Venture Capital

"After 20 years of observing a simple rule:
If its just an idea, its worth $15,000
If it has a creditable management team in place, $150,000
If it has sold something for real money to real customers,it might be worth $750,000”
David Beer, MK Angel Network Organizer

Centric venturer

http://besttripchoices.com

i am a Centric venturer. this site was featured on wall street journal 11/27/2007

"You could enjoy a cruise in the Greek Isles, a car trip through gold mining ghost towns in California, or a shopping spree in New York City equally well."

first is on my to do list, i don't know about the next two.

"Cruising has experienced strong growth in recent years, thanks to the fact that you believe that the experience is not as confining as in the past. You have decided that it is affordable and more interesting than you ever thought. And, very important, it's so easy and comfortable because your hotel room goes with you wherever you are and you don't have to pack and unpack every day. You may also own a time share, the concept of owning one or two weeks of vacation time in a condo in a resort area. Time shares tend to offer excuses for travel and most of these owners venture forth regularly"

i do like cruising, done it twice (tahiti & mediterranean). greece-turkey cruise would be the next one i want to do.

401k vs IRA

"an IRA is always better for your beneficiaries because it lets them stretch distributions from your account over their own life expectations."

US health care

from Cigna's analyst meeting:

Company said that the US system is 2x as expensive as others for the following reasons:
1. Hospitals $150-200B - US hospitals are smaller, more conveniently located, and have 50-55% occupancy (vs 95% occupancy).
2. Obesity, smoking $150-200B. Other countries are becoming more like US in obesity.
3. more CAT scans, MRIs, stents, etc

GM vs Toyota
$1800 vs $200
health care related costs per auto

Ji's election guide

full credit goes to my fellow pegleg and health care guru ji

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p-azLm_LoI42dO80ICFBbMQ

Credit card rewards

CardWeb.com, Credit-reviews.com and creditcardgoodies.com that rate the programs and provide venues for cardholders to seek and give counsel.