Social standing and my Seiko watch

Chinese tourists have been targeted by criminals as they carry a lot of cash. The mobile pay system is needed to satisfy a specific need. Apple could take advantage of this situation.

Why they carry so much cash? They buy all the luxurious stuffs such as expensive hand bags. They want to save the hefty tariffs. It is similar to border trade happening in Hong Kong for a long while.
Chinese boost their social class by showing off the expensive stuffs they carry. That's why my friends in Hong Kong would ask me (or despise me) for wearing a Seiko watch.

Save taxes

You can gift up to $14.5K (from my memory) per gifter and per giftee. To illustrate, I and my wife can give 2 * (14.5K) to each of the giftees. For a family of 4, there are 4 giftees.

The above $14.5K is the market price of the security. The cost basis is from the gifter if it is a gain and it is not if it is a loss. Consult your lawyer.

In most cases, it is advantageous to give appreciated stocks to a family member whose tax bracket is lower.

Lucky holders of Buffett's funds

It is one of the advantages of owning Buffett's funds - no dividends and hence no taxes. Most owners do not want to sell due to the hefty capital gain taxes. They want to hold them until they die so they do not have to pay Federal capital tax due to the cost step up. However, they have to deal with estate taxes. A good tax lawyer probably would advice them to transfer some shares to their children.

Buffett said he should be in tech stocks

Buffett has a long history of staying away from tech stocks. He looks for stocks with moats, paying dividends... It is his philosophy and he has an army of followers. It has been working well with low interest that forces investors to look for these stocks.

Even a good friend of Gates, he did not buy Microsoft. He missed the rising of Apple. He bought the falling IBM. He missed all the small high tech companies that have been doing great. To his credit, he escaped the internet mirage.

I described his weaknesses and strengths in this blog.
http://bit.ly/1lbm2Ol

Green cards for $500,000

In tier I cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong..., $500,000 is a small sum (a small flat in Hong Kong with 600 square feet in a decent area costs more than that). The gain is huge: escaping from pollutions, fake food, tough education competition... That could be the reason the Chinese fast food joint at my mall change hands that frequently.

However, it is far better to attract immigrants who come here for welfare on day one.

Dream high

I heard this. The girl said she wanted to be a president when she grew up. She went to a circus and she said she wanted to be a clown. Her wise father said, "You can be a president and a clown at the same time."

LMBAO. A joke or truth - you decide.

Video feature for Alexa

"Alexa, can you find me a date."

She called the escort service from the closest location. She asked whether to sort in price or customer 'likes'. Now it can also display pictures.

Just an observation. I'm a sinner even thinking of it. :)

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I was thinking of whether I should include this blog as it would lower my moral standard. Let me know if you feel the same.