I just signed up for Level 2 - when the heck am I going to have time to study?? Time to shave down my social-life pronto! Bye, bye TV! I will miss you!!!! Not only that, it's just now dawning on me how busy I am going to be work-wise for the next three months....
This weekend I'll be in Jersey, then on Monday night through Wednesday I'll be in NYC on business... arriving back in Philly with just enough time to pack up the car for the airport. We're visiting my sister in Colorado for a long weekend!!!
The following weekend is Presidents Day and I'll need to be in DC on Sunday for a conference (even though its a holiday) and THEN traveling to Villanova and Dickinson to interview summer intern candidates.
Earnings season starts the following week and goes through mid-March. And, of course, our "fun" conference is in early April. Crap! I'm really busy work-wise for the next few months --- How the heck am I going to find time to study?? What have I gotten myself into????
On top of all of this.... our lease is up at the end of March and we have decided to move to another apartment (possibly townhouse) in a different part of the city. Finding a place.... packing up.... all that crap takes time!
What was the last thing that made you smile?
Submitted by Becca-Pink.
A college friend of mine that lives in Philly has a crush on someone I work with. We've been trying for a couple of weeks to come up with a subtle way for me to find out if he was interested in her -- subtly isn't exactly my strong suit. On Friday, I was working from home and gave him a call in the office to confirm that he was joining us for some celebratory drinks that night. I don't know how I did it, but the conversation worked out perfectly so that the topic came up and he mentioned that he's interested in her without me bringing it up in an obvious way.
I couldn't stop smiling as I called her to replay the conversation!!! She was impressed with my mad-skillz. We went out for drinks on Friday - me & Adam, two work friends, and two college friends..... my matchmaking worked and the two really hit it off and have a date planned for this week!!!!
Makes me smile just to think about it!!!
I've been feeling like Adam is itch-ing to buy a place. When the test results came out (and I actually PASSED!!!!), I was concerned that he would be disappointed that we would be renting in the city for another year. He keeps teling me he's OK with us not buying now, since the market is in a bit of a freefall. News out today shows how tough its been.... We're OK with riding this out and waiting for some signs of a recovery before we buy --- gives us more time to save our pennies. Besides, I've been looking online and there are plenty of opportunities for us to rent a townhouse (3BR, full house - similar to what we were going to buy) in the city for less than what we pay in rent now. So, that gives us some nice housing options.
Builders slash prices 10%, but sales fall anyway
Washington (MarketWatch) - U.S. builders slashed prices by more than 10% in December in a failed bid to boost sales, which dropped about 5% to the lowest level in nearly 13 years, the Commerce Department reported Monday. The grim figures show no relief in sight for a battered building sector and are certain to be a major item on the Federal Reserve's agenda for its two-day policy-setting meeting that begins Tuesday. Sales of new homes fell 4.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 604,000 in December, far below the 645,000 expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch and the lowest sales pace since February 1995. The sales figures likely overstate the health of the building sector, since they don't include cancellations, which have soared in the past year. The median sales price tumbled a record 10.9% to $219,200 compared with November and were down 10.4% compared with a year earlier. It's the biggest year-over-year drop in the median sales price since 1970. The average sales price fell a record 11.5% to $267,300 compared with December 2006. The inventory of unsold new homes dropped to 495,000 from 502,000, but rose to a 26-year high in relation to sales, representing 9.6-months' supply at the December sales pace. Inventories don't include homes thrown back on the market due to canceled sales.
I found out on Wednesday that I passed Level 1. it was a little maddening, actually. I was en route to Phoenix, so was trying to log in from my blackberry from the PHL airport and sitting on the tarmack. When I landed, over 5.5 hours later, I STILL couldn't get on the site and realized that my password must be wrong (I figured it was an overload on the server in the morning).
So, I'm sitting on the bus that takes you to the rental car lot in Phoenix, when I finally got the news. Honestly, I don't know how they passed me. I got less than 50% correct for two different sections - one of them was bonds, so much for having that one in the bag because of my live-in tutor! I had been saying that if I did pass, it would be because I squeeked by. Anyone who is on the fence between passing and failing usually gest decided by the Ethics section - which is seems is the only section that I clearly had a handle on. The pass rate was 39% - yikes!
| Topic | <=50% | 51%-70% | >70% | ||
| Alternative Assets | - | * | - | ||
| Derivatives | * | - | - | ||
| Economics | - | * | - | ||
| Equity Analysis | - | * | - | ||
| Ethical & Professional Stnds. | - | - | * | ||
| Financial Statement Analysis | - | * | - | ||
| Fixed Income Analysis | * | - | - | ||
| General Portfolio Management | - | * | - | ||
| Quantitative Analysis | - | * | - |
I had said that I would sit for Level 2 if I passed..... haven't been very enthused at the thought of that since I found out I passed.... That's supposed to be the toughest of the three sections and I clearly didn't have a good handle on the material in level 1, which level 2 builds off....
Don't have much time to make a decision on this - If I am going to take it, I needed to start studying LAST WEEK ALREADY!
I just read an interesting article in the NY Times (gee, how often do I start posts like that?). The article focused on how realtors were being sued by homebuyer that felt that they had been misled. Agents that were supposed to be representings the purchaser were withholding information, such as what similar properties in the area were selling for, out of fear that the purchaser would back out and they would loose their commission.
I find this interesting for two reasons. 1) We saw this first hand when our knucklehead realtor tried to force us to settle on the townhouse even though there were huge HVAC issues..... 2) I work in a business that is full of these conflicts of interest. Research Analyst's got burned big time after the internet bubble exploded for keeping buy-ratings on stocks to generate investment banking business for their firms (and HUGE bonuses for the analysts) at the sake of the "mom & pop" investors that didn't know any better and bought shares. That make sense?
I think it will be interesting to see if these lawsuits have a large impact on the way realtors get paid. In the case of Research Analysts, we have infinitely more disclosures and legal barriers than we did when I started in 2002. The way that we are paid (bonuses primarily) is much more focused on servicing the client and picking stocks correctly and not directly tied to investment banking which was prone to lots of conflicts of interest.
How do you handle your house cleaning? Do you have a schedule for it, do you do it as necessary, do you pay someone else to handle it?
We have a lady that comes and cleans our house - Thank Goodness!!!
We started this back when I had NYC job and was shuttling back and forth between cities - no way there was time in my life back then to fit in cleaning. Adam wouldn't notice the house was dusty or needed a vaccumning, so I didn't want to ask him to pick up the slack. We had gotten so spolied during those three months, and my salary got a nice bump from all the job-hopping, that we decided to keep her. She's been coming every two weeks now for over a year. I can't say I miss washing the kitchen floors and the bathrooms - those are my least favorite chores....
I do some cleaning in between her visits. Usually one-off projects that could go ignored, but I notice and they bother me.... such as: cleaning out the fridge, kitchen cabinets, etc..... I usually tackle these projects on lazy Sunday's when I'm feeling particularly antsy. I put in a cheesy girl moving and go to town. Adam hides in the bedroom until its over. I also handle the laundry, which is plenty to keep me busy.
Fed cuts interest rates by 75 basis points.
Wow. This was a surprise..... going to be a crazy day in the markets! Should be an interesting rollercoaster for both me & Adam.....
So glad that our house-money has been sitting safely as CASH for the last 9 months!
How do you usually react when people start talking politics?
Cover my ears and run out of the room screaming!!!! Well, maybe not this extreme, but that's what's going on in my head. I have a low tolerance of political banter. Mainly, because I feel like people aren't really conveying their opinion, but whatever they just read in the newspaper. And I think often people pretend that they are more informed on a topic than they really are. Just admit it when you don't know everything about your candidate!!!!
We actually had an interesting politics-centered conversation with my in-laws this weekend that I enjoyed. That's usually a rarity. I haven't decided if I am for Obama or Clinton yet..... time to become an informed voter.
Exam results come out in just over 24 hours...... the wait hadn't been too bad during the holidays and even into January. Now I'm at the point that I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE..... TELL ME IF I PASSED!!!!
I'll be stuck in the airport waiting for a flight to Phoenix tomorrow when the results get posted online.... haven't decided yet if I want Adam to look up my results, or if I should just wait until I am settled in my hotel room to look them up myself. The suspense is killing me, but I would really like to be the first person to know if my efforts paid off.
I have to admit, I'm a little scared of passing. I still think its the right decision to move forward with the exam and sit for Level 2 in June should I pass, BUT, I know how much work that it going to entail, and can't say I am jumping up and down at getting that burden on my shoulders again.
stay tuned......
What are your Sunday rituals?
With very busy lives and four families to juggle every weekend is different. And boy, do we have some action-packed weekends planned already for this year.
On those Sunday mornings that we do wake up at home, I guess we do have a ritual. Whoever wakes up first grabs the NYTimes, my fave, that lands conveniently outside our apartment door. We read the paper until 10:30. Then, Adam turns on Meet the Press. I stomach that for maybe 10-15min and then decide its time to turn on the computer. I can only stomach politicians talking out of their asses for a very short while. Breakfast is usually eggs & bacon with rye bread or a very tasty breakfast sandwich.....
After that, all bets are off... no more rituals by the time noon hits.
