July 2021 'Doctors won't make you healthy. Nutritionist won't make you slim. Teachers won't make you smart. Guru's won't make you calm. Mentors won't make you rich. Trainers won't make you fit. Ultimately, you have to take responsibility. Save yourself' - Naval Ravikant
Thursday July 1st 2021
Today USANA launches the Active Nutrition line in Australia and New Zealand, finally! This line of products focuses on weight management, digestive health and energy/hydration.
Check them out here if you're interested.
Monday 5th July 2021
Today is my 17th anniversary partnering with USANA Health Sciences. I’m looking forward to at least 70 more years of partnership and progressively retiring ‘into’ the business as opposed from ‘it’ as most people do in life with jobs and many businesses.
A stack of ETF’s have announced their distributions for the quarter, bi-annual or year, depending on their payment cycle. Some distributions have been big! But looking under the hood, often there’s a significant portion attributed to capital gain being returned to the investor, due to re-balancing, due to ETF mandates (eg can only hold a maximum of 10% of any one company). Said company grows to 20% of the ETF during a good year, come rebalancing time, the ETF must sell down that company to return to mandated levels.
The investor must pay capital gain tax on this income and then find a new home for it. This is one of the nuances of the new crop of ETF’s.
I’m not a fan of this. Charlie Munger said you don’t want to do anything to interrupt compounding. Having capital returned to you and then paying tax on it, qualifies as interruption.
Tuesday 6th July 2021
If you live in Australia, check out this site to compare your Superannuation fees. Highly recommend it.
https://www.ato.gov.au/YourSuper-Comparison-Tool/
Wednesday 7th July 2021
Tracking assets, liabilities and income streams each quarter is a habit of well run businesses around the world. I'm a fan of this habit, along with developing multiple streams of income.
Other questions to ask might include:
Are my sleeping habits an asset or a liability?
Are my nutritional habits an asset or a liability?
Is my fluid intake an asset or a liability?
Is my physical preparedness an asset or a liability?
You get the picture. It’s the same as investing. We want our sleep, nutrition, etc compounding positively.
I’ve invested 20+ years professionally coaching athletes. I could tell you hundreds of stories of the opportunity cost of falling short in these areas’ of life. They all impact each other significantly. Yet for some reason, the majority of the world fails too see the connection. This is to the advantage of anyone who does!
The investment in our health and wellbeing is one of the greatest investment we can make.
The late Jim Rohn may have said it best; ‘I’ll look after me for you, if you look after you for me’.
Wednesday 13th July 2021
Episode 155 of the Rational Reminder podcast with Don Ezra is excellent. Don’s point of view on this unusually low interest rate environment we find ourselves in, is akin to us paying huge taxes.
I could go on about his fantastic analogies around shares being eating and bonds being sleeping, asset allocation and life expediency, but listening to the episode yourself, is superior to anything I relay here.
Friday 16th July 2021
Distributions day! Vanguard ETF’s pay out their distributions for the prior quarter today. Mine are DRP’d to work immediately.
I recently listened to ‘The Psychology of Money’ on audible by Morgan Housel. It’s absolutely fantastic! Do yourself a favour and get it. Cannot recommend it high enough!
Monday 26th July 2021
The crypto space has contracted hard. My portfolio was down to +7% a one stage. It’s up 50%+ at the time of this entry. Shares have been doing their thing, going up and down.
Property is still booming on the Gold Coast. The rental market is also the tightest I’ve seen it.
The divide I’m seeing between people whom vaccine vs those who don’t wish too, is getting real. I’ve zero doubt the real virus is the mainstream media. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s disgusting…
They create a narrative and go with it. No looking at different aspects of a situation and zero objectivity. Without turning this project political, here are three examples highlighting the biases of mainstream media:
Joe Biden - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLVNYNEXr_c
The New Zealand government 'being the single source of truth' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENEUktOrQV8
New South Wales government – don’t talk to your neighbour at the supermarket -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mvNBh53_d4
Zeroism when it comes to viruses does not work, yet the state governments in Australia are ensuring our country grows in division. United we stand, divided we fall…
Tuesday 27th July 2021
Recently I decided to turn this diary into a podcast. The reality is most people prefer to watch or listen to something, that to read. Plus, listening is possible while driving, walking, running, etc.
I first started podcasting in around 2010 with a monthly series called ‘Sharpen Your Mind’. It was a paid subscription for 12 months. I can’t even remember how I distributed it back then, but somehow I did.
Then in 2019 the ‘Healthy Business’ podcast was born. I was testing the waters with podcasting, as we know it today. It was for my business partners in USANA and to see if I enjoyed the process of recording them and if they were valuable.
I did around 17 episodes but stopped, as I didn’t want to limit it solely to my business partners. I felt a broader discussion could add more value to business partners and anyone else keen to listen. So here I am again, testing it out with the ‘Project Passive’ series on the “Healthy Business’ podcast, available on all the platforms podcasts are found on.
Give it a listen if you're motivated too. I’m open to all feedback. And I've got to say, reading out loud, isn’t as easy as it seems. Especially recording each full month in one hit. Fingers crossed I improve with time…
Wednesday 28th July 2021
Turns out the White House in the United States is leaning on big tech companies to censor some discussion on their platforms. The guys on the 'All In' shared in this weeks episode.
Aussie Prime Minister Scott Morrison today announced further payment relief for people/business affected by the most recent lockdowns in NSW.
Payment increasing by $150 to $750 foe people who’s hours dropped more than 20hrs/week and $450 (up from $375) if your hours have been cut by less than 20 hours.
Government in Australia proving more support to Sydney business/people.
Friday 30th July 2021
The government in China has been making enormous changes to company ownership over there. I’ve been reading a lot about it, but being China, who knows what narrative is accurate.
What I do know is, investing in China (and any other market) comes with risk. Both known and unknown risks and I’ve got to pay to play. So my investment exposure to China is an eyes wide open approach acknowledging absolutely anything could happen at any time. I’m comfortable with this view so it’s business as usual for me.
Google, Microsoft reported huge profits over night. So much so, it’s actually mind blowing.
USANA reported an incredible quarter too, which is fantastic and bottom line means more people around the world than ever are using these fantastic products. It's a win-win for the company and for all the customers too.
Saturday 31st July 202
Southeast Queensland entered a snap 3-day lockdown at 4pm today for 6 new cases of COVID over night. Not allowed to go more than 10km from home, schools closed except for children of essential workers, work from home. Even national sporting codes NRL and AFL are not being played in QLD this weekend.
We had to cancel a long planned USANA get together for this afternoon at the tennis courts. Apparently exercising out doors is just too dangerous after 4pm today…
The older I get the more I feel for people struggling. Imagine the hundreds of restaurants who ordered fresh food at markets around southeast QLD early this morning. Now, it all goes to waste. Imagine getting married today?
It also begs the question, what incentive is there for anyone to start a retail business these days? With the government drunk with power shutting down trade left right and centre, the risk taking behaviour of starting a business, perhaps just became too risky? Time will tell…