through a fine-mesh sieve into a martini glass, 2/3 full.
Top with lightly-sweetened whipped cream, or float heavy cream on top.
(Hold a spoon with the bowl down and the edge almost touching the liqueur in the glass. Pour the cream slowly over the back of the spoon until a layer 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep floats on top of the liqueur.)
Garnish with cocoa nibs or chocolate shavings.
AKSHAY ADVICE-YOU CAN ALSO ADD CREAM DURING MAKING PROCESS WHICH WILL MAKE YOU REACH NEXT TO BAILEYS OR DOOLEYS
TRY MELTED VANILLA ICE CREAM IT CAN MAKE WONDERS
TRUST ME
CHEERS
FUTURISTIC TRENDS IN BAR - HOT BUTTERED RUM
Hot Buttered Rum!
I love hot buttered rum! It’s an especially cheerful beverage to drink right now when the holidays are over and you’re left with the chilly January winds.
It’s a wonderful thing to drink before bed when you’re feeling a bit under the weather and a gentle restorative for “the morning after” a bit of an excessive night!
My homemade hot buttered rum is not terribly traditional because it’s really a blend of two recipes; one for the ancient medieval drink known as “Lambs Wool” and a traditional hot buttered rum made with rum and lots of spice! “Lambs Wool” is a truly wonderful drink all on its own; a delicious blend of baked apples, mulling spices, cider and dark ale slowly simmered until the apples are all “wooly”!
To transform the recipe into the buttered rum all you’ll need are a few simple additions!The first thing that you’ll need to do is bake a plate of apples! Simply core 4 or 5 small apples and fill the insides with raisins, slivered almonds, brown sugar , pumpkin pie spices , amaretto and butter. If the ingredients spill all over the apples even better and bake them until soft and caramelized! In a pinch you can use cinnamon applesauce and it will taste very good but I like the baked and buttered apples better!
They are about as good as it gets for this medieval history buff!Next, pour a gallon of good cider into a pot and add 1 and a half cups of brown sugar, several cracked cinnamon sticks,1/2 of a teaspoon of whole cloves, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon each of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg.
Bring to a boil and add the apple and all of their juices. Let them simmer for a bit or until the apples explode and get all “wooly”. Trust me, you’ll know what I mean by that! Then bring down the heat a bit and add 1 bottle of very good dark ale and a half of a bottle of red wine (something you like the taste of and not too cheap).
Simmer for another minute and then add one stick of organic salted butter. When the butter has melted, give the whole thing a good stir and then taste. Adjust the seasonings and the sugar and then add the rum , probably about half a fifth! You’ll have to taste as you go, but that’s the only way to get the proportions correct! I love to use CAPTAIN MORGAN Rum because it is so rich, dark and as sweet as the molasses it’s made from. The Captain Morgan “Private Stock” will work well also, but may be a bit prohibitive in price for the amount you’ll need! However…if that’s not an issue go ahead and drink with the Captain because the Private Stock elevates this drink from exceptional to ambrosial…..One more good stir and you’re ready to serve!
You’ll notice that the whole thing will have become very silken and be sure to add more butter if you wish! Serve the Hot Buttered Rum in tempered glass mugs that you’ve already warmed with a swish of boiling hot water. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and enjoy and if you really want to gild the lily, a dollop of sweetened whipped cream!I purchased the bottles of Myers Original Dark Rum and the Captain Morgan Private Stock Rum and Amaretto that I used for this recipe all by myself........
I love hot buttered rum! It’s an especially cheerful beverage to drink right now when the holidays are over and you’re left with the chilly January winds.
It’s a wonderful thing to drink before bed when you’re feeling a bit under the weather and a gentle restorative for “the morning after” a bit of an excessive night!
My homemade hot buttered rum is not terribly traditional because it’s really a blend of two recipes; one for the ancient medieval drink known as “Lambs Wool” and a traditional hot buttered rum made with rum and lots of spice! “Lambs Wool” is a truly wonderful drink all on its own; a delicious blend of baked apples, mulling spices, cider and dark ale slowly simmered until the apples are all “wooly”!
To transform the recipe into the buttered rum all you’ll need are a few simple additions!The first thing that you’ll need to do is bake a plate of apples! Simply core 4 or 5 small apples and fill the insides with raisins, slivered almonds, brown sugar , pumpkin pie spices , amaretto and butter. If the ingredients spill all over the apples even better and bake them until soft and caramelized! In a pinch you can use cinnamon applesauce and it will taste very good but I like the baked and buttered apples better!
They are about as good as it gets for this medieval history buff!Next, pour a gallon of good cider into a pot and add 1 and a half cups of brown sugar, several cracked cinnamon sticks,1/2 of a teaspoon of whole cloves, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon each of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg.
Bring to a boil and add the apple and all of their juices. Let them simmer for a bit or until the apples explode and get all “wooly”. Trust me, you’ll know what I mean by that! Then bring down the heat a bit and add 1 bottle of very good dark ale and a half of a bottle of red wine (something you like the taste of and not too cheap).
Simmer for another minute and then add one stick of organic salted butter. When the butter has melted, give the whole thing a good stir and then taste. Adjust the seasonings and the sugar and then add the rum , probably about half a fifth! You’ll have to taste as you go, but that’s the only way to get the proportions correct! I love to use CAPTAIN MORGAN Rum because it is so rich, dark and as sweet as the molasses it’s made from. The Captain Morgan “Private Stock” will work well also, but may be a bit prohibitive in price for the amount you’ll need! However…if that’s not an issue go ahead and drink with the Captain because the Private Stock elevates this drink from exceptional to ambrosial…..One more good stir and you’re ready to serve!
You’ll notice that the whole thing will have become very silken and be sure to add more butter if you wish! Serve the Hot Buttered Rum in tempered glass mugs that you’ve already warmed with a swish of boiling hot water. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and enjoy and if you really want to gild the lily, a dollop of sweetened whipped cream!I purchased the bottles of Myers Original Dark Rum and the Captain Morgan Private Stock Rum and Amaretto that I used for this recipe all by myself........
Friday, January 1, 2010
LEADERSHIP
I ALWAYS TAUGHT AM ONE OF THEM
AS I ALWAYS SAY AM OPTIMISTIC TO SAY THE LEAST
YAYA BALL TALKS AM GOOD AT THAT TOOO
THATS WHY AM WRITING THIS ONE
THIS IS THE INTRESTING TOPIC
AS I ALWAYS SAY AM OPTIMISTIC TO SAY THE LEAST
YAYA BALL TALKS AM GOOD AT THAT TOOO
THATS WHY AM WRITING THIS ONE
THIS IS THE INTRESTING TOPIC
One of those reasons is the underlying belief that leadership can be taught.
With enough training, anybody can be a leader. The theory is that leaders are made, not born. Or are they?
The other day a woman told me that she sees definite leadership traits in her son. I asked her how old he was. "Six," she replied. Too young to have been through any leadership training
. So areleaders born or made? The answer is both
.The problem is that we often get fuzzy about what can and cannot be taught, and at the heart of the fuzziness is the difference between talent and skill.Talent is what we do well naturally. It is our bent.
Talents are inborn, and can be discovered and developed. They cannot be taught. However, skills can. Skills are simply how to do something. They are learned and transferable. When we confuse talent and skill, we set ourselves up for disappointing expectations from training.What does this have to do with developing leaders? Everything. For example, the ability to create vision and strategy is a key leadership trait. Some people have a talent for it. They do it naturallyand continually.
Others don’t. Both can learn some skills that will help them do it better. The difference is that the one with the corresponding talent can be excellent at it, while the otherone can be adequate at best. Talent is required for excellence. Who wants more "adequate" leaders?Here’s the bottom line for developing your leadership potential: become the leader you are designed to be. Discover your natural motivational talents, and build on them. Volunteer for assignments and training that complement your natural giftedness.
BUST MOST IMP LEARNING ADEQUATE SKILLS FOR APPROPRIATE JOB IS ESSENTIAL
THATS HE REASON AM NOT JUMPING ANYWERE IN MY LAST 3 YRS
ONLY CLOSE ONE CAN UNDERSTAND
Get on the track to excellence by aligning your development with your talents.There are all types of leaders.
Some rouse and inspire.
Some organize.
Some are strategic, and some tactical.
Some spot opportunities, and some protect against disaster
. All are needed in this worldof ours.
you are imposible ms ******
hey i dont understand why women are impossible and please i dont mean "i m possible" here
though am highly optimistic
this gal has tested my limits
i remember the story i told you
here i repeat again ms ******
A store that sells husbands has just opened in itpl bangalore, where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates.
You may visit the store Only once!There are six floors and the attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights.
There is, however, one condition ; you may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may choose to go up a floor, but you cannot go back except to the exit of the building.
So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
Floor 1 - These men have jobs and love the Lord.
The second floor sign reads:
Floor 2 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, and love kids.
The third floor sign reads:
Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, and are extremely good looking."Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.
She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads:
Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are drop- dead good looking and help with the housework."Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it!"
Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads:
Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are drop- dead gorgeous, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak.
She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the sign reads
:Floor 6 - You are visitor 4,363,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store. Watch your step as you exit the building, and have a nice day!
SO PLEASE HAVE A NICE DAY AND MAKE OTHERS DAY NICE
though am highly optimistic
this gal has tested my limits
i remember the story i told you
here i repeat again ms ******
A store that sells husbands has just opened in itpl bangalore, where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates.
You may visit the store Only once!There are six floors and the attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights.
There is, however, one condition ; you may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may choose to go up a floor, but you cannot go back except to the exit of the building.
So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
Floor 1 - These men have jobs and love the Lord.
The second floor sign reads:
Floor 2 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, and love kids.
The third floor sign reads:
Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, and are extremely good looking."Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.
She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads:
Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are drop- dead good looking and help with the housework."Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it!"
Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads:
Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are drop- dead gorgeous, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak.
She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the sign reads
:Floor 6 - You are visitor 4,363,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store. Watch your step as you exit the building, and have a nice day!
SO PLEASE HAVE A NICE DAY AND MAKE OTHERS DAY NICE
Friday, December 25, 2009
motivation versus talent
Hydrogen and oxygen are distinctly different elements, but sometimes they combine to form water. Something similar is true for motivation and talent.Motivation is what we LIKE to do naturally.
Talent is what we DO well naturally. They can exist independently, but when they combine, they create something special. They create motivated talents.People often are naturally good at something (talented), but it just doesn’t turn them on. For example, manoj is good with numbers, but he doesn’t go out of his way to find tasks calling for that talent. Most people have such talents. But then there are those talents that we really enjoy using.
These are the motivated talents, and this is where the magic is.We use motivated talents every chance we get. Most of the time we don’t even think about it. For example, akshay has a motivated talent for conversation, and he naturally engages both friends andstrangers in dialog. He doesn’t consciously determine to do so; it just happens. It’s natural and unforced. He enjoys it, and he’s good at it.
That’s the hallmark of a motivated talent.Motivated talents tend to be irrepressible. They find expression. In fact, if you’ve ever tried to stifle a motivated talent (either yours or someone else’s) it probably felt like you were tryingto hold two dozen ping pong balls under water at the same time. Motivated talents pop out, even if no one else is asking for them. And doesn’t that make sense? After all, it’s what we do wellAND enjoy.Well then, wouldn’t the ideal job be one where you can use your motivated talents daily and get paid for it? Absolutely!
Talent is what we DO well naturally. They can exist independently, but when they combine, they create something special. They create motivated talents.People often are naturally good at something (talented), but it just doesn’t turn them on. For example, manoj is good with numbers, but he doesn’t go out of his way to find tasks calling for that talent. Most people have such talents. But then there are those talents that we really enjoy using.
These are the motivated talents, and this is where the magic is.We use motivated talents every chance we get. Most of the time we don’t even think about it. For example, akshay has a motivated talent for conversation, and he naturally engages both friends andstrangers in dialog. He doesn’t consciously determine to do so; it just happens. It’s natural and unforced. He enjoys it, and he’s good at it.
That’s the hallmark of a motivated talent.Motivated talents tend to be irrepressible. They find expression. In fact, if you’ve ever tried to stifle a motivated talent (either yours or someone else’s) it probably felt like you were tryingto hold two dozen ping pong balls under water at the same time. Motivated talents pop out, even if no one else is asking for them. And doesn’t that make sense? After all, it’s what we do wellAND enjoy.Well then, wouldn’t the ideal job be one where you can use your motivated talents daily and get paid for it? Absolutely!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
MY BEAUTIFUL SISTER
DEDICATED TO MY SIS LIKE ARCHANA,DIMPLE,VINUTHA,ETC.........
My sister holds me tight
My sister kisses me goodnight
My sister knows when I’m mad
My sister helps me when I’m sad
My sister is so smart
My sister has my heart
My sister loves me lots
My sister ties the knots
My sister is here to stay
My sister I have until this very day
My sister I wish you well
My sister yes I can tell
My sister asked if I lied
My sister knows if I’ve cried
My sister has moved away
My sister is in my heart to and will always stay
My sister holds me tight
My sister kisses me goodnight
My sister knows when I’m mad
My sister helps me when I’m sad
My sister is so smart
My sister has my heart
My sister loves me lots
My sister ties the knots
My sister is here to stay
My sister I have until this very day
My sister I wish you well
My sister yes I can tell
My sister asked if I lied
My sister knows if I’ve cried
My sister has moved away
My sister is in my heart to and will always stay
MY BEAUTIFUL GIRL
Most Beautiful Woman In The World
by AKSHAY SHETTY
She has no special talent
No special beauty mark
No invention with a patent
No voice of a comely lark
No hourglass physique
No sunbeam likened smile
No lingering mystique
No manicured nails to file
But what she had she flaunted
With the style of a fur- lined stole
With the chic of a runway model
She flashed her beautiful soul
by AKSHAY SHETTY
She has no special talent
No special beauty mark
No invention with a patent
No voice of a comely lark
No hourglass physique
No sunbeam likened smile
No lingering mystique
No manicured nails to file
But what she had she flaunted
With the style of a fur- lined stole
With the chic of a runway model
She flashed her beautiful soul
Thursday, August 7, 2008
sensation and mixo
Sensory Perception and Mixology
Darcy O'Neil March 31, 2008 9:16 PM
Why do certain people recoil in horror at the taste of Italian bitters and why do others gag on super sweet drinks? Then of course we've all know the guy who can't get enough suicide sauce in his Caesar (Bloody Mary) or the Dirty Martini addict. Maybe you are one of them. Have you ever wanted to understand how people taste and why there is such diversity. If you are an aspiring mixologist or a professional who wants an edge, then knowing how people perceive flavours is a very important thing. Luckily, I'll be discussing this very stuff at Tales of the Cocktail in July and in this session we'll be doing a genetically specific taste test to help figure out who you are plus a whole lot more. Read on for more details.
Taste is such an individual thing, and scientifically there are classes of tasters, because we are all different. The three categories are "Non-Taster", "Normal Taster" and Super-Taster". Normal tasters are Mr. & Mrs. Average, and sit in the midrange. Non-Tasters are the lower 20% and Super-tasters the upper 20%. These numbers fluctuate depending on heritage and sex, but for the most part 60% of the population are normal tasters.
So what does this have to do with making cocktails? Well, if you are a bartender with non-taster status, creating cocktails, your drinks are probably going to be on the "flavourful" side of the equation. This may appeal to the non-taster customers you have, but might be a bit much for the normal-tasters and you gotta feel sorry for the super-tasters after they try your "perfect" Bloody Mary. If you are a mixologist with super-taster status, then a lot of your creations might seem bland to the 80% of the population that are not super-tasters.
If you know what kind of taster you are, then you can "calibrate" your palate to better accommodate your friends, guests, customers, preferences. Otherwise you are basically a blind person trying to drive.
During the Sensory Perception session, I'll be presenting everyone with a PTC (Phenylthiocarbamide) taste strip to help determine what taster status you are. This chemical is genetically specific and will help guide you on your way to taste enlightenment. Also, I'll have extra strips for people to take home and test on their friends, coworkers or spouse. I highly recommend the spouse test because I discovered I live with a super-taster, which answered a whole lot of questions. Basically, like achieving enlightenment, a little gong went off in my head, and I finally understood.
Aside from the taste testing, I'll also be looking at how the different flavours affect each other and how certain combinations can be used to influence one another. There will be a little cocktail interlude to demonstrate these flavourful effects. We'll also look at why being a super-taster might not be as enviable as you'd think and why some people are attracted to alcohol while others are repulsed.
It is going to be an information packed session and I've lined up some great panelists to help the discussion (Audrey Saunders, Robert Hess, and Jamie Boudreau). So, if you want to take your mixology skills to the next level, this is a session you shouldn't miss.
Sensory Perception and MixologyWhat Your Tastebuds are Telling You
Darcy O'Neil March 31, 2008 9:16 PM
Why do certain people recoil in horror at the taste of Italian bitters and why do others gag on super sweet drinks? Then of course we've all know the guy who can't get enough suicide sauce in his Caesar (Bloody Mary) or the Dirty Martini addict. Maybe you are one of them. Have you ever wanted to understand how people taste and why there is such diversity. If you are an aspiring mixologist or a professional who wants an edge, then knowing how people perceive flavours is a very important thing. Luckily, I'll be discussing this very stuff at Tales of the Cocktail in July and in this session we'll be doing a genetically specific taste test to help figure out who you are plus a whole lot more. Read on for more details.
Taste is such an individual thing, and scientifically there are classes of tasters, because we are all different. The three categories are "Non-Taster", "Normal Taster" and Super-Taster". Normal tasters are Mr. & Mrs. Average, and sit in the midrange. Non-Tasters are the lower 20% and Super-tasters the upper 20%. These numbers fluctuate depending on heritage and sex, but for the most part 60% of the population are normal tasters.
So what does this have to do with making cocktails? Well, if you are a bartender with non-taster status, creating cocktails, your drinks are probably going to be on the "flavourful" side of the equation. This may appeal to the non-taster customers you have, but might be a bit much for the normal-tasters and you gotta feel sorry for the super-tasters after they try your "perfect" Bloody Mary. If you are a mixologist with super-taster status, then a lot of your creations might seem bland to the 80% of the population that are not super-tasters.
If you know what kind of taster you are, then you can "calibrate" your palate to better accommodate your friends, guests, customers, preferences. Otherwise you are basically a blind person trying to drive.
During the Sensory Perception session, I'll be presenting everyone with a PTC (Phenylthiocarbamide) taste strip to help determine what taster status you are. This chemical is genetically specific and will help guide you on your way to taste enlightenment. Also, I'll have extra strips for people to take home and test on their friends, coworkers or spouse. I highly recommend the spouse test because I discovered I live with a super-taster, which answered a whole lot of questions. Basically, like achieving enlightenment, a little gong went off in my head, and I finally understood.
Aside from the taste testing, I'll also be looking at how the different flavours affect each other and how certain combinations can be used to influence one another. There will be a little cocktail interlude to demonstrate these flavourful effects. We'll also look at why being a super-taster might not be as enviable as you'd think and why some people are attracted to alcohol while others are repulsed.
It is going to be an information packed session and I've lined up some great panelists to help the discussion (Audrey Saunders, Robert Hess, and Jamie Boudreau). So, if you want to take your mixology skills to the next level, this is a session you shouldn't miss.
Sensory Perception and MixologyWhat Your Tastebuds are Telling You
brand loyalty
Observations on Brand Loyalty
When you work behind a bar one of the key things to do, to develop a loyal clientele, is remember peoples drinks. The surprising thing to me is not that my head has a database of hundreds of drinks and customers faces, but the fact that these people rarely ever change what they drink. Is it proper to go through life only drinking one brand of whisky? Is it ok to only drink a dry Grey Goose martini, up with a twist and never deviate? The other thing about brand loyalty is that it seems to apply to spirits and beer, but not wine. What is the psychological reason for this brand loyalty and if bartenders could break it, would it be good for the cocktail world.
Back when I was in college I was a brand loyalist. I liked Labatt’s Blue which was my beer of choice, probably because of marketing and single syllable name. Easily pronounced beers are best when you drink a lot because the bartender will understand you no matter what your intoxication level; “give me a Blue” or “give me a Bud” are a couple of good examples. But I eventually grew up and opened my mind to the hundreds of bottles that grace beer stores every where. I also started to appreciate good spirits.
At the current time I’m not loyal to any particular brand, but I do have preferences. I like Havana Club rum in cocktails and I like Forty Creek whisky in my Manhattans, but if someone offered me a Wiser’s Very Old I would happily take them up on the offer. One thing is for sure though, and it’s that I like premium spirits over rail spirits. Part of the reason is that I love to try new spirits and beers, much to my wife’s dismay. If I spot something shiny and new at the liquor store I’ll usually end up buying it at some point. Why? Because it might offer something exceptional that I’ve never experienced. It’s all about curiosity, exploring and the experience. To me spirits are like wine, each new bottle has something unique to offer.
For many people, liquor and beer are something that they define themselves with. If I say Jack Daniels, what image comes to mind of the person who drink this? For me it’s bikers in black. If I say Remy Martin XO cognac, you might think stuffy old guy, or hip hop artist. Like many manufactures, spirit companies try to define their market and appeal to a certain demographic. Brand loyalty is good for business, but not for life experiences. Crown Royal seems to be pushing the NASCAR demographic with their recent advertising campaign. Sure this opens up a new market for Crown Royal, but does it alienate another? Probably not, but it is the advertising that defines the product, not the stuff in the bottle. Remember Crown Royal was originally produced for royalty and NASCAR fans are a little different than royalty.
Wine doesn’t have this problem because each vintage year is different. Some vineyards have developed a reputation for producing great wines, but production is generally limited on a world wide scale, so oenophiles are forced to try new wines, because not every restaurant or liquor store will stock it. This openness about trying a bottle of something you’ve never heard of, and maybe paying a princely sum for it, is outstanding. Why can’t these people drink cocktails more often?
There are a couple of issues with opening peoples minds. First, people are naturally lazy, and we hate fighting inertia. It is easy to order a Crown and Coke, it doesn’t take any thinking and you know what you are getting. Also, the fact that many bartenders are pushy and want your drink order “Now!” which makes browsing the spirit selection a bit daunting. It seems people have a default setting and if someone pushes you, an automatic response is initiated: “Crown & Coke”. One other problem is that many bars stock way too few spirits. But that is changing with the realization of the super and ultra premium back bars. The final problem is the “association” of product to image. If you drink Jack Daniels you may be perceived as “tough”, if you drink cognac you’ll be sophisticated or snooty and if you are a guy drinking Hipnotiq on the rocks, well then, I’m proud of you for drinking what you like.
The best way to get people to try new things is to “up sell”. There are some great bartenders who will make suggestions, or in corporate speak “up sell”, for the benefit of the customer. This can be substituting a different spirit into a cocktail or just suggesting a better cocktail. But, this is very dependant on the establishment and the management. A well stocked bar is key to break brand loyalty and breaking the owners brand loyalties are also important. But most importantly, and this is for bartenders, don’t be so pushy. If you are busy just check with the customer politely, if they are still thinking, move on to the next customer, and then go back afterward. Don’t huff and puff and make it like it’s the end of the world. Let people enjoy what the bar has to offer.
When you work behind a bar one of the key things to do, to develop a loyal clientele, is remember peoples drinks. The surprising thing to me is not that my head has a database of hundreds of drinks and customers faces, but the fact that these people rarely ever change what they drink. Is it proper to go through life only drinking one brand of whisky? Is it ok to only drink a dry Grey Goose martini, up with a twist and never deviate? The other thing about brand loyalty is that it seems to apply to spirits and beer, but not wine. What is the psychological reason for this brand loyalty and if bartenders could break it, would it be good for the cocktail world.
Back when I was in college I was a brand loyalist. I liked Labatt’s Blue which was my beer of choice, probably because of marketing and single syllable name. Easily pronounced beers are best when you drink a lot because the bartender will understand you no matter what your intoxication level; “give me a Blue” or “give me a Bud” are a couple of good examples. But I eventually grew up and opened my mind to the hundreds of bottles that grace beer stores every where. I also started to appreciate good spirits.
At the current time I’m not loyal to any particular brand, but I do have preferences. I like Havana Club rum in cocktails and I like Forty Creek whisky in my Manhattans, but if someone offered me a Wiser’s Very Old I would happily take them up on the offer. One thing is for sure though, and it’s that I like premium spirits over rail spirits. Part of the reason is that I love to try new spirits and beers, much to my wife’s dismay. If I spot something shiny and new at the liquor store I’ll usually end up buying it at some point. Why? Because it might offer something exceptional that I’ve never experienced. It’s all about curiosity, exploring and the experience. To me spirits are like wine, each new bottle has something unique to offer.
For many people, liquor and beer are something that they define themselves with. If I say Jack Daniels, what image comes to mind of the person who drink this? For me it’s bikers in black. If I say Remy Martin XO cognac, you might think stuffy old guy, or hip hop artist. Like many manufactures, spirit companies try to define their market and appeal to a certain demographic. Brand loyalty is good for business, but not for life experiences. Crown Royal seems to be pushing the NASCAR demographic with their recent advertising campaign. Sure this opens up a new market for Crown Royal, but does it alienate another? Probably not, but it is the advertising that defines the product, not the stuff in the bottle. Remember Crown Royal was originally produced for royalty and NASCAR fans are a little different than royalty.
Wine doesn’t have this problem because each vintage year is different. Some vineyards have developed a reputation for producing great wines, but production is generally limited on a world wide scale, so oenophiles are forced to try new wines, because not every restaurant or liquor store will stock it. This openness about trying a bottle of something you’ve never heard of, and maybe paying a princely sum for it, is outstanding. Why can’t these people drink cocktails more often?
There are a couple of issues with opening peoples minds. First, people are naturally lazy, and we hate fighting inertia. It is easy to order a Crown and Coke, it doesn’t take any thinking and you know what you are getting. Also, the fact that many bartenders are pushy and want your drink order “Now!” which makes browsing the spirit selection a bit daunting. It seems people have a default setting and if someone pushes you, an automatic response is initiated: “Crown & Coke”. One other problem is that many bars stock way too few spirits. But that is changing with the realization of the super and ultra premium back bars. The final problem is the “association” of product to image. If you drink Jack Daniels you may be perceived as “tough”, if you drink cognac you’ll be sophisticated or snooty and if you are a guy drinking Hipnotiq on the rocks, well then, I’m proud of you for drinking what you like.
The best way to get people to try new things is to “up sell”. There are some great bartenders who will make suggestions, or in corporate speak “up sell”, for the benefit of the customer. This can be substituting a different spirit into a cocktail or just suggesting a better cocktail. But, this is very dependant on the establishment and the management. A well stocked bar is key to break brand loyalty and breaking the owners brand loyalties are also important. But most importantly, and this is for bartenders, don’t be so pushy. If you are busy just check with the customer politely, if they are still thinking, move on to the next customer, and then go back afterward. Don’t huff and puff and make it like it’s the end of the world. Let people enjoy what the bar has to offer.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
skills for bar tender
Ask any bar manager what’s the most important skill is for a bartender and you’ll get a lot of different answers. Some will respond that speed is key, others will say a good personality, more will say appearance is important, and then you’ll get one or two who say mixology skills are key. There are a lot of things that definitely make a great bartender, like being trustworthy, friendly, reliable, hard working, clean and organized but those are important aspects for any employee. The one skill that I think makes a great bartender is memory. And if you are an aspiring bartender I’ll explain why and give you some tips on improving your memory.
In my humble opinion, if you have a good memory, you will make a better bartender. Not only will it allow you to do your job more efficiently, but it will also increase your tips. When a person walks into a bar and the bartender greats them by name, asks if they would like their regular drink, or offers them something from a previous conversation, that makes the customer feel important. The customer will also tip better than if the bartenders doesn’t remember anything about them. All of these points deal with memory, the ability to memorize drinks, names, previous conversations and spirit preferences. For many things, like peoples names, beer brands and cocktails recipes, you want that information to be embedded in what is sometimes referred to as “Intelligent Memory”. Intelligent Memory is made up of connections between other memories, whether they are thoughts, images, experiences, skills, or pieces of knowledge. A good example of this is how many bartenders have been taught to remember a drink. For example: Black Russian (Vodka & Kahlua) is the easy starting point. Now to make a White Russian it’s a Black Russian with Milk. Now to make a Paralyzer it’s a White Russian with Coke. And a Brown Cow is a White Russian without Vodka. These types of relations ships can be done for many drinks. This is also the type of memory that allows you to make a drink without really thinking about it. If someone orders a Perfect Manhattan, up with a twist you should instinctively know what to do. It takes some practice to do this, but to be a great bartender you need to avoid referring to a book or pestering the other bartenders.The other important type of memory to work on is your short term memory, which is what allows you to use your brain like a note pad. Basically, when someone orders a round of drinks, you should be able to commit the whole order to memory. Your ability to remember ten drink requests will make your job easier, impress your customers and increase your speed and efficiency. You can be the fastest drink pourer on the planet, but if you can only remember two drinks at a time, you won’t be as very efficient. Improving Your MemoryThe best way to improve your memory is to expose yourself to new ideas and new experiences. This is a general way to keep your brain in shape. Like muscles, your brain needs to be used to keep it healthy. Talk and read about things that aren’t in your normal routine. Debate with people, read the newspaper, not just the comics, and do mind building puzzles like crosswords or Sudoku. Every little thing that makes your brain active is a good start.One of the tricks to memorizing other things is to make connections. For example the cocktail connection example showed you how to connect one drink to another, this can be done with names, but in a slightly different way. If you meet someone named Robert, and you have a friend named Robert, you can make a connection by thinking about the two people. When the customer comes in the following week and you can’t remember his name, but for some reason a picture of your friend Robert pops up in your head, you’ll remember his name. There are other ways, such as memorizing a room and then relating people and places to the items in the room.Repeat things you learn. When a server or customers calls an order, repeat them back to the server / customer. First it makes sure the order is correct and second it helps to embed it temporarily into your gray matter. People also like hearing the words they say repeated back to them, so it makes your charisma value increase. It’s kind of like someone commanding you and you agreeing with them, it makes people feel good.
In my humble opinion, if you have a good memory, you will make a better bartender. Not only will it allow you to do your job more efficiently, but it will also increase your tips. When a person walks into a bar and the bartender greats them by name, asks if they would like their regular drink, or offers them something from a previous conversation, that makes the customer feel important. The customer will also tip better than if the bartenders doesn’t remember anything about them. All of these points deal with memory, the ability to memorize drinks, names, previous conversations and spirit preferences. For many things, like peoples names, beer brands and cocktails recipes, you want that information to be embedded in what is sometimes referred to as “Intelligent Memory”. Intelligent Memory is made up of connections between other memories, whether they are thoughts, images, experiences, skills, or pieces of knowledge. A good example of this is how many bartenders have been taught to remember a drink. For example: Black Russian (Vodka & Kahlua) is the easy starting point. Now to make a White Russian it’s a Black Russian with Milk. Now to make a Paralyzer it’s a White Russian with Coke. And a Brown Cow is a White Russian without Vodka. These types of relations ships can be done for many drinks. This is also the type of memory that allows you to make a drink without really thinking about it. If someone orders a Perfect Manhattan, up with a twist you should instinctively know what to do. It takes some practice to do this, but to be a great bartender you need to avoid referring to a book or pestering the other bartenders.The other important type of memory to work on is your short term memory, which is what allows you to use your brain like a note pad. Basically, when someone orders a round of drinks, you should be able to commit the whole order to memory. Your ability to remember ten drink requests will make your job easier, impress your customers and increase your speed and efficiency. You can be the fastest drink pourer on the planet, but if you can only remember two drinks at a time, you won’t be as very efficient. Improving Your MemoryThe best way to improve your memory is to expose yourself to new ideas and new experiences. This is a general way to keep your brain in shape. Like muscles, your brain needs to be used to keep it healthy. Talk and read about things that aren’t in your normal routine. Debate with people, read the newspaper, not just the comics, and do mind building puzzles like crosswords or Sudoku. Every little thing that makes your brain active is a good start.One of the tricks to memorizing other things is to make connections. For example the cocktail connection example showed you how to connect one drink to another, this can be done with names, but in a slightly different way. If you meet someone named Robert, and you have a friend named Robert, you can make a connection by thinking about the two people. When the customer comes in the following week and you can’t remember his name, but for some reason a picture of your friend Robert pops up in your head, you’ll remember his name. There are other ways, such as memorizing a room and then relating people and places to the items in the room.Repeat things you learn. When a server or customers calls an order, repeat them back to the server / customer. First it makes sure the order is correct and second it helps to embed it temporarily into your gray matter. People also like hearing the words they say repeated back to them, so it makes your charisma value increase. It’s kind of like someone commanding you and you agreeing with them, it makes people feel good.
1. The term "quality drink" never crossed your mind, people only drink to get drunk, right?
2. To make a great drink requires the use of 151 proof rum.
3. Pissing off the servers is your nightly entertainment.
4. Running the dishwasher without soap doesn't concern you.
5. You jam bottles into the ice bin and scoop ice with the glass.
6. You think the floor drain is the equivalent of a sink so you dump your shaker on the floor
.7. You decide that short pouring is good because it makes the bar more money
.9. You think expiry dates on juices and milk are guidelines.
10. The only reason you become a bartender is for free booze and cheap girls.
11. When someone tips poorly you assume you did nothing wrong and that the guest is an asshole.
12. You think sour mix is a direct substitute for real lemon or lime juice.
13. You don't know what bitters are.
14. You huff and sigh when somebody orders a drink you don't like.
15. Your theory on drink making is: more sugar equals better drink
16. When somebody orders a $100 snifter of cognac you expect a $20 tip.
17. You don't know what a snifter is
.18. Washing your cocktail shakers is done once, at the end of your shift.
19. Your goal is to have sex with all of the servers of the opposite gender.
20. Your goal is to have sex with all of the servers of the same gender.
21. Your breasts are more important to making tips than your brain.
22. When asked about a cocktail on the menu, you read from the menu to give the answer.
23. You think Rose's lime, sour mix and lime juice combine to make a better drink.
24. You haven't washed your work cloths for weeks and just leave them under the bar.
25. The blender is your favourite bar tool.
26. Sticking your finger in a drink to taste it doesn't concern you.
27. You use your hands as ice scoops
28. You wash your hands once per shift, at the end of the night
.29. Using a three day old slimy lemon wedges doesn't raise an alarm bell.
30. You spend more time talking to the servers than the guests at the bar
.31. Everything you talk about has sexual connotations.
32. You call in sick because you have another hangover
.33. You drop limes on the floor and can't be bothered to wash them.
34. You think the bar is your personal stock and drink whenever you feel like.
35. Getting drunk or high, while working, is normal.
36. You put a lime garnish on single malt scotch.
37. The only drinks you know have sexual names.
38. A 60 year old lady asks for a nice cocktail and you server her a 1-800-Fuck-Me-Up
.39. You break a glass in the ice well and decide it’s nothing to worry about
.40. You strain fruit flies out of the liquor and put said filtered liquor back on the shelf.
41. You carry around a fly swatter and kill flies while people eat.
42. When it gets really busy, you go for a smoke.
43. You chastize people for their drink orders.
44. You "borrow indefinitely" from the till to pay for your rent.
45. You make "good strong drinks" for people without charging appropriately.
46. You fish fruit flies out of the draught beer with the tip of a straw.
47. You treat your bar-back like dirt, but expect exemplary service
48. The solution to every problem is: just add bitters
49. You develop a "god complex" just because you are a bartender
50. You think you are an elite bartender and ignore guests request because you think you know better than they do. Please feel free to add to the list by posting a comment. I'm sure I could do another 50 if I really thought about it.
2. To make a great drink requires the use of 151 proof rum.
3. Pissing off the servers is your nightly entertainment.
4. Running the dishwasher without soap doesn't concern you.
5. You jam bottles into the ice bin and scoop ice with the glass.
6. You think the floor drain is the equivalent of a sink so you dump your shaker on the floor
.7. You decide that short pouring is good because it makes the bar more money
.9. You think expiry dates on juices and milk are guidelines.
10. The only reason you become a bartender is for free booze and cheap girls.
11. When someone tips poorly you assume you did nothing wrong and that the guest is an asshole.
12. You think sour mix is a direct substitute for real lemon or lime juice.
13. You don't know what bitters are.
14. You huff and sigh when somebody orders a drink you don't like.
15. Your theory on drink making is: more sugar equals better drink
16. When somebody orders a $100 snifter of cognac you expect a $20 tip.
17. You don't know what a snifter is
.18. Washing your cocktail shakers is done once, at the end of your shift.
19. Your goal is to have sex with all of the servers of the opposite gender.
20. Your goal is to have sex with all of the servers of the same gender.
21. Your breasts are more important to making tips than your brain.
22. When asked about a cocktail on the menu, you read from the menu to give the answer.
23. You think Rose's lime, sour mix and lime juice combine to make a better drink.
24. You haven't washed your work cloths for weeks and just leave them under the bar.
25. The blender is your favourite bar tool.
26. Sticking your finger in a drink to taste it doesn't concern you.
27. You use your hands as ice scoops
28. You wash your hands once per shift, at the end of the night
.29. Using a three day old slimy lemon wedges doesn't raise an alarm bell.
30. You spend more time talking to the servers than the guests at the bar
.31. Everything you talk about has sexual connotations.
32. You call in sick because you have another hangover
.33. You drop limes on the floor and can't be bothered to wash them.
34. You think the bar is your personal stock and drink whenever you feel like.
35. Getting drunk or high, while working, is normal.
36. You put a lime garnish on single malt scotch.
37. The only drinks you know have sexual names.
38. A 60 year old lady asks for a nice cocktail and you server her a 1-800-Fuck-Me-Up
.39. You break a glass in the ice well and decide it’s nothing to worry about
.40. You strain fruit flies out of the liquor and put said filtered liquor back on the shelf.
41. You carry around a fly swatter and kill flies while people eat.
42. When it gets really busy, you go for a smoke.
43. You chastize people for their drink orders.
44. You "borrow indefinitely" from the till to pay for your rent.
45. You make "good strong drinks" for people without charging appropriately.
46. You fish fruit flies out of the draught beer with the tip of a straw.
47. You treat your bar-back like dirt, but expect exemplary service
48. The solution to every problem is: just add bitters
49. You develop a "god complex" just because you are a bartender
50. You think you are an elite bartender and ignore guests request because you think you know better than they do. Please feel free to add to the list by posting a comment. I'm sure I could do another 50 if I really thought about it.
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