Online Poker Crackdown Is Good News

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If you haven’t heard, our broke government wants to get its hands on the online poker industry’s potentially US$6 billion dollar annual revenue pie.  They’ve frozen bank accounts linked with Full Tilt Poker, Poker Stars, and Absolute Poker and have indicted 11 founding executives of the companies.  All totaled, the government wants US$3 billion in fines and restitution!

As you may know, I enjoy the game of poker.  I don’t think it’s gambling because you are playing against opponents, not the house.  This is the crux of the argument as to why the online poker industry should live or die.  The government thinks poker is gambling, but online poker executives obviously think otherwise.

If poker was gambling, why is it that we always see familiar faces win big tournaments.  Names such as Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson and John Juwanda are everywhere!  You only win 49% of the time in gambling, but these guys win much more, that’s why they are so wealthy.  One interesting thing Phil Hellmuth told me at a charity event last year is that Full Tilt Poker player/shareholder Phil Ivey makes some US$2 million a month from his site!

DUMB PLAYERS ARE GAMBLERS


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Making Money From Home And Supporting A Family Just Got Easier

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For many couples who want to start families, it’s getting increasingly harder to do so without sacrificing a lot financially.  Education costs for kids are soaring and it now takes two incomes to afford a home in many big cities rather than just one 30+ years ago.

The nagging question on a lot of couple’s minds is, “Can we afford to have one person stay at home to raise the kid(s)?”  An equally common question is, “Can we afford to have kids at all?”  It’s kind of sad that many well-educated and well-paid couples have these thoughts. Part of the reason why I’m working so diligently on building up Financial Samurai and Yakezie.com is because my spouse or I would like to have something to do if one of us decides to one day stay at home and raise a family.

After a couple of years blogging, I know that making money online is possible. Not only that, it gives the stay-at-home spouse something exciting to do for several hours a day, in addition to raising the kids. Working from home while being able to raise a family is an enormously attractive proposition and I’m excited to present another way to do so!

A KILLER PRODUCT TO HELP GET US THERE


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Fixing The Airlines Industry

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I’ve come up with a great business idea in the worst sector in the world.  No sector has had more bankruptcies than the airlines industries.  That said, I’m undaunted because I know demand when I see it!

Introducing Samurai Airlines, where babies pay more and the person in the middle seat gets both armrests!

The inspiration for my new company comes from years of frustrated flying.  I somehow always win the lottery by getting the middle seat next to bathroom with a baby behind and two giants to my left and right.  Despite all my trips and “Premier Status” on a number of airlines, I’m still treated like donkey food.  As a result, I’d like to propose the following benefits of Samurai Air:


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The Samurai Fund Update & Highlights Posts

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Dear Shareholders,

We’re pleased to report that the The Samurai Fund (TSF) is up 8.5% year to date!  Unfortunately, the S&P 500 is up 9.9% thereby underperforming the broader markets by 140 basis points.  On the positive side, there has been 0 turnover in the fund since inception on January 1, 2010 which means no trading fees.  Furthermore, we have not had to hire employees to run the fund meaning that we are saving millions more a year in salary costs.

Our outlook for the stock market is rosy, thanks to Ben “Making It Rain” Bernanke and his desire to inflate all asset classes with QE2.  We believe in the American consumer’s ability to consume with greed again, and we are strategically positioned with names such as Samuel Adams (SAM, +76% YTD), Monster Worldwide (MWW, +14%), and Lenar Corp (LEN, +24% YTD).  Creating bubbles is a good thing, so long as we recognize we are in a bubble.  We at TSF hear you loud and clear Mr. Bernanke and will ride your donkey into the sunset!

Thank you shareholders for investing in our fund.  We will try and make up for our underperformance by continually doing absolutely nothing.  Please revisit our investment philosophy.

Regards,

The Samurai Fund Investment Team

HIGHLIGHT POSTS FROM AROUND THE SPHERE


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Should I Join An Exclusive Sports Club?

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I’m in a pickle and I need your help.  One of my friends who so happens to be a client, but who really is just a great friend who so happens to be a very large client, invited me to play tennis at his posh tennis club the other day.  After we hit around for an hour, he mentioned I should join and he could be my primary sponsor.  I told him I’d think about it over the weekend and let him know.

I did some digging with the Membership representative afterwards.  The first hint that told me I was in for a big dilemma was when she said there were no brochures as everything is “exclusive and private.”  “We don’t advertise our club Sam.” she said.  OK, great, how is that going to help me make an informed decision, I thought to myself.  Not wanting to piss her off or anything, I just asked her if she could tell me about how to join.  This is what she said:


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