Slope of Hope Blog Posts
Slope initially began as a blog, so this is where most of the website’s content resides. Here we have tens of thousands of posts dating back over a decade. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Click on any category icon below to see posts tagged with that particular subject, or click on a word in the category cloud on the right side of the screen for more specific choices.
Autumn Fall (by TNRevolution)
Greetings to my Slope family. Now that we’ve made it to August of this year, the bullish combination of seasonality mixed with the March Fed banking bailout appears to be wearing off. I wanted to take a step back and look at the big picture once again, along with some of my primary positions that I’m holding heading into the end of the summer.
First, let’s take a look at the 10 year crude oil to broader market analog. I think this will be important for both the remainder of this year, but I also believe it will be an important guidepost for what is coming down the pike over the next couple of years. As a reminder, what crude oil did ten years in the past gives us a good echo for what to expect the broader market to do in today’s market. This is not a tick for tick, day by day analog. It also focuses on direction, not magnitude of expected moves.
(more…)The Dell Years
Did you ever wonder how such a successful company as Dell Computers, with an entrenched strategic advantage, lost so badly to Apple? I’m about to give you an inside scoop. I worked for Dell from 2003-2007. This is my story from the inside.
I walked up to the front entrance of Dell Computers in Nashville, Tennessee. As I entered, I was ushered over to a side room in the lobby to sign some forms, and meet up with a small group of bright, young faces. After signing our forms, we walked to a security check point at the edge of the lobby to have our pictures taken and security badges created. Past the security check point, the lobby opened to a large dividing area that separates the two massive wings of the sales complex.
We took a left, and the scene opened up into a room of wall-to-wall rows of desks, computers, phones, and sales agents as far as the eye could see. My eyes lit up. My heart began to beat a bit quicker. I knew I could be great at this, and I wanted the chance to prove it. It was orientation day, and I was about to be unleashed on the public.
(more…)What Is Direct Registration?
A Unique Moment
I think the statute of limitations has passed on this story, so why not tell it? When I was a teenager, I think fourteen or fifteen, I got bored one summer day. I didn’t have a license. My mom was taking a nap, so I got it in my head to take the family minivan out for a spin. I was ready for some wheels. I was ready to drive. At least I thought I was.
We lived out in the country, so I was just going to take a quick drive around some of the roads around where we lived. I thought maybe I’d drive by some of the houses where kids I went to school with lived. It was going to be fun.
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