Well... that didn't go as planned.

In the winter of 2010, I was working on refining my portfolio, and had picked out a couple stocks I was interested in buying.  I had the idea of starting a blog to track my portfolio.   As a somewhat bored Peace Corps Volunteer, I thought it would be a fun and distracting hobby.  I made the first stock trade post on January 5, 2011.   I got very distracted by life that week and then went about 2.75 years without posting.

My portfolio has changed a good bit, my maturity as an investor has changed a good bit, and my life has changed a lot.  Catching Milo is now back, and since the hiatus has been so long, I feel it is necessary to start from the beginning with introductions.

I love investing, and I do it as a hobby.  I'm not a pro, and don't understand all the ins and outs pros do.  Maybe I'd be better served by picking a few index funds and not trying to beat the market, but that would be boring.  You probably shouldn't follow my lead.  If you are going to follow someone's investment advice, follow someone who can devote more than an hour or two a day to research.  Consider yourself warned... with that said:

I believe markets are irrational, and diversified rational thinking can beat the markets.  I am also wary of the words of John Maynard Keynes...

"The market can remain irrational longer than you can stay solvent"

My attempts to beat the market will have a long term focus.  Beating or meeting the market performance in the short term means exposing yourself to whatever irrationality the market is being driven by.   I'll seek value and be patient in it being realized.  I'll report and grade myself as I go.  I'm not going to make any promises on how often I'll post or report, as my previous pledge to do so obviously didn't come to fulfillment.

I'll apply a multiplier to my portfolio shares and cash balance, since my net worth isn't any of your business.  I'll report units as R$'s and RShares.  I intend to post my current portfolio positions in this upcoming week.  I might even be announcing my first trade in today's session.

Prior to market open on Friday November 15, 2013 my portfolio value is R$ 262,455 with the S&P 500 at 1790.62. The scoring starts now.